Four games into their pre-season programme, Newcastle United remain unbeaten, a state of affairs that is clearly driving Sam Allardyce to distraction; there can rarely have been a manager who craves a defeat so fervently. With a size-zero squad at his disposal, healthy results are masking a sickly disposition that Allardyce last night termed “a disaster”. After Mike Ashley’s recent £133 million takeover of the club, Allardyce’s powers of persuasion are being tested by new employers who “know very little of the football side”. Reinforcements are needed desperately, particularly in defence.

The felling of dead wood earlier this summer - Titus Bramble, Antoine Sibierski, Craig Moore and Olivier Bernard among them - initiated four useful additions, but that stream has evaporated and Allardyce is struggling to restrain himself.

A 4-1 victory over Celtic was followed by a 2-0 win against Juventus; yet the former concluded with Steve Harper, the goalkeeper, deputising as an emergency striker and yesterday’s game ended with seven academy graduates and a triallist playing.

The statement being made by Allardyce is clear. “Pre-season friendlies tend to give people false hope,” he said. “Just because we’ve beaten Celtic and Juventus doesn’t mean we’re going to do well. Starting the season with the players who finished the game today would be a disaster for us, because when the whistle blows in the Premiership it ain’t about playing pretty football. It’s about nitty gritty, do-or-die football. When the pressure comes, inexperienced players fail.”

His own regime was hardly saintly, but in a series of valedictory weekend interviews, Freddy Shepherd, the former chairman, made some pointed remarks echoing Allardyce’s argument. “Sam Allardyce will be successful as manager if he receives the kind of backing that I gave the people who were in the job before him,” Shepherd said.

“I wouldn’t presume to tell [Ashley] how to run things but all I will say is that I don’t believe it can be done by proxy. We may live in an age of communication but I believe Newcastle are a club who need dedicated day-to-day handling.”

There was a barb, too, for Michael Owen, whose club-record £16.5 million transfer Shepherd secured from Real Madrid in 2005. The claim that Owen “owes Newcastle a lot” is unquestionable given his record with injuries - he is presently absent with a minor thigh strain, but it is hoped that he will figure away to Hull City on Wednesday - but nor is it challenged by the striker.

Shepherd’s revelation that the £9 million escape clause in Owen’s contract - the existence of which he initially denied - deactivates at the end of this month is understood to be incorrect. It expired on June 30.

Allardyce was satisfied with an “excellent performance” by a team lacking Owen, Shola Ameobi, Emre Belözoglu, Joey Barton, Damien Duff, Nicky Butt, Steven Taylor, Mark Viduka and Celestine Babayaro and pressed James Milner’s England credentials, but expressed fury at a reckless lunge by Gianluigi Buffon, the world’s most expensive goalkeeper, on Andy Carroll. “It was a bit like that Harald Schumacher challenge all those years ago,” Allardyce said. “It was more like common assault than anything else. Andy is very lucky he’s not in hospital now, but thankfully there are no ill effects.”

Claudio Ranieri, the Juventus head coach, countered that Buffon was “a gentleman”. Carroll and the revitalised Albert Luque, who limped off with a sore groin, scored Newcastle’s goals.

Kieron Dyer, pursued by West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur after pleading to leave Tyneside for “family reasons”, was used as a second-half substitute but is still expected to depart. “I hope we can find a solution because we’re all hanging in the balance and the only reason he played is because we’re short of numbers,” Allardyce said. Dyer was abused by some fans as he left the stadium last night.

There appears little mileage in reports that Kevin Keegan will be invited back to St James’ Park as director of football. “I’ve no idea what the thoughts are in that department, but if they have a discussion with me I will make my opinions known privately,” Allardyce said.