Geordie hero Chris Waddle says Newcastle United fans should cut manager Alan Pardew some slack.
He believes the protests against Pardew over the past few games have had a detrimental affect on the players.
Waddle told the Evening Chronicle: "The one thing you don't want when walking onto the pitch is fans holding banners up with 'manager out'. The players are still playing for Pardew so he must be doing something right.
"I was at the Stoke City game and Newcastle played very well. They just couldn't grab a goal.
"They dug in against Swansea and got a good result after going down to 2-0, so you can't say the players aren't giving it everything.
"But sometimes you have to be realistic and say 'how good are the team?' Currently, they're on par with the teams in the bottom half of the league.
"People might say they're better than that, but does that mean you get a new manager in who can get more out of his team?
"Personally I don't think you can."
