With every major World competition held in the summer - World Cup, European Championship, Asian Cup and Copa America - why should Africa rob our league of players in JANUARY and FEBRUARY?
Abdoulaye Faye, Obafemi Martins, Habib Beye and Geremi are all expected to report for African Cup of Nations duty in early January and, depending on how far their respective countries progress, they may not return to Tyneside until mid-February.
Allardyce Blasts African Nations Cup - And Rightly So!
Allardyce: "Losing players in January is going to be a big problem for me and for everyone else in the Premier League. We've got four going and we've got to try to do something about it in January, to bring somebody in to help out the situation.
"Now the Premier League have brought in a huge amount of African players, so the conflict lies with FIFA, who will always promote international tournaments.
"Now the Premier League have brought in a huge amount of African players, so the conflict lies with FIFA, who will always promote international tournaments.
"That's where their bread and butter really lies. It causes a big problem for the Premier League now and I can't see a resolution to it, because they're not going to play it in the middle of the summer like the other tournaments."
"It would be all right if we were relieved by the Premier League by having a two-week break in January, because we've got Africans in the tournament every two years.
"We've got the transfer window and we've got to play eight games in that period. You can't tell me that's good for a player.
"Play the third round of the FA Cup and then give everyone a break, then those players would only miss two games and we could get on with transfer stuff, players could recharge their batteries and you'd get a much more productive Premier League.
"I understand they've got problems with the fixture list, but we're only one of the few countries who do it."