Monday 29 December 2014 10:57, UK
Alan Pardew did not speak to the press after Newcastle's 3-2 win over Everton at St James' Park on the day he was backed to succeed Neil Warnock as Crystal Palace manager.
Pardew was cut to an odds-on favourite with Sky Bet at 2/7 on Monday morning to fill the vacant position at Selhurst Park after Warnock was sacked on Saturday.
Despite Newcastle's vital win thanks to goals from Papiss Cisse, Ayoze Perez and Jack Colback, Pardew did not face the media, instead leaving his assistant John Carver to fulfil the duties.
Carver insists Pardew is fine, saying: "He just said 'will you go and do the press for me?', that was it. He's fine, he's delighted, it's a fantastic result for us. We've had a difficult period against top opposition.
"We've set about them and he's been pleased with the performance. It was one of our best performances in recent times."
Gary Neville, speaking on Sky Sports, said: "Why would he go to Crystal Palace if he's still got a job at Newcastle?
"With all due respect to Crystal Palace, Newcastle are a fantastic club, and he's been there a long time.
"Unless he thinks his time's up at Newcastle, but I can't see that. Newcastle have got a good team, have had a decent first half to the season.
"I think Crystal Palace will be bobbing up and down, thinking about whether they're going to be in the bottom three, are they going to be bottom five."
Graeme Souness, manager at St James' Park between 2004 and 2006, added: "I've known the situation quite intimately, I've been there, been under pressure.
"It's an intense place to be a football manager, it's everything to the people up there, and the frustrations are born from not having won anything since 1969.
"Maybe he feels a bit of bitterness towards the people, maybe he feels he should have been treated better when things were not going well."
