Newcastle boss Steve Bruce says he can understand criticism from fans but added he is the right man to turn around the club’s form.
The Magpies are without a win in 10 games in all competitions and have only scored one goal in eight matches.
There were protests outside St James’s Park at the weekend after Newcastle’s 2-0 loss at Aston Villa.
“We’ve been on a poor run and I can understand how they feel,” he said. “It’s a difficult situation.”
The 60-year-old added: “All I can do is try to get the team in as good a shape as I possibly can.
“You’ve got to draw on your experience and handle it with a bit of respect and a bit of dignity and go to work, basically.”
At a press conference on Monday, Bruce refused to answer questions from newspaper journalists, deciding only to take questions from Premier League rights-holders.
Asked if he still believed he was the right man for the job, he said: “Well, I’ve been in it a long, long time, I’ve been in this situation before and you draw on your experience with it.
“There’s no doubt at all it’s difficult, but I’m still convinced, ‘yes’, is the answer to your question.
“The one thing I’ll never do, though, is shy away from it. I’ll get stuck into it and try as best I can.”
Bruce also said he hoped to get Bournemouth coach and former Luton boss Graeme Jones onto his coaching staff in next 24 hours, and said it would be good to have “fresh voice”.
Bruce was appointed Newcastle manager in the summer of 2019 and the club finished 13th last season.
Newcastle are 16th in the Premier League with 19 points from 19 games and are five points above third-bottom Fulham, who have a game in hand.
