Allardyce watched his side held to a 0-0 draw by Coca-Cola Championship outfit Stoke in the FA Cup third round at the Britannia Stadium tonight, their fifth game in a week since the start of the Festive programme.

While Newcastle do now have six days' rest before tackling Manchester United at Old Trafford, the replay with Stoke on January 16 is something Allardyce feels his squad could well do without given the fatigue they are currently experiencing.

"The new lads here think it is crazy that everyone else has a break and we don't," reflected Allardyce.

"If they think we are crazy, then something must be wrong.

"It was our fifth game in two weeks. It is a ludicrous situation to be in. It is an over-demand on high-performing athletes. That is very dangerous indeed.

"It is too much to ask of players over the Christmas period. It would be nice to reach this point and have a two-week break, as we should do.

"Somewhere along the line - if not causing a serious injury because of fatigue - later on in life, professional players will have massive problems with hip, knee and ankle replacements and be crippled with arthritis. There is nothing more certain than that.

"You would not ask a racehorse to do what we do."

While Allardyce remains intensely concerned for his players' well-being, he will also be grateful to have avoided a defeat which could have been so costly in terms of his long-term job prospects.

Although they dominated for long spells, Newcastle could easily have been undone by a period of Stoke pressure midway through the second-half triggered by the introduction of Jon Parkin.

The burly striker had Stoke's best chance but Steven Taylor and Abdoulaye Faye combined to keep out Parkin's goalbound effort after Ricardo Fuller had beaten Shay Given and set his team-mate up with a neat cutback.

"It was a bit of heroic defending but it was a short period of time. Otherwise, we were in complete control," said Allardyce.

The beleaguered Magpies chief - whose side have now gone five games without a win - confirmed he had met with owner Mike Ashley before the match, although he refused to divulge the contents of their discussion.

However, the 'You're getting sacked in the morning' chants of Stoke fans appear to be wide of the mark, with the presence of Sir Alex Ferguson a reminder of what a decent cup run can do for a managerial career.

Stoke boss Tony Pulis said: "I saw Newcastle against Manchester City on Wednesday and they had really good opportunities, didn't take them and got punished.

"Today, we have had really good opportunities and didn't take them. It might be the little bit of luck Sam needs to turn it around.

"I felt our second-half performance warranted us going through. Unfortunately, we did not manage that but we have given a really good account of ourselves and we should enjoy that."

Pulis also confirmed he was on the brink of completing a deal for Derby defender Andy Griffin, who played 35 games for the Potteries outfit on loan last season before eventually leaving Portsmouth for Pride Park.

"Andy did exceptionally well here," he said.

"He was well liked by the supporters and the players and he will bring a bit more quality to the squad."