ALAN PARDEW is expecting one of the toughest days of his Newcastle United tenure on Saturday – and admits he has not received any reassurances from Mike Ashley that he will still be in a job if things do not go to plan.

The Magpies entertain Hull City this weekend still searching for their first Premier League win of the season, but events on the pitch are likely to take a back seat to what happens in the stands, with a mass protest planned in an attempt to hasten Pardew’s dismissal.

The Newcastle boss is anticipating a difficult afternoon, but his determination to remain in his position remains unaltered.

He spoke with Ashley in the wake of last weekend’s 4-0 defeat at Southampton, and while he claims his own position was not discussed, the pair are fully aware of the importance of Saturday’s game.

Pardew said: “I’ve spoken to Mike. We had a long conversation on Sunday and he was obviously disappointed with the performance. He has a right to be disappointed as the owner and he relayed that to me.

“The one thing we both agreed on was that we really needed to focus on this Saturday and try to get a win for the football club. It’s very important that certain issues - particularly the issue regarding me - have to take a bit of a back seat. It’s going to be a difficult environment if we have the atmosphere we had at Southampton for long periods.”

When asked directly whether he had sought assurances over his own future, he added: “It didn’t really come up, if I’m honest. If it sounds like I’m trying to fudge the issue, then I’m not.

“We talked about the team and a couple of things that were a problem within the team - and also about the performance. He was upset about the performance and that’s what we focused on.

“I didn’t ask for any reassurance. All I know is that I signed a long contract here for good and bad. We’ve had some great times which seem to have been forgotten recently - and some tough days too.

“This will be one of our toughest, although I can think of some tough days I’ve had here. The environment for the players on Saturday will probably be as tough as it’s ever been and we have to accept that.”

Pardew is hoping his experience as a manager will enable him to cope with Saturday’s criticism, and claims his personality makes it impossible him for to step down despite the fans’ obvious frustrations.

He said: “I’ve been a Premier League manager for a number of years and had some tough times, but you have to have those as a manager. You can’t be in this job as long as I have been without having some tough days.

“This will be one of my toughest, but there is a resilience in my soul. It’s not an arrogance or my ego getting carried away. That’s not the reason I’m going to front it out.

“It’s about being professional and going out there this weekend and being as strong as we can be. We will be trying to win back as many fans as we can with our performance - even if it’s just one that would help.”