Roeder still the man for Magpies

Chairman Freddy Shepherd was not commenting on a new wave of rumours on Monday in the wake of Allardyce's resignation from his post at Bolton.

However, it is understood he has told Roeder he will remain at the helm despite a disappointing season which will at best result in a 10th-place Barclays Premiership finish with three games still to play.

There is little doubt that is way below the expectations of a club which not so long ago claimed a top-four berth in successive seasons - Sir Bobby Robson was sacked after managing just fifth in 2003-04 - but Shepherd knows there are mitigating factors.

Injuries to key players such as Michael Owen, Shay Given, Stephen Carr, Titus Bramble, Damien Duff, Charles N'Zogbia, Kieron Dyer and Shola Ameobi have undoubtedly been a major hindrance.

In addition, the excesses of Graeme Souness' reign - the Scot was handed £50million with which to strengthen his squad, but invested £20million of it in Albert Luque, Jean-Alain Boumsong and Amdy Faye - left Roeder's hands tied to an extent.

That said, the former West Ham boss, who was handed the job on a permanent basis last May after dragging the club into Europe as caretaker, was still able to bring in Obafemi Martins and Duff at a cost of £15million.

Former academy manager Roeder has been repeatedly under the spotlight simply because his appointment broke tradition with the Magpies having consistently gone for big names since Kevin Keegan reignited the club under former chairman Sir John Hall.

Allardyce famously turned the job down before Souness was appointed, and although he was heavily linked with it once again after the Scot's departure, Shepherd was not about to give him a second chance.

That has not stopped him being repeatedly touted as a future manager at St James' Park, although he is not the only one. Earlier this month, Shepherd was forced to issue a denial, and not for the first time, that he was courting former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson.