Alan Pardew was unveiled as Chris Hughton’s successor at Newcastle as furious fans made their feelings heard about his appointment on a five-and-a-half-year contract.
Pardew, who was not accompanied by owner Mike Ashley or managing director Derek Llambias when he met the media for the first time as the new Magpies manager, spoke frankly about his reception and acknowledged the residual anger at Hughton’s treatment.
Pardew said: “I know they (the fans) are frustrated, that’s fairly obvious by the reaction.
“I’m not going to say I have kept away from it, I have tried to keep up to date with the frustration.
“They probably thought they had some stability with Chris and that’s gone, and the record of managers who have come and gone here, it doesn’t bode well.
“I am trying to say that I will work as hard as I possibly can here to get a situation where I can bring some longevity to the job.”
Pardew took over with his side in the thick of a relegation battle having collected 19 points from their first 16 games of the season.
But he expressed confidence that the men he inherited from Hughton would be good enough to preserve the club’s top-flight status.
He added: “I do think there is enough and we have got to make sure the impact of this mid-season situation with the manager changing isn’t an adverse impact.
“I am very much aware that the only faith I am going to gain is by keeping this club in the Premier League where it belongs.”
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