As Sir Alex Ferguson gave warning yesterday that the managerial position at Newcastle United was in danger of becoming a poisoned chalice - “I’m not sure it’s a job you’d want to take,” he said - the incumbent at St James’ Park called for a renewed sense of patience and unity at the troubled club. “It’s been a very tough Christmas and a very tough week for us,” Sam Allardyce acknowledged.

Having drawn at home to Derby County, lost away to Wigan Athletic, had his credentials questioned by supporters and learnt that Joey Barton, his midfield player, had been remanded in custody, it would be pushing the issue to suggest that Allardyce was in hugely festive spirit on the eve of Newcastle’s visit to Chelsea. His mood, however, remains determined.

The manager’s tactics and signings may be a legitimate source of debate, Alan Shearer’s name may have been sung at the JJB Stadium, Barton’s charge of common assault and affray may be another damaging and embarrassing distraction, but both he and Ferguson made a valid point: how sustainable is the perpetual unrest that clings to the club in such dogged fashion?

“It seems to me that Newcastle, as soon as they lose a game, their manager’s career is threatened,” Ferguson said. “How many managers have they had in my time at Manchester United? The thing with Newcastle fans is that they think they should be winning games 5-0 all the time. They have got to say to themselves that time is the thing.

“I would be astounded if they sacked Sam. I’m convinced that of all the managers they’ve had, he’s capable of doing better than most.”

Allardyce is attempting to restructure a quicksand club on firmer foundations, yet time is no longer afforded to managers in the Barclays Premier League. At present, senior figures at Newcastle are insistent that dismissal is neither imminent nor inevitable, but the tolerance of Mike Ashley, the billionaire owner, who regularly sits with fans, is a known unknown.

“Changing things is only brought about by a long, slow process but, of course, that doesn’t wear well in the game of football,” Allardyce said. “But it’s the only way you can really sustain success. Because of this football club and its history, it’s all doom and gloom. It’s never anything other than crisis, but there is no crisis here.

“There’s only the disappointment of a result and performance that wasn’t good enough. But in the last two games we were only a smidgin away from better results and it’s not a crisis. People outside make it a crisis or try and influence things, but what we have to do as a team and as a group of people is to stay strong and be focused on what we know is right and not let those influences affect us.

“I’ve never known anybody set up a successful business in three or four months. It simply can’t happen. In the past, some people - far too many of them - have gone out and tried to buy their way to the top, but that’s not sustainable. It might get you there in the short term, but it can’t bring you long-term success at a football club, because it has to come from a more structured and focused plan. The best two teams this season are Arsenal and Manchester United and they’ve got the two longest-serving managers.”

What Allardyce will not do is change. He believes his success at Bolton Wanderers is now “a burden” because of his reputation for favouring direct football - “we’re not capable of playing that way here,” he countered - but his scientific methods, from diet, psychology, to eking every per cent of effort from his players, cannot be established immediately.

“We’re getting that message across, we’re consistent in our delivery of that information and we’re not going to be distracted from what we know is successful,” he said. “It stays consistent, year in and year out. The players are my challenge, nothing else. It’s them I’m interested in and the club as a whole after that. I have to make them better and make them more consistent.

“I’m working on that 24/7. In between, whether results are good, bad or indifferent, it’s about not changing what you know works and sticking to your guns. And not to show any signs of weaknesses, because that’s easy for the players to pick up on and use as an excuse. That isn’t and won’t be the case. It’s about staying together and trying to do what’s right."