However, after a woeful first-half display which saw Rovers take a 2-0 lead through Christopher Samba and Roque Santa Cruz, the Magpies did at least stage a fightback which suggested their spirits have not been completely crushed.
• Kinnear: Snap out of it
Skipper Michael Owen converted a 48th-minute penalty for his fourth goal in six games after he had been tripped by Ryan Nelsen, and the home side made a genuine attempt to repair the remaining damage.
In the end, they were unable to snatch the point which might have partially eased their woes.
But a crowd of 44,935 - around 7,000 down on capacity - left at least able to take some comfort from a committed end to what at one point looked like another black afternoon on Tyneside.
That said, Newcastle remain deep in trouble with no permanent manager and an owner who cannot get rid of the club quickly enough, and things could well get worse before they get better.
Blackburn boss Paul Ince, who was at one point the favourite to succeed Kevin Keegan, headed for the north-west having seen his side make the most of a big opportunity at St James', and their resilience at the death will have been as pleasing as their prowess at the other end.
Kinnear met the players before kick-off before taking his seat in the stands, from where he had to watch the game after the Magpies were informed he has still to serve a two-match disciplinary ban dating back to his time at Nottingham Forest.
His mood was one of defiance as the shock waves over his appointment continued to reverberate on Tyneside.
He said: "It's amazing, I am well aware of that, and I have been getting plenty of criticism and stick over it.
"But my answer to that is, 'Sod it'. It's an opportunity, I have been asked and I am going to take it.''
He may well have been uttering "Sod it'' and a few more expletives under his breath by the time the team he has inherited headed for the dressing room at the break.
Caretaker boss Chris Hughton's hands have been tied by injuries and suspensions, but the patchwork side he fielded this afternoon simply did not look up to the task in the opening 45 minutes.
Fragility at the back, indiscipline in midfield and a lack of any cutting edge in attack, where Owen and summer signing Xisco made little or no impression, meant the Magpies hopes looked forlorn from the off.
And with Carlos Villanueva orchestrating from the middle of the park for Rovers and Santa Cruz too hot for a traumatised defence to handle, the omens were not good.
The visitors would have been ahead with just nine minutes gone had Shay Given not kept out Matt Derbyshire's shot after he had escaped from emergency right-back Steven Taylor.
But the opening goal arrived with 31 minutes gone when Samba ran on to Villanueva's free-kick unchallenged to head firmly past the Irishman.
Newcastle, however, did not learn their lesson, and when Brett Emerton curled a similarly inviting cross into the box 10 minutes later, Santa Cruz supplied an equally comprehensive finish to put his side in complete control.
The boos which greeted the half-time whistle told their own story as supporters who have endured a nightmare three weeks or so since Kevin Keegan's departure prepared for more misery.
Kinnear had planned to pass on his thoughts at the break, and if he did, whatever he said seemed to have an effect.
The Magpies were appealing in vain for a 48th-minute penalty after Martin Olsson appeared to handle Damien Duff's cross under pressure from Geremi.
Referee Steve Tanner was unmoved on that occasion, but he did point to the spot a minute later after Rovers skipper Ryan Nelsen had clipped Owen's heels.
The England international picked himself up to dispatch the penalty past keeper Jason Brown and remarkably, his side might have been level within three minutes had Geremi volleyed Duff's cross towards goal rather than miscontrolled it.
Geremi tested Brown with a well-struck 25-yard effort as Newcastle finally started to believe, although Rovers gradually began to work their way back into the game and themselves had appeals for a penalty waved away for Claudio Cacapa's 61st-minute challenge on Santa Cruz.
Newcastle were growing in confidence as the game wore on, but clear-cut chances were few and far between and Brown had no real scares as time ran down.
Kinnear: Snap out of itJoe Kinnear will tell his players to stop feeling sorry for themselves as he
attempts to spark a revival at crisis club Newcastle.
The 61-year-old was in the stands at St James' Park today - he had still to
serve a two-game touchline ban from his spell in charge of Nottingham Forest -
to see the Magpies lose 2-1 to Blackburn.
Kinnear, who was appointed as interim manager yesterday, was horrified at the
defending which saw Christopher Samba and Roque Santa Cruz head the visitors
into a 2-0 lead with just 41 minutes gone.
The former Wimbledon boss, who had addressed the players before kick-off, had
some choice words for them at the break, and that seemed to do the trick as they
turned in a much-improved second-half display.
He said: "We needed to stop feeling sorry for ourselves.
"We need to get rid of all the issues that are going on - Is the club being
sold? Are we bringing back Kevin Keegan? - until it actually happens.
"We need to focus on playing football, it's as simple as that. And they need
to play football well.
"But what has not helped matters, I am told, is that six or seven of the best
players are missing.
"On the good side, with the international break coming up we could have four
or five of them back.
"We need to be more vocal in the dressing room, we need more input. It's
something that I have always had throughout my career, feedback from players,
players who show emotion, players who want to win, players who have things to
say.
"I was pleased with the second half. When we got the early goal we had a
reasonable chance with Geremi and he tried to bring it down in the six-yard box
when I thought he might have got a shot off.
"But we were tighter at the back, we limited them to maybe two shots in the
second half. Having said that, we need to get more end product ourselves from
the strikers we have.''
Kinnear will also have to watch next week's game at Everton from the stands
after being punished for comments made to the referee following Forest's clash
with Gillingham in November 2004, shortly before his departure.
Asked about the ban, he said: "I got two matches for calling one of the
referees Coco the Clown. I asked the referee what he did in his spare time, and
that was it.''
Rovers boss Paul Ince was happy that his side had managed to put the ongoing
saga at St James' Park out of their minds to claim all three points.
He said: "It was important in the last 48 hours that we shut that out and
concentrated on what Blackburn Rovers is all about rather than feeling sorry for
Newcastle.
"Also, it was a case of who got the first goal. As soon as we got the first
goal I felt at ease because I knew the crowd would get on their backs.
"It's not the [Newcastle] players' fault. They are trying, they are trying
really, really hard and I feel sorry for them.
"But at the end of the day, as soon as we got the first goal, I thought we
were comfortable.''
Newcastle United 1 - 2 Blackburn Rovers
