Allardyce On The Brink!
BLACKBURN: Friedel, Emerton, Ooijer, Samba, Warnock, Bentley, Kerimoglu, Mokoena (Reid 66), Dunn (Pedersen 58), Santa Cruz, McCarthy (Roberts 61).
Subs Not Used: Brown, Savage.
NEWCASTLE: Given, Beye, Rozehnal, Faye (Carr 24, Viduka 72), N'Zogbia, Geremi, Butt, Barton, Martins, Smith, Milner.
Subs Not Used: Harper, Jose Enrique, Emre.
Att: 27,477
David Bentley made sure Allardyce endured a miserable return to the north-west, and if the Sunday newspapers are to be believed, this could be his last as Newcastle manager.
The England winger scored two goals and the former Bolton boss was left to reflect on his side picking up only one point out of the last 15 in their last five matches.
The 6,000 travelling fans didn't single out midfielder Joey Barton, as some expected, who went public on his anger over some "vicious" criticism of the team.
But he has to face another 44,000 of them on Wednesday when Arsenal come calling, and he had better not put a foot out of place, because the Geordies could get a lot more "vicious" than he ever expected.
Barton missed a glorious chance at Ewood Park but what will concern Allardyce is that they failed to defend their lead and caved in under pressure.
Obafemi Martins made the breakthrough at the start of the second half but Bentley then ran the show with Tugay adding a third in stoppage time.
In the 15th minute Benni McCarthy released Santa Cruz but with only Shay Given to beat he steered his effort wide of the post.
Newcastle carved out a good chance in the 30th minute when Martins split the home defence.
He clipped a neat ball into the path of Alan Smith but his ambitious effort went wide of the post when he should have opted to release James Milner, who was in a better position.
Only two minutes of the second half Brett Emerton was pulled up for a challenge on Milner. Charles N'Zogbia drove the ball in and Martins escaped his marker to clip a header beyond Friedel.
However, Blackburn equalised in the 54th minute with a superb 25-yard free kick from David Bentley. The winger left Given motionless after N'Zogbia had brought down Santa Cruz.
Barton should have regained the lead for Newcastle two minutes later when Blackburn defender Christopher Samba's clearance rebounded off the midfielder, only for him to seem to get his feet stuck under the ball and Friedel was eventually able to make the block.
Blackburn took the lead in the 67th minute with Bentley's second goal of the game. It was another fine finish as well, the England winger rifling a shot into the corner off the post.
Bentley had been set up by Roque Santa Cruz, who shrugged Barton's challenge to pick out his team-mate.
The winger came within a whisker of getting his hat-trick in the 74th minute, his effort coming back off the post.
Then substitute Jason Roberts saw his effort turned away by Given in the 80th minute.
Substitute Morten Gamst Pedersen headed wide in the 84th minute before Tugay scored a third in stoppage time. The veteran Turkish playmaker was released by Roberts after Pedersen started the move with Newcastle pushing forward.