• Premier League

Pardew fears axe after Newcastle mauling

Newcastle manager Alan Pardew has admitted his future is out of his hands after his side slumped to a chastening 6-0 defeat against Liverpool on Saturday.

Just a year after Pardew was named as Manager of the Year by his peers as he guided Newcastle to a fifth-placed finish in the Premier League, the tide has turned and sections of the St James' Park faithful are now calling for him to be replaced. Pardew accepts he is a man under scrutiny as his side's injury plagued campaign limps towards a conclusion.

"It is out of my hands," he told reporters when asked whether he expects to hold onto his job, just a few months after he signed an eight-year contract at Newcastle. "My job, until I am told otherwise, is to get this team as it can be for next week and that is what I will do.

"The players are very much aware of the situation that we are in and I don't think they need a lot of telling. We need to make sure when we start on Monday morning that we work really hard to show this city that we have the fight for it.

"There are a lot of people who will look at us after that (the Liverpool game) and think that we have a great chance of being relegated. We have to prove them wrong."

Pardew faces a trip to his former club West Ham next weekend as he seeks out the victory that may be enough to secure Newcastle's Premier League status, and he seems ready to fight his corner against a rising tide of discontent.

"I have no problem getting the flak, I accept that," he added. "The only way I can put it right is next week and make sure I have a team that enters the pitch at West Ham confident it is going to win.

"The start at West Ham is going to be a key part of our game, because if we start like we did against Liverpool, we are going to find ourselves in a lot of trouble.

"That performance was not one of my team's. My teams are renowned for being organised and being on the front foot and you could not say that about my team against Liverpool. I will take responsibility for that.

"I genuinely believe we have enough in that dressing room and enough quality in my staff to get the points that we need, but if I don't get a response from the playing staff then I will be deeply disappointed."

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