Sam Allardyce has told his players handling the expectation on Tyneside is part of being a Newcastle United player.

Several United players muttered their exasperation with the pessimistic mood which soured their relationship with the club's fans last season, but Allardyce has insisted it is part and parcel of playing football at a club where the passion of the fans has gone unrewarded for so long.

"Let's be honest, it's been more than a couple of years of negativity at Newcastle United," Allardyce told The Journal. "I've talked to Gary Speed about this before and this is a great place to play if you're winning, but it can be a daunting place if you're losing. The players have to know the expectations of the fans. Even when things aren't going well, the fans still attend games, they still fill the stadium.

"A lot of fans would just stay away, but the flip side of that is Newcastle fans do show their disapproval if they don't think players are playing well. That is what you have to live with when you play here. We have to be very careful about the character of the players we bring to this big and very famous football club."