Pardew believes he has fans’ backing

Alan Pardew believes he has the backing of Crystal Palace fans despite his team’s recent results.

The Eagles, 13th in the Premier League table, have suffered three consecutive defeats, losing at Leicester and at home to West Ham and Liverpool.

“I’d like to think so,” Pardew said when asked if he believed supporters were still behind him.

Speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday’s trip to Burnley, the Palace manager added: “I think this group is a fantastic group. They are certainly a great group to work with – I’m proud to work with them.

“They give me everything they’ve got. Sometimes, just in the last couple of games, we’ve just fell short. But there’s no concerns on my part.”

Pardew was critical of referee Andre Marriner after the defeat against Liverpool.

Before that, Palace were well beaten by champions Leicester and missed several chances in the derby against West Ham.

“In all three performances our fans know that we put in a decent display,” Pardew insisted.

“Sometimes you need a bit of luck, sometimes you need a couple of refereeing decisions to go your way, so I’m not overly concerned.

“This is a very good technical team, but there’s also a great spirit amongst it.

“Although we’re in this little run at the moment I have no doubt we’ll be out of it sooner than later.”