Sam Allardyce believes Everton made a big mistake by asking Everton fans to rate his performance as manager

Everton manager Sam Allardyce has criticised the club for sending out a survey asking supporters to mark him out of 10, labelling it a "big mistake".

Members of the Toffees' fans' panel have been sent a questionnaire which includes, among other other things, them being asked for a score based on the statement: "I have a high level of trust

in the current manager and coaching staff of Everton eg in making the right decisions to get the best out of the team".

Other areas include reasons for supporting Everton, an assessment of the connection between fans and the club and the direction in which is it going and how the club is portrayed in the media, but it is the manager question which has hit the headlines.

"I'm only answering this question once - in fact I'm not taking the question," said Allardyce in his opening shot at his pre-match press conference to preview Monday's home match against Newcastle.

"The survey: the director of marketing and communications has clearly slipped up. Our department has not been asked what we think of the survey, even though it has been passed out before.

"From my point of view and the football side point of view, it was a big mistake. I think it has allowed you to write some beautiful headlines.

"Our director of marketing is not a great understander of football and how football works because he is into marketing.

"He must have thought it was the right thing to do but clearly everyone else hasn't and even the chairman I spoke to (on Wednesday night)."

Asked if he had had an apology from Bill Kenwright, Allardyce replied: "Off the chairman, yes."

Having stated he would not be giving himself a mark out of 10, he was asked anyway, to which he jokingly replied: "P*** off. Eleven!

"It hasn't made any difference for me concerning my position at the football club.

"Until someone rings me up at the very highest level and says, 'Sam, you're not wanted any more'. Then

I'll hold my hands up and say, 'If that's how you feel then fine'.

"But I'd be extremely disappointed if that was the case. In fact I'd be much more disappointed than extremely."

Allardyce was asked for his assessment of where the club was almost five months after he succeeded the sacked Ronald Koeman.

"When a season has been completely disrupted unexpectedly it throws a club into turmoil and chaos and when I arrived it was chaos," he added.

"We have managed to overcome that side of it and bring a level of training, performance to try to get better consistency - particularly away from home - which we haven't achieved yet."