Alan Pardew has called on his "big players" to help fire Newcastle United back up the Premier League table.
The Magpies are still without a win in the league this season, which has seen the club drop down to 18th place.
Newcastle have won just 20 points since New Year's Day, a run of form which coincided with the loss of Yohann Cabaye, who joined Paris Saint-Germain for a fee in the region of £19m.
"I didn't think we were strong enough in the last part of the season and that's been held against me that I've been making excuses," The Northern Echo quotes Pardew as saying. "But I just felt that we needed more and we didn't have it after the loss of Cabaye.
"This club needs big players because we are a big scalp for any team. For Swansea we are a big scalp. Forget where we are in the league. We need big players and our big players need to stand up. We also need to create more big players and that's what we are trying to do."
Following the two-week international break, Newcastle face Leicester City at St James' Park.
Daniel Lewis
