Graphic: Bill Edgar's tactical analysis

Stricken by a chest infection, Sam Allardyce had been advised by his doctor to stay away from St James’ Park, where queasiness was a common theme on Saturday. Newcastle United’s knife-edge existence cannot be healthy and if their late, narrow victory over Birmingham City relieved tension at the club, all the symptoms of their affliction were present.

From the messy concession of an early goal to the long stretches of uncertainty and a last-minute winner, the team continue to shun the straightforward, a frailty that undermines their craving for stability. Perhaps this result, coupled with their 1-1 draw with Arsenal last week, marks a turning point. “Six months down the line, hopefully people will look back and say this was a big week for us,” Allardyce said.

The manager hailed a “monumental effort” and a “massive win - nothing else was important”, but the weekend represented their season in microcosm. After a breathless match, the manager was yesterday confronted by reports linking Alan Shearer and Steve McClaren with his job and suggestions that Mike Ashley, the owner, may sell the club to a consortium from Singapore for £200 million.

Respite is elusive, although matches against Fulham, Derby County and Wigan Athletic offer further encouragement before a testing run of fixtures around the new year. For now, Allardyce’s position is secure and there is recognition at Newcastle that the short-term thinking of the previous regime has blighted their recent history. Rebuilding requires patience.

The same applies to changing perceptions, from the notion of Ashley as the billionaire with an itchy trigger finger to Allardyce as a long-ball pragmatist. The latter accusation has followed him from Bolton Wanderers, but there was a spell when Birmingham faced a four-man attack. “Some people might say that’s not Sam Allardyce football, but only I know who Sam Allardyce is,” the manager said.

With Newcastle fans known for purism, the stigma is one which “does rankle” with Allardyce. He believes that it emanates from jealousy. “You get nailed with that tag and it comes from other managers because we beat them at Bolton on a regular basis,” he said. “We beat big teams like Liverpool or Chelsea, but Chelsea played exactly the same way as we did.”

Representatives of Liverpool and Arsenal have made reference to Newcastle’s “direct” style this season. “It’s only an excuse because they’re more direct than us,” Allardyce said. “When [Peter] Crouch plays [for Liverpool] don’t tell me [Rafael] BenÍtez doesn’t play off him. Or [Fernando] Torres. How many long balls do Arsenal play off [Emmanuel] Adebayor? Lots is the answer to that.”

On this occasion, both Newcastle goals emanated from set-pieces, a soft penalty for Obafemi Martins that left Alex McLeish, the Birmingham manager, “aggrieved” and a corner from Emre Belözoglu that Habib Beye turned in at the near post. Having recovered from Cameron Jerome’s ninth-minute opener, Newcastle also struck the woodwork through James Milner, but their second-half performance was ponderous.

In McLeish’s second match in charge, Birmingham were neat and energetic. The evidence, bolstered by imminent matches against Reading, Bolton, Middlesbrough and Fulham, points to relegation being averted. “We’ve got a good group of lads, a good spirit and a good manager who believes in a strong work ethic,” Jerome said. “Everyone is confident we can get points over Christmas.”

Newcastle should do the same, although predictability is not their way.

How they rated

Newcastle

4-4-2

S Given 6
H Beye 6
S Taylor 7
D Rozehnal 5
C N’Zogbia 7
Gérémi 5
N Butt 5
J Barton Y 6
J Milner 8
A Smith 7
O Martins 5

Substitutes M Viduka (for Butt, 31min, 6), Emre Belözoglu (for Gérémi, 72), J Enrique (for Martins, 90) Not used S Harper, D Edgar

Birmingham

4-4-2

Maik Taylor 8
S Kelly 5
L Ridgewell 5
R Schmitz 5
M Sadler 5
D de Ridder 5
F Muamba 6
S Larsson Y 6
M Nafti Y 6
G McSheffrey 5
C Jerome 8 Substitutes O Kapo 5 (for McSheffrey, 62min), M Forssell (for De Ridder, 76) Not used C Doyle, G O’Connor, S Parnaby