Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew has admitted that he is under pressure following his side's sixth consecutive defeat this evening.
The Magpies fell to a comprehensive 3-0 loss at the hands of Arsenal at the Emirates, leaving them ninth in the table having conceded 17 goals and scored just one in their last six outings.
The pressure has grown on Pardew, who returned to the sidelines following his lengthy ban for tonight's match, but he insists that he is still viewing the job as a "long-term opportunity".
"It is not comfortable. When you have gone six games and have not won the pressure builds in the Premier League and you have to be counted. In the second half we showed real character because it would have been easy to fold in the circumstances we were in," Pardew told reporters.
"It was tough for us tonight. We dug in, worked hard and tried to offer a threat but they were too good. We looked like we were in a good zone, coping well with a lot of movement from Arsenal, but it was a bad time to concede the first goal.
"We need to focus on finishing in the top 10 and to do that we need to win on Saturday. We'll be really up for it and hopefully we'll get a win. We're going to work hard in the summer to make sure we have a team that can make this city proud. I'm looking at the job as a long-term opportunity for myself. That's how you have to focus."
Newcastle will face Cardiff City next Saturday before a final-day trip to title-chasing Liverpool.
Barney Corkhill
