Brighton boss Graham Potter is prepared to accept criticism and shoulder the blame for his side’s slump in the form.
The Seagulls have lost their last five Premier League matches to slip to 13th in the table after strong first half of the campaign.
Their immediate task does not get easier as they host Tottenham in a rearranged game on Wednesday – in all likelihood without Adam Lallana – but Potter is determined to turn the situation around.
Speaking at a press conference, Potter said: “There will be people out there that are negative towards me and I absolutely understand that.
“There’s nothing you can do about that. You’ve just got to carry on doing your work.
“The Premier League is tough. It’s unforgiving if you’re on the wrong end of things. Through the lens of five defeats, there’s not too much positive out there.
“That’s just how it is. That’s how the world works. I understand that. We have to fight to change that round and we’ll try and do it on on Wednesday night.”
Potter has attempted to shield the players from criticism by highlighting his own failings.
He said: “You’ve got to be honest and say that when you’re on a run like we are there’s going to be a difference in terms of behaviour, because people aren’t quite as happy and chirpy as normal.
“But I can’t criticise the players. The boys are honest, the boys are responsible and they want to change the situation around.
“They know that it isn’t easy, they know that the Premier League is a challenge, but they also know that they’re capable of achieving it.
“But the responsibility is mine in terms of performance and team selections and tactics and all that sort of stuff. So if we’re not getting results it’s my responsibility, it’s on me.
“The players give everything, they do the best and and I’m pretty sure if that continues we’ll get the results.”
Lallana is set to miss the clash with Spurs after a setback in his return to action after almost month out against Liverpool on Saturday.
The former England international lasted just eight minutes as a substitute before being withdrawn with a tight hamstring.
Potter is hopeful the 33-year-old will not be sidelined for long but recognises last weekend may have been too soon for him to feature.
Potter said: “We’re just waiting for scan results. He’s testing OK, so not too bad, but until we get the scan we don’t know the full extent.
“It seems like it is going to be a minor problem. I think it’s just a case of getting analysis, getting that diagnosed properly and then and then going from there.
“Maybe it was a little bit too soon but it is something we’ll have to think about.”
