Newcastle United boss John Carver has labelled a ‘mad five minutes’ as the reason his side lost to Swansea City on Saturday afternoon.
Garry Monk’s side came from behind to beat Newcastle 3-2 at St James Park, a result which saw more fan trouble and outbursts at both Carver and owner Mike Ashley.
“We started quite well,” Carver said. “I played a different formation with two strikers and a diamond and I thought we played some good football and could have come in 2-0 up.
“We were in control of the game but the only worry was set plays which is our Achilles heel.
“The team talk changes because we’re level and it’s disappointing, but I was still quite positive. It was a mad five minutes either side of half-time.
“We’ve got four massive games. I saw enough in the first half and I can’t be too critical of anyone in that dressing room.”
Despite supporters voicing their opinions and showing their disapproval of late by boycotting fixtures, Carver believes that he is focused solely on improving his side’s results.
“Yes I’m getting stick from the crowd, but I can take that on the chin and I won’t give up on it and I’ll fight right to the end.
“It’s my job to try and pick them [the players] up. I can’t by hyper critical of them because they don’t deserve that. They’re giving us everything, but sometimes that’s not enough.”
Meanwhile, Swansea boss Monk spoke of his delight after the win and heaped heavy praise on his players.
“It’s very satisfying,” Monk said. “I’m extremely proud of the players and the staff, the fans – we should be extremely proud of this squad.
“I knew if we could get the players to commit we could achieve something special.”