Sunday 14 September 2014 10:03, UK
Newcastle United boss Alan Pardew says the protests against him during his side's 4-0 defeat to Southampton were fair and made no excuses for the performance.
The Magpies were abject throughout the clash at St Mary’s, with goals from Graziano Pelle (2), Jack Cork and Morgan Schneiderlin sending them to the bottom of the Premier League and increasing the pressure on Pardew.
The 53-year-old was the subject of further protests from the travelling fans, with chants against him throughout the game and a 'Pardew out' banner unvelied from the away end.
A recent poll showed 85 per cent of supporters did not want Pardew to stay on as Newcastle manager and they made that clear throughout Saturday's defeat at St Mary's.
But the Magpies boss says he understands why the fans were voicing their concerns and is hopeful he can turn their season around.
"(The protests) are fair because you can’t get beaten 4-0 as Newcastle manager. I’ve had it a few times at this club and it’s tough to take," he said.
"It’s not easy to digest and it’s not easy for the players to play under those circumstances.
"We have to be strong and try and tough it out this week. We have to be brave. We have a bit more quality than what we showed today."
Pardew opted to skip his post-match press conference but admitted to Sky Sports that his team were second-best in all departments as their search for a first league win of the season continued.
"Same as what we did last year (lost 4-0), we didn’t get going. The early goal has really knocked us on the back foot," he said.
"The best team won. They were better than us. We made individual mistakes and we were well beaten.
"We have to take it as a team .We never got a chance to get back into the game today. That’s how it goes when you’re on a bit of a bad run.
“We didn’t have long to prepare with the international breaks but there’s no excuse really, we should have been better.”
