After their Carling Cup elimination at the hands of Tottenham, Newcastle United caretaker boss Chris Hughton pleaded with his board to make some serious decisions - quickly.

Hughton once again admitted the sooner the turmoil off the field is resolved, the better as he and his shell-shocked players attempt to halt a run of four successive defeats when Blackburn head for Tyneside on Saturday.

He said: "The situation as it is at the moment is no different to what it was a couple of weeks ago in that the sooner something can be resolved, the better for everyone."

Hughton revealed on Tuesday he had had no contact with the club's board since taking over from Kevin Keegan, and he confirmed that remained the case tonight.

He said: "I am in a certain position at the moment and until that changes, I can only do the best job I can.

"It's a big challenge, but it is very much a challenge I am up for.

"Parts of that challenge are very, very enjoyable, and that's working with these players.

"You have always got to look to the next result and certainly I would be confident that we can get a result from Saturday's game."