Under-fire Newcastle manager Alan Pardew dodged the press conference after his side were humbled by former club Southampton.
A poor start to the Barclays Premier League season has seen the 53-year-old - already a divisive figure in the north east - come under increasing pressure.
A recent poll showed 85 per cent of supporters did not want Pardew to stay on as Newcastle manager and they made that clear throughout Saturday's 4-0 defeat at Southampton.
Chants punctuated the thrashing at St Mary's, while a 'Pardew out' banner was held up in the away end and one angry fan even encroached on the pitch at full-time.
Perhaps wary of the scrutiny he would come under, Pardew did not attend the post-match press conference - nor did any of his staff - and only spoke to the broadcast media.
Asked if the fans' criticism was unfair, he told Sky Sports: "They're fair because you can't get beaten 4-0 as Newcastle manager. I've had it a few times and at this club it is tough to take.
"It is not easy to digest and not easy for the players either to play under those circumstances, so we have to be strong and try and tough it out this week and come back next week.
"We just have to put ourselves on the line, really, and be brave. Certainly, today, for us we have a bit more quality than we showed today, for sure, and we need to get that on the pitch."
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