Newcastle chairman laughs off speculation linking Allardyce with St James' Park exit

The former Bolton boss has endured an intensely difficult Christmas period, which has seen his side take just one Barclays Premier League point from a possible nine and summer signing Joey Barton remanded in custody on charges of common assault and affray.

But amid fevered speculation that his employers could be looking for a new saviour - departed Tottenham manager Martin Jol and Geordie hero Alan Shearer occupied many column inches over the weekend - Mort has dismissed the rumours.

He said: "All this makes me laugh and I find all this speculation tedious. There is a different name every week and there is just no truth in it."

Club owner Mike Ashley was among the travelling fans at Wigan on Boxing Day, when he will have been left in little doubt over their feelings as the Magpies slipped to a dismal 1-0 defeat three days after needing a late equaliser to claim a point against relegation favourites Derby on their own park.

He was not at Stamford Bridge on Saturday as a much-improved display against an admittedly weakened Blues' outfit failed to yield any reward, albeit courtesy of a poor decision which allowed Salomon Kalou's late winner to stand.

However, with Ashley enjoying a winter break, Mort was there to hear the 3,000 or so away supporters applaud their side warmly from the pitch despite their disappointment.

He said: "We were all very proud of the players and disappointed that we lost to what was clearly an offside goal."

Mort's reassurances may do little to quell the speculation - the bookmakers have Allardyce as on odds-on favourite to be out of his job before the end of the season and to be the next top flight boss to go.

The big test will come tomorrow night when the Magpies entertain Manchester City at St James' Park looking to end a run of three games without a victory to set themselves up for Sunday's tricky FA Cup third-round trip to Stoke.

Medical staff were today assessing striker Alan Smith after he spent Saturday night in a Tyneside hospital suffering from concussion after a clash of heads with team-mate Abdoulaye Faye.

Allardyce is currently preparing to try to strengthen his squad on limited resources during the winter transfer window, and his need is growing all the time.

England striker Michael Owen returned from his thigh injury as a substitute at Chelsea, but the man he replaced, Obafemi Martins, is due to head off on African Nations Cup duty with Nigeria after tomorrow's game and will be followed by Senegal duo Faye and Habib Beye, as well as Cameroon midfielder Geremi.

With Nicky Butt facing a two-match ban for his next booking - he collected his ninth of the season for his protests over Kalou's strike - the manager's options could be severely restricted in the weeks ahead.