After the local spat that was the Tyne-where derby, we returned to normal domestic duties - although the shadow of England was cast across both the pitch and Directors Box here at SJP.

The unavailability of Taylor and Owen due to their international misadventures may have caused Sam Allardyce some annoyance and reduced his selection options - although we weren't alone in regretting that Smith hadn't also crocked himself in Vienna....

However, we were to be on the receiving end of one large piece of fallout from that Croatia debacle - and we don't mean the fact that Macca wasn't freeloading here yet again.

Ashley may reflect that having been prevented from buying the whole away section a half time pint at the stadium of plight is the only positive piece of financial news to come his way of late.

Estimates of the loss to the economy caused by England's Euro 2008 failure vary, but are comfortably in the billions, of which some had been destined to be spent on football shirts and associated patriotic tat in one of Ashley's Sports Direct emporia.

None of this will have improved the owner's mood as he took his seat to witness what some claim to be the worst 45 minutes they can recall watching on this ground - memories of the glories of Bobby Shinton preclude us from agreeing however; we'll just settle for worst in the Premiership.

The inevitability of Gerrard receiving pantomime boos from home fans was as high as his wanting to put in a good performance and vent his midweek frustrations on a piece of opposition goal net.  

He already looked like a man on a mission without any stoking from wor lot, but many were happy to wind him up anyway - what a shame they couldn't direct their vocal energies into something more traditional, like offering encouragement to their own side. God knows they needed it.

Since when did the national team matter so much up here? Are people really that gutted that they're missing out on a trip to the land of cuckoo clocks and six quid pints of fizzy, or the chance to fester on their own sofas soaking up Motty's painful Rio Ferdinand / Archduke Ferdinand quippery?  

This then reached new heights of ridiculousness when the arriving Peter Crouch was afforded a better reception from home fans than Newcastle substitute Stephen Carr, who inexplicably found something to laugh about in the midst of all this Magpie misery.

Now we're no lovers of the defender (and had our high hopes recently dashed when misreading a Skysports "breaking news" strap line about his international retirement) but we still harbour some notion of positivity towards that black and white shirt he was wearing, rather than a lanky streak of **** who has scored against us for Villa, Southampton and Liverpool in past times.   

In fairness by that point in the game we were firmly into "It's A Knockout" territory, Allardyce having set the tone with his formation and subsequent random replacements. Many people thought he was taking the proverbial, so amused themselves in the same manner. 

At 0-3, the atmosphere amongst those who remained was akin to the Crystal Palace game a couple of seasons ago - but without the paper darts....or the clean sheet.

The only vocals from the home crowd were of the sarcastic sort (directed towards team and manager) or supportive (directed towards the away fans when they threw in one of their own anti-Allardyce ditties.)

That was a development from the previous Pompey rimming, but Pamarot's fizzer past Harper and Gerrard's cannon past Given from roughly the same spot had the same negative effect on the side - a tepid surrender.

There may have been seven changes from the starting lineup against Pompey (Harper, Taylor, Faye, Cacapa, Barton, Milner and Owen all absent today) but the lack of a response once behind remained - as did the feeling of supporter disgust at our helplessness.

Yes there were injuries and selection issues, but aside from one wide Smith effort in the dying moments, we failed completely to create anything constructive.

Once again we were a beaten team once we went behind: the price of a policy of damage limitation and not sending a team out to earn a win, rather hoping they might nick one - somehow.

The 3-5-2 system adopted seemed to cause confusion across the field - notably in the case of Geremi, who was unable to comprehend what was required, or unable to meet the challenge.

That unbalanced the whole thing as he played a vaguely right back role while N'Zogbia on the other side abandoned any pretence at covering but failed to push forward sufficiently to be an outlet.

As a result the sight of  Butt vainly looking to his right for someone on the overlap was repeated more than once - while our midfield five left holes between themselves and the rearguard that surely weren't in Sam's plans.

And up front, a fleet-footed striker who needs chances was trying to pluck the ball out of the sky with a posse of defenders round him, while his forward companion seemed almost incapable of movement - where once was Andy Cole is now....a bag of coal. 

Having said that, neither had any service worth speaking of - no scraps for Oba, no crosses for Viduka until it was far too late - by which time he was so puggled he couldn't stay onside. Had Owen played it's doubtful it would have made one iota of difference.

Of course we've been here before when the Reds come to Tyneside, with as many bad days as good on Tyneside over the years.

In terms of our snail-like rearguard and under-performing midfield, the defeat here in 1998 comes to mind only too easily, when a cheeky hand-rubbing monkey called Michael grabbed three as we trailed 1-4 at half time.

(Opinion still varies about who opted to go with 3-5-2 for that one: new boss Gullit, caretakerish boss Tommy Craig or a senior player from Gosforth....)

Whoever suggested it though, messrs Albert, Charvet and Pearce were run ragged, while Serrant and Watson were equally inept on the flanks.

However, unlike this 2007 stuffing, we did manage a shot on goal (Guivarc'h netting via a post) and as the Press Association report of the time testifies, found some strength and guts after the break: 

Precisely why we bother at all is a moot point - after all, the players don't look particularly bothered......as someone said leaving the ground today; if Newcastle offered a full refund on season tickets now, how many people would take it up? A staggering number, one suspects.

At best this is another lost season - at worst, it could yet end in something unimaginable. How willing people will be in four months to stump up their hard-earned for another campaign remains to be seen.....

Something needs to collectively shake us up from our slumbers.... whether Souness can accomplish the feat of stirring players and fans remains to be seen. Defeat at Blackburn is unthinkable, but all too likely. 

If Allardyce is to be given the time he wishes and requires to do the job he was brought here for, then there has to be some immediate sign of progression, some immediate payback to mute the malcontents and reward those not leaping on the anti-Sam bandwagon.