New Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew admits it could take some time to win over sceptical players and supporters following his appointment.
Pardew has signed a five-and-a-half year contract to succeed Chris Hughton, who was surprisingly sacked on Monday despite leading the club back to the Premier League and 11th in the table after 16 games.
However, Magpies fans are not happy with the appointment and, earlier this week, several players voiced their disappointment at the departure of Hughton.
Pardew told Sky Sports News: “I’m privileged to be sitting here and looking forward to a tough job.
“But it’s difficult because it’s fairly obvious the players and fans had tremendous respect for Chris and the fact he’s gone has cause something of a stir.”
He continued: “The problem I’m going to have initially is the players – I need to get my message across quickly and with clarity so as not to get any resentment at a time when they are doing reasonably well.
“The battles I need to win are on the pitch. I understood what was going to happen if I took the job and that’s a daunting prospect but to be manager is something I couldn’t turn down.”