 Unlike Roy Keane, Newcastle's manager-in-waiting Sam Allardyce was not a brooding presence in the stands as he prepares to take control of the side. And his impending appointment was not enough to inspire Newcastle to victory in their final game of the season. When Keane had lurked in the shadows at the Stadium of Light last August before officially taking the manager's job at Sunderland the following day, his arrival was enough to inspire a bedraggled, confidence ravaged outfit to their first win of the season. Allardyce decided against making his presence felt at Vicarage Road, but it will be interesting to see how he makes it felt in the coming weeks. Things need to change in the dressing room and, in particular, the sort of lack of discipline and application shown by Charles N'Zogbia and Obafemi Martins before yesterday's game. Both players tested caretaker manager Nigel Pearson's authority, Martins declaring himself unfit to travel on Saturday after being told he was to be a substitute, while N'Zogbia left the ground in a strop when he was told he would be on the bench. It is damning indictment of the attitude of some of Newcastle's players in recent weeks. So it was unsurprising that United still could not muster a first league win in a month despite the departure of manager Glenn Roeder. They were not playing for him and it must be questioned whether some of them want to play for the club at all. It was a disappointing end to a dismal season and Newcastle also could not rid themselves of the injury curse which has plagued them for so long. Much has been written about Michael Owen's future at the club this week, as well as his planned international comeback in an England B international in a fortnight's time. Whether the £17m man does leave for Manchester United after only 14 appearances remains to be seen, but at one stage it looked doubtful whether he would feature against Albania after suffering another injury in a Newcastle shirt. He left the pitch on a stretcher after a freak collision with team-mate Matty Pattison. But Pearson insisted the concussion was mild and Owen should be fine to play for his country. It is harsh to say this performance or result had anything to do with Allardyce and supporters will be merely concerned with what he plans to do to sort out the mess he has inherited. For those who have become so disillusioned by the plight of their football club, it is up to Allardyce to inspire the sort of positive change that Keane has managed with their local rivals. That, of course, is for the future but, for the time being, we must reluctantly dwell on the past. This has been a dreadful season and it was confirmed yesterday when Newcastle's failure to beat the team which has spent virtually the entire campaign on the bottom of the table meant they finished with their lowest points total in the Premiership. The football has been dreadful since the turn of the year, excitement has been scarce all season and it is a campaign which will leave a bitter taste all summer. Deprived of the players they needed to cope with any sort of injury crisis it has been a season to endure rather than enjoy for supporters who will ponder whether they are going to renew their season tickets this summer. It needs a new start and Allardyce will hope to persuade those who doubt him quickly and effectively that things will be different under his regime. How many of these players will remain key figures under him remains to be seen, with perhaps the biggest doubts surrounding the futures of Owen and Kieron Dyer. England coach Steve McClaren was at Vicarage Road to watch them both yesterday and while he saw Dyer impress with a goal in what might be his final appearance for the club, he was clearly concerned when Owen left the pitch on a stretcher in the second half. Owen had barely got a sniff at goal and wasted the one clear chance that fell to him when he failed to control Stephen Carr's low cross after it surprisingly came to him when Dan Shittu missed his clearance. If that was frustrating, it was nothing compared with what he must have felt minutes later when he turned and collided with the shoulder of Matty Pattison. Neither the young South African or Owen could have done anything to avoid the freak accident, but Owen tumbled to the turf and did not return to the action. Not that there was much in the way of goalmouth action to get excited about. Watford should have scored before and after Dyer had given the Magpies the lead when he poked the ball under Ben Foster after Nolberto Solano had found his run. Douglas Rinaldi should have hit the target after just three minutes when Marlon King powered his way to the by-line. His pull back was perfect, but Rinaldi, leaning back, scooped his shot high over the bar. King was also off target minutes later when Lee Williamson's trickery and persistence on the touchline caught the Newcastle defence flat footed. King was quickly on to his pass but the striker sliced his shot wide. That miss, though, paled in comparison to Tommy Smith's just before half time. The former Sunderland player was unmarked at the far post but decided to take his shot first time and lifted it high and wide. Newcastle looked comfortable going into the break, but they were kicked out of their comfort zone by Marlon King's penalty shortly after the restart. Nicky Butt should not have been penalised for handball but after Watford had found the equaliser they looked like the only team who would win it. Williamson and Rinaldi both went close with long-range drives while the former might have won it in stoppage time, but fluffed his shot inside the area. | 
