Joey Barton has launched a scathing attack on Newcastle fans, branding them "vicious" for the abuse meted out to boss Sam Allardyce and the players.
The midfielder's comments come on the back of his side's 3-0 home defeat by Liverpool that saw Allardyce jeered by a section of the St James' Park crowd.
"I've not yet seen the famous crowd I was expecting to hear get behind us," said the £5m signing.
"Instead it has been vicious; I don't think I've heard a crowd that vicious."
Newcastle have picked up just one point from 15 - a statistic that has seen them slip down the table to 11th following a good start to the season.
Barton, who joined from Manchester City in the summer, said the supporters need to begin backing the players and the manager.
"Joey is a strong man with a strong opinion"
"Last Saturday I was sitting on the bench - and after 20 minutes I had picked up on it. It shocked me," added the 25-year-old.
"The fans want success and they want it straight away, but unless they change that mentality and start supporting the side through poor results then things won't change."
"Unless there's a massive change, it's going to be the same for this manager, the next manager and whoever comes in after that.
"If it continues, when the manager goes for players, they will go somewhere else rather than jump in the frying pan.
"Sam's a good manager. He's getting the brunt of the criticism but doesn't deserve it. Not many managers can turn a club round in five minutes."
Barton, whose comments were made on the eve of the 3-1 defeat at Blackburn, was backed by his manager and praised for his efforts at Ewood Park.
"He should have kept his mouth shut"
"Joey is a strong man with a strong opinion. He likes to say what he thinks," said Allardyce.
"But some of the interview he did was shredded and taken out of context.
"Joey's commitment to Newcastle was there for the fans to see at Blackburn.
"You could also see their commitment to him and the rest of the team.
However, Barton's comments prompted an angry response from Frank Gilmour, chairman of the Independent Newcastle United Supporters' Association.
"If (Barton) says we don't have the right to criticise, then he wants to learn," said Gilmour.
"He obviously knows nothing about the north east and its passion for football.
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"That performance was from a clueless manager who did not know what he was doing, that was the fans' opinion.
"For (Barton) to come out and say that, he has lost it. He has been at the club five minutes and hasn't put in a good performance yet.
"For him to then turn around and criticise the fans is totally wrong. He should have kept his mouth shut.
"He will learn what happens after you criticise Newcastle fans. It takes a long, long time for us to forgive. I would be very, very surprised if he doesn't get a reaction at Blackburn today."
Allardyce's future at Newcastle was under scrutiny following the defeat against Liverpool, with some newspapers suggesting he has two more games to save himself from the managerial axe.
Asked last week whether he had to seek assurances from chairman Chris Mort and owner Mike Ashley, he said: "No, no, not at all, no. Why should I do that?
"Just because somebody writes it in the papers, I should not be be ringing or chasing the chairman or the owner to seek assurances over my position.
"My position is safe if I get results; my position is not safe if I lose football matches. It has never been any different anywhere else, not here, not at Bolton, not anywhere.
"I would not have lasted eight years at Bolton if I did not get results, so it is no different anywhere you go."
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