8 Most Ridiculous Newcastle United Rumours That Never Happened

4. Sam Allardyce's 'Casa St James'

This has never been corroborated by the man himself but word on the street - or should that be the Mediterranean coastline - is that Allardyce bought a home on the Costa Blanca with the £4 million he acquired in the form of a pay-off after being given the boot by Mike Ashley in January 2008.

Nothing out of the ordinary here you might think. Ageing football manager buys a Spanish holiday villa near the ocean in preparation for his retirement and as a relaxing getaway for him and the missus at the end of another stress-inducing campaign.

Well, that's only half of the story. Allardyce, an egregiously unsubtle character at the best of times, decided to snidely name his new accommodation as "Casa St James" in a clear taunt at the Magpies for the handsome kickback fund that landed in his bank account post-sacking. Gallantry must be an alien concept to him.

The utter, blood-boiling contempt of the bloated cretin is too much to take.