Joe Kinnear has brushed off claims that a third party, purporting to be working on his behalf, has contacted Sunderland regarding the vacant manager’s job on Wearside. In response to the allegations - which, if true, would be hugely damaging to the Newcastle United manager - the Irishman accused the media of “mischief” and claimed never to have employed an agent.

Reports suggested that a representative of Kinnear had contacted Sunderland who are looking for a replacement for Roy Keane. Kinnear’s initial response was laughter. “You’re a mischievous lot,” he said. “You’re never happy unless you’re giving me a kick in the cobblers.”

Kinnear stated categorically that nobody was working for him in such a capacity. “No, I’ve never had an agent,” he said. “No one at all. I don’t like agents, I don’t pay agents, I don’t have nothing to do with agents.”

Yet, in an interview with The Sunday Times printed on October 12, Kinnear quoted the process that led to his appointment at St James’ Park. “I got a phone call from my agent, Jonathan Barnett, who told me, ‘You can expect to hear from Mike Ashley about Newcastle,’ ” he said.

There was more confusion. In his press conference on Thursday. Kinnear said that Michael Owen would provide Newcastle with a response to their offer of a new four-year contract within “two or three days”, but a meeting between the striker’s agent and Derek Llambias, the managing director, has now, apparently, been scheduled for “three or four days”, either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.

But there was less difficulty interpreting the importance of Newcastle’s 2-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur. with the manager upbeat. “I’m looking upwards now,” Kinnear said. “I’m always worried about the number of players we’re losing, but injury-free, I’d be looking up permanently.”