Newcastle United boss Alan Pardew has rubbished reports of rifts within the squad.

Pardew came out fighting as he was questioned on the allegations.

He said: "As far as I am concerned, the group is very much together, pulling together trying to get a result.

"The fact that we have a lot of French players and some language difficulties has been torn up and made to be something else. There is no problem and we go to the next game.

Asked if he had endured difficult a week, he said: "Off the back of a difficult result, yes, very.

"When you are beaten like that at home, it's never comfortable and not comfortable to deal with. That's what we have had to deal with this week.

"A lot of criticism has come his way, some of it completely unfounded and left-field, as you would expect when you get a result like that.

"It's part and parcel of the game. Some of the wildfire that we have had has just been way, way off the mark.

"But we put a poor performance in on Saturday and we need to put that right. That's the most important thing."