Newcastle United’s Alan Pardew accuses critics of ‘mass hysteria’

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/sep/18/newcastle-alan-pardew-mass-hysteria-fans-hull

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Alan Pardew has described the extreme hostility he is facing from many Newcastle United supporters as “mass hysteria” and maintains it is exerting a detrimental effect on his players.

Those fans seem determined to oust Pardew from the manager’s office at St James’ Park but he has pledged to fight for a job he knows is under threat and emphasised that he possessed “resilience in my soul”.

The 53-year-old is bracing himself for a toxic atmosphere on Tyneside when Hull City arrive for a Premier League game on Saturday expected to be played against a soundtrack of bile and a backdrop featuring around 200 banners and 15,000 posters demanding Pardew’s head.

“This situation at the moment is almost like mass hysteria,” said Newcastle’s manager, whose side are bottom of the table with two points. “It’s gone to a level which makes it really difficult for players to perform in. I’m hoping we can turn that around but the environment for the players on Saturday will probably be as tough as it’s ever been. We have to accept that Hull will come and try to make good use of our situation.”

He appreciates that the venom reflects an appalling second half of last season in which Newcastle lost seven of their final eight games and accepts he must do significantly better if he is to persuade Mike Ashley to let him keep him job.

So far Newcastle’s owner has resisted sacking Pardew but the pair had a lengthy meeting on Sunday in the wake of the previous afternoon’s 4-0 defeat at Southampton.

“It wasn’t a performance I was proud of and it’s put added pressure on us, particularly myself,” he acknowledged. “I’m fully aware of that – it’s not been an easy week.

“I spoke to Mike on Sunday. We had a long conversation and he was obviously disappointed. He has a right to be disappointed and he relayed that to me. We talked about some things which I think should be sorted out. We didn’t have a conversation regarding my position. I think it was about how he could help and support me and I appreciate that. I didn’t ask for any reassurance. All I know is that I signed a long contract here for good and bad.”

Even so, Pardew knows that the six years remaining on his contract will not insulate him if Ashley deems the team to be in relegation peril. It explains why Newcastle’s manager dispensed with his recent habit of conducting his weekly press briefing from behind a desk positioned on a stage at the club’s training ground and, instead, pulled up a chair to form a more intimate circle with reporters.

At close quarters he looked to have nicked himself while shaving but the internal wounds appear rather less minor. He conceded to being hurt by recent media coverage and particularly cut to the quick by the suggestion that his relationship with Newcastle was broken beyond repair.

It is not a minority opinion but Pardew has resolved to deconstruct such theories. He agreed he was fighting for his job “on the record we had at the back end of last season as well as what’s happened this season” and added: “We’ve got a different squad and one or two of the new players are finding the adjustment tough.

“Saturday will be one of my toughest days but there’s a resilience in my soul. That’s not arrogance or my ego getting carried away. That’s not the reason I’m going to front it out. It’s about being professional. We will be trying to win back as many fans as we can with our performance – even just one would help!”

Although Pardew was clearly upset – he arrived with hair still wet from the shower and clutching a sheaf of photocopied newspaper articles that he claimed were inaccurate – odd one-liners suggested he has not entirely lost his humour.

Along the way Newcastle’s manager may also be gaining a little humility. “I have to be as humble as I can in terms of accepting the chants from supporters,” he said. “Newcastle should not be bottom of the league after five games – it’s a simple as that. That’s a responsibility I have to accept. I think I’m the best person to sort it out but our fans don’t agree. It’s been suggested that I don’t care, that I’ve got a long contract and I’m going through the motions – nothing could be further from the truth.”

Pardew accepts that his assistant, John Carver, was right to apologise for being “slightly aggressive” towards protesting fans at Southampton but feels the incident was overblown. “John loves this club and just wanted to protect the team,” he said. “There’s been an overreaction.”

It is not the only one he has detected.