Newcastle United goalkeeper Shay Given believes they can forget any calm mid-table finish this season.
Given said: "You have to take this very seriously. There is no getting away from it were in a relegation battle.
"And that is going to be the case for a good part of the rest of the season, unless we go on a strong, strong run. It's so, so serious no club is too big to go down.
"That means we have to work hard, knuckle down and get away from the relegation zone. It's very different to what we imagined, and it's not an ideal situation but this is where we are and we can't change what has happened.
"We must get the club moving forward again. It will become more intense if we are still in this position after Christmas. If you are still down there after the festive period, you will be down there for much of the season."