Taylor free-kick piles on the misery for Magpies boss Allardyce

Fans were already restless in the wake of a dour 2-2 home draw with bottom side Derby last Sunday. But as Ryan Taylor's freekick condemned their team, the 5,000-strong Toon Army staged a Boxing Day rebellion.

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They chanted: 'We're sh** and we're sick of it,' and 'You don't know what you're doing.'

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Allardyce must hope that chairman Mike Ashley, sitting among the fans in his Newcastle shirt, does not share that sentiment. In contrast, Wigan's jubilant fans celebrated escaping from the bottom three of the Barclays Premier League for the first time since October.

Allardyce's safety first team selection had already tested the fans' patience when Taylor fired a tremendous 63rd-minute free kick past Shay Given after Alan Smith had fouled Michael Brown.

Things will not get any easier, with Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United on the horizon.

Allardyce said: 'I don't blame the fans, I'd have been singing that if I were one of them because it was not good enough. They've been watching long enough to know that. They're not daft.

'We simply didn't cope with Wigan's attitude. They were high tempo, hard-working and closed us down to make sure they put us off our game.

'Some of the players didn't live up to their reputations.

'Our problem is shooting ourselves in the foot. We should be big enough to handle what is thrown our way, not shrivel and die. You roll your sleeves up and fight. Ability alone isn't enough in this league.

'We tossed the points away and we've put ourselves under extreme pressure. We're sitting in mid-table and we're not capable at the moment of taking the next step up. Our off-days are really off.'

Wigan manager Steve Bruce said: 'Sam's got one of the biggest and best jobs because of his outstanding record at Bolton. I'm convinced he will turn them round but we all worry about time these days.'

A croaking Bruce, fighting an illness and with a broken blood vessel in his eye, admitted: 'I'm not a pretty sight, I've told Match of the Day that I'll probably scare the kids. But it's been a great Christmas. We thought we were marooned with Derby. When I came here a month ago I thought we were dead and buried. All of a sudden we've given ourselves a good chance. They look as if they have the stomach and character for a fight and it was there for everybody to see.'

The Toon Army's good humour did not take long to evaporate and they were calling for striker Obafemi Martins to come off the bench with 20 minutes gone.

Chants of 'attack, attack, attack' fell on deaf ears as Allardyce planted skipper Alan Smith in front of a reshuffled back four that saw the return of his old Bolton stalwart Abdoulaye Faye and England Under 21 defender Steven Taylor.

Smith showed his versatility by making a more than decent fist of the midfield holding role but Mark Viduka hardly seemed to relish a solo role up front with occasional support from his wide men. One of those was former Blackburn and Chelsea favourite Damien Duff, understandably rusty on his first senior start since April.

Newcastle fans, who had booed their former centre half Titus Bramble at the start, cheered in mock anticipation when the player, noted for errors at St James' Park, needed to head back to his goalkeeper.

So the home crowd let out a huge roar when Bramble headed brilliantly off the line after 52 minutes as Viduka executed an overhead kick from the edge of the box after a mistake by Chris Kirkland.

Newcastle fans had more goodwill for Antoine Sibierski, who also left the club last summer, but the striker struggled to make an impact.

Given almost gave Newcastle's forgettable performance a pantomime finish with a bizarre keepy-uppy clearance that almost skewed into his own goal.

Wigan: Kirkland, Melchiot, Scharner, Bramble, Kilbane, Valencia, Brown, Landzaat, Taylor, Bent, Sibierski. Subs: Pollitt, Boyce, Olembe, Skoko, Aghahowa.

Newcastle: Given, Beye, Taylor, Faye, N'Zogbia, Milner, Smith, Geremi, Emre, Duff, Viduka. Subs: Harper, Jose Enrique, Cacapa, Martins, Butt.

Referee: Mike Dean (Wirral)