Alan Pardew admitted he had endured a whirlwind first 48 hours in charge of Newcastle, but praised sceptical Geordie fans as “brilliant” after his home debut yielded a 3-1 victory over Liverpool.
Pardew replaced Chris Hughton in midweek on a five-a-and-a-half year contract, a move which sparked fans’ protests against unpopular Newcastle owner Mike Ashley before Saturday’s clash at St James’ Park.
But after taking his first steps towards winning supporters over, the 49-year-old former Southampton and West Ham manager revealed: “The reaction of the club’s senior players and the general welcome I’ve had from everyone has made life easier for me. We’ve started the relationships we hope to now move forward.
“The backing from the fans was brilliant. They reacted with disappointment to losing Chris which is understandable because he’s a gentleman. Ultimately the fans don’t support me, they support the shirt.
“The noise level was something I’ve only encountered in cup finals. Getting my message out to the players was difficult and I might need to turn to sign language in future.
“I popped up to see Mike Ashley straight after the game. He was pleased because it’s probably not been the best week he’s had, but the win was about the players who showed their spirit and unity.
“I’ve worked with Chris Hughton and he’s very unfortunate not to be sitting here now, but this game can be cruel. I had a very similar experience at Southampton. I wanted to focus the team and ensure they represented the club in the right manner. They did that and more.”
In stark contrast, Roy Hodgson admitted he must find an immediate answer to Liverpool’s wretched away form.
Hodgson was critical of his side’s defending as they slumped to defeat at St James’ Park, leaving the Reds with just one win and a paltry five points from their nine games on the road this season.
He said: “Confidence is a factor. The longer you go without winning the more it plays on your psyche and confidence, but to be honest we didn’t perform well enough to win.”
A clearly annoyed Hodgson refused to use the absence through injury of influential duo Jamie Carragher and Steve Gerrard as an excuse for Liverpool’s defeat.
The Reds’ skipper hopes to return against Fulham next Sunday, and the manager added: “Of course, you miss Jamie and Steve. But we didn’t miss them in terms of the result. If we continue to concede goals like the first then it doesn’t matter whether they play or not.”