Mike Ashley threw his full support behind his Newcastle United manager Sam Allardyce before, during and after yesterday's 0-0 FA Cup draw with Stoke City.

Last night no one could question the commitment of players believed to be playing for their manager's future, although Ashley is said to be bemused by speculation that Allardyce will be the next managerial victim in the Barclays Premier League.

With so much already in place for the duration of Allardyce's five-year contract, and further changes afoot, Ashley has every intention of sticking with the manager he inherited from Freddy Shepherd.

Ashley led the rallying call in the dressing room before the game and was there afterwards, having seen Allardyce's players deliver a performance which buried the memory of three successive defeats.

Allardyce said: "It was very nice to see Mike back from his holidays and he was looking very, very well - certainly better than me, anyway.

"Four Premier League teams have gone out to lower league opposition and there was no game harder than this one, but we coped very well and we could have won it at the beginning of the first and second halves."