Sam Allardyce is facing the first crisis of his Newcastle reign — with Mark Hughes lurking in the shadows.
Big Sam and his team were booed and abused at St James' Park after yesterday's humiliating 4-1 thrashing by Portsmouth. Hundreds of fans walked out after just 11 minutes as Newcastle went 3-0 down, sending a clear message to chairman Mike Ashley.
Allardyce issued a groveling apology, admitting: "I'm devastated. We were rubbish and that is the most disappointing thing, especially for the fans who expected a lot more than they got today. For me it is about rolling up my sleeves and making sure there is not another performance like that this season."
Sources close to Ashley claim there will be no knee-jerk reaction from the boardroom but the chairman is hugely unimpressed with recent performances.
The billionaire is known to be an admirer of Blackburn boss Hughes.
