Emre Belözoglu saw fit to apologise yesterday for helping to ruin the festive season for Newcastle United supporters, but Sam Allardyce could be forgiven more for casting his mind back to Christmas past. This time last year he had guided Bolton Wanderers to fourth place in the top flight.

No such giddy heights during his eight turbulent months at St James’ Park and fixtures against top-five clubs in their next three games suggest little prospect of an upturn in fortunes. The often unrealistic thirst for success at Newcastle means that Allardyce and speculation over his future have been close bedfellows since his arrival in May.

The latest bout of navel-gazing has been sparked by the harvesting of a single point from games against Derby County and Wigan Athletic, sides meant to be put to the sword after back-to-back victories in far from daunting fixtures against Birmingham City and Fulham bought Allardyce breathing space.

It was the performance against Wigan on Boxing Day, rather than the defeat itself, that has done more to add dents to a managerial reputation that seemed impregnable before Allardyce left the Reebok Stadium.

After several public backings, Chris Mort, the chairman, declined an invitation from the Evening Chronicle, the local newspaper, to issue another vote of confidence in the manager in the wake of events at the JJB Stadium, where Newcastle were again derided for their negativity and jeered off the pitch by their supporters.

However, senior sources at the club insist that the point has not been reached where dismissal is either imminent or inevitable, although the quest for stability will not be assisted by the latest allegations to be made against Joey Barton, one of Allardyce’s first significant signings.

Despite the need for a talisman to help him to steer clear of the latest bout of unrest, Allardyce will show his commitment to the long term by ignoring the temptation of starting with Michael Owen, who has been absent for six weeks, against Chelsea tomorrow, when Newcastle go in search of a first top-flight win at Stamford Bridge in 16 attempts. “Michael’s not had enough match practice under his belt,” Allardyce said.

The potential inclusion on the bench of Owen, sidelined by a hamstring problem suffered while on England duty against Austria last month, will provide a boost to the flagging spirits that prompted Emre, the mid-field player, to say: “We understand Christmas is a very important time for fans and again we’ve lost points, so we’re really sorry.”

Newcastle have won only twice in the seven games that Owen has missed. Despite his imminent return, the forward, with three goals in 11 domestic appearances this season, will find it difficult to provide an immediate panacea to his club’s ills, with the 28-year-old requiring time to regain his sharpness.

A successful reintroduction tomorrow will put Owen in line for a starting role when Manchester City, who have been linked to the former Real Madrid player, visit St James’ Park on Wednesday. Alan Smith will again lead out Newcastle tomorrow, with Allardyce clarifying his reasons for replacing Gérémi as captain against Wigan. “It’s a permanent decision for now because Gérémi is going to the African Nations Cup,” the manager said. “We need to establish somebody who can captain the side on a regular basis with the attitude, desire and commitment Alan shows.”

How regular that will be with Smith two bookings short of his second suspension of the season is open to question. Gérémi expects to be restored to the role on his return. “The manager told me the decision was to get him [Smith] ready for the responsibility while I’m gone,” he said.