Manager Sam Allardyce is under immense at St James' Park and he knows it. Just 14 games into his reign and the former Bolton boss must be ruing the day he decided to quit the warmth of the Reebok Stadium. A string of horrifying results both home and away have not gone down well with the Toon Army and call for Big Sam's head are growing louder.

In their last Premiership game at Ewood Park, Newcastle sunk to a 3-1 defeat thanks to a brace by England winger David Bentley. The Magpies were doomed despite taking an early lead courtesy Obafemi Martins. However Bentley and Tugay ensured that Newcastle would not cause an upset.

The rumors of player unrest will not have gone down well with owner Michael Ashley who may decide to act before Christmas. However to be fair to Allardyce, he has been hit by injuries to key players. Michael Owen continues to recuperate from a strained thigh, while Damien Duff is on the slow road to recovery.

On top of this Carr and Faye are doubtful for Wednesday's clash against Arsenal and may miss the Birmingham game as well. Newcastle are 11th in the Premiership table with 18 points from 14 games.

Birmingham on the other hand made a rousing start under new manager Alex McLeish. The Blues trounced Tottenham 3-2 in their last Premiership game to welcome the former Scotland manager to St Andrews. A Robbie Keane brace appeared to have settled the argument in Spurs' favor, but the Blues fought hard and were rewarded with goals from Gary McSheffrey, Cameron Jerome and a late winner from Sebastian Larsson ensured a winning start to McLeish's reign.

For Birmingham, Johnson is being monitored on a day-to-day basis with a strained hamstring, while Taylor is out indefinitely with a torn muscle. Birmingham City are 12th in the Premier League table with 14 points from 15 games.

Watch Newcastle vs Birmingham City Live on free-football.tv.