Carver: I won’t stand for back-biting at Newcastle United

The Magpies are under pressure again after a pitiful performance at the Etihad Stadium last Saturday, when they were trounced 5-0 by Manchester City.

A disappointed Carver and his coaching staff carried out a post-mortem at the training ground this week.

And the head coach wants his players to be open and honest about their feelings as United try to get their season back on track against Aston Villa at St James’s Park on Saturday.

“The one thing about this situation is in life you’re going to get days like (Man City),” he said. “It’s how you deal with it.

“I’m quite a positive guy. I’ll pick the bones out of this and I will take some responsibility because I’m part of the team and that dressing room.

“But what I won’t have is anyone back biting or anyone sniping.”

Despite their poor performance against City, which could have seen the Premier League champions hit double figures, Carver believes his players didn’t give up at the Etihad.

“My character won’t allow that to happen,” he told BBC Newcastle.

“We had problems and they have some world class players and sides come here better than us, with all respect, and take a hiding.

“The one thing about this group of players is they won’t give up.

“They were just better than us, passed it better, were better organised and I take a bit of responsibility for that.

“I think I have learned when you come up against good sides how they overload the outside of the pitch and we found that difficult.

“At times there was two or three bodies up against our full-backs and it was difficult to deal with.”

Carver has been in charge now for eight games – four as caretaker and four since being appointed head coach until the end of the season after the departure of Alan Pardew.

However, Newcastle have won just one game in that time – a 3-0 victory against Hull City – and drawn against Stoke, Burnley and Crystal Palace, while also crashing out of the FA Cup against Leicester.

It’s a sequence of results which has enhanced the feeling that he isn’t the right man for the job full-time.

Carver, understandably, is desperate to get more points on the board to boost his claim, starting with Villa on Saturday.

“I know how difficult it is to win points in the Premier League and the points we have got over the last few weeks have been crucial points,” he added.

“And there’s plenty of points to play for and I will do everything I can in my means to put that right.”