IF Andy Carroll is overlooked by Fabio Capello when he names his England squad for next week’s friendly with France, it can’t have anything to do with his football.

But instead of his seventh goal of the season providing the foundations for a fourth consecutive Newcastle United victory in the Premier League, former Magpies boss Sam Allardyce was able to leave Tyneside with a smile on his face.

Carroll, whose off-the-field controversies have hit the headlines as much as his goalscoring this season, added further weight to his international claims by delivering once again for Newcastle.

This time it was Allardyce, on his first return to St James’ Park since he lost his job approaching three years ago, who had to endure the striker’s magic touch.

When Morten Gamst Pedersen made the most of Cheik Tiote’s hesitancy to fire Blackburn in to an early lead, Newcastle looked incapable of drawing level.

But just as Blackburn started the match in perfect fashion, the Magpies gained revenge in a similar manner after the half-time break.

Barton’s delivery provided the opportunity for Carroll to rise at the back post and power a precise header that an onlooking former Newcastle and England No 9, Alan Shearer, would have been proud of.

Instead of building on that, they allowed Blackburn to bully them into submission once more. A long ball forward should have been dealt with, but Jason Roberts was allowed to shrug off two challenges before slotting in the late winner.

In many Newcastle supporters’ eyes, Allardyce’s short time in charge signalled the start of the club’s fall down and out of the Premier League 16 months later.

But his initial absence from the dug-out spared him a more volatile reception than he might have encountered, with supporters knowing how his departure cost the Mike Ashley regime marginally more than £4.5m in January 2008.

For all of those looking for Allardyce to be humiliated, they encountered immediate disappointment, as the Blackburn boss had the satisfaction of an early lead.

He was given every help by Tiote. The Ivorian, whose performances have tended to be outstanding after a slow start, was this time made to pay for his lazy opening.

When the ball fell to him inside the Newcastle penalty area after an ineffective corner, Tiote dawdled for far too long as he tried to carry the ball out.

Brett Emerton closed him down, nicked possession and Pedersen charged on to the loose ball before firing low across goalkeeper Tim Krul to hand Rovers the lead.

It ruffled Newcastle, who could have fallen further behind moments later when Mike Williamson had to be alert to thwart striker Nikola Kalinic after he had been allowed to run deep into the home side’s half.

There was marginal Newcastle improvement as the first period developed, but Blackburn goalkeeper Paul Robinson was never forced into a save.

When Newcastle did threaten, towering defender Christopher Samba was more than a match for their advances.

He had already turned Jose Enrique’s goalbound effort for a corner when he shadowed Barton’s centre out for a goal-kick under strong attention from Carroll.

Tiote’s night could have been even worse when, after receiving a first booking for cynically tripping winger David Hoilett, he had two clumsy goes at scything down Kalinic. Either could have been a second booking, but referee Mike Jones chose to deliver a stern word.

Despite Chris Hughton’s decision to name the same team that had started and won the previous three matches, including Sunday’s trip to Arsenal, they were a shadow of the team that had turned up in each of those.

This was more a case of the Newcastle that had failed to win any of their previous three matches at St James’ before the 5-1 lesson dished out to Sunderland.

Shola Ameobi did not emerge for the second half, with Hughton later revealing he was suffering with an injury, so on went teenager Nile Ranger. It was, though, his more familiar sidekick that came up with the leveller.

Barton’s free-kick from almost halfway was exceptional, arrowed towards the back post. Carroll still had a lot of work to do, but his jump was timed to perfection to power his header high into Robinson’s top right corner.

Newcastle were a much more organised unit from that moment, although Barton was fortunate the referee had his back turned when he appeared to jab Pedersen in the stomach just seconds after Hoilett was booked for diving in the area.

The turnaround in pressure infuriated Allardyce, who became more and more incensed by decisions that did not go Blackburn’s way.

But just as it seemed Newcastle would go on to claim a third home win of the season, Roberts struck with eight minutes remaining.

A second-half replacement for the ineffective Kalinic, Roberts initially turned Fabricio Coloccini after a long punt forward. He then jumped to beat Williamson, before sidefooting beyond Krul.

Newcastle pressed for a second equaliser, but never looked like delivering it and were forced to rely on a couple of injury-time penalty claims which were waved away.

Matchfacts

Goals: Pedersen (3mins, 0-1); Carroll (47, 1-1); Roberts (82, 1-2)
Bookings: Jones (26, foul); Nolan (37, foul); Tiote (39, foul); Samba (45, foul); Hoilett (50, simulation); Roberts (90, unprofessional behaviour); Coloccini (90, unprofessional behaviour)
Referee: Mike Jones (Chester) 6
Attendance: 41,053
Entertainment: ✰✰✰

NEWCASTLE UNITED (4-4-2): Krul 6; Simpson 5, Williamson 5, Coloccini 5, Enrique 6; Barton 7, Tiote 4 (Routledge 87), Nolan 4, Gutierrez 4; Ameobi 4 (Ranger 45, 5), CARROLL 8. Subs (not used): Campbell, Lovenkrands, Smith, Taylor, Soderberg (gk).

BLACKBURN ROVERS (5-3-1-1): Robinson 6; Salgado 6, Samba 8, NELSEN 8, Givet 7, Chimbonda 6; Hoilett 6 (Dunn 84), Emerton 6, Jones 7, Pedersen 7; Kalinic 5 (Roberts 51, 7). Subs (not used): EH Diouf, Bunn (gk), Goulon, Hanley, MB Diouf.

MAN OF THE MATCH
ANDY Carroll – defensively blocked a number of balls and his goal was England quality