Pardew wants an end to 'mass hysteria'

Last Saturday's 4-0 defeat to Southampton left Newcastle bottom of the Premier League and saw an increase in calls for Pardew to leave.

The 53-year-old remains insistent he will stay and has vowed to fight through the club's disappointing start to the new season.

However, supporter pressure has continued to grow throughout the week and more protests are expected ahead of Newcastle's home clash with Hull City on Saturday.

Pardew, who has a contract until 2020, says he is committed to the club and is hurting just as much as the fans.

"The situation at the moment is almost like mass hysteria," he commented. "It has really gone to a level which makes it really difficult for the players to perform in.

"I'm hoping we can turn that around. I don't expect it to be easy.

"It has been suggested that I don't care about this position as I've got a long contract and I'm going through the motions.

"Nothing could be further from the truth."