Heat on caretaker Hughton as Newcastle prepare for West Ham clash

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Newcastle caretaker boss Chris Hughton, without several key players against West Ham on Saturday, is to lose Alan Smith for three months.

The former Leeds and Manchester United striker is to have foot surgery.

Among the players already missing are Joey Barton, who will miss five matches after his recent suspension, Jonás Gutiérrez, who may be out for a month with injury and Mark Viduka, who is a month away from returning from an Achilles injury.

And under-pressure Hughton said: ‘As soon as a decision is made on who will be the permanent manager, the better.’

Hughton will be hoping for a major improvement on last weekend's performance, when the Magpies went down to a miserable 2-1 home defeat against newly promoted Hull City.