STEVE McCLAREN admits Newcastle United are embroiled in a relegation battle, but remains confident he is the right man to turn the club’s fortunes around.

The Magpies dropped back into the Premier League’s bottom three as they crashed to a resounding 5-1 defeat at Crystal Palace yesterday.

The reverse, which was Newcastle’s eighth defeat from 14 league matches this term, highlighted many of the failings that have plagued the club for a considerable time now, and with the next two games pitting them against Liverpool and Tottenham, things could well get worse before they get better.

McClaren made no attempt to hide the seriousness of the situation in the wake of his side’s latest setback, but claims there is still plenty of time to salvage the season.

“There are 14 games gone and we know we’re in a relegation battle,” said the Newcastle head coach. “But there are 24 left, and we’ve got experience of situations like this.

“It’s about coming through adversity now, and coming through the bad times and getting stronger. We need character, and determination, mettle and fight.

“You learn those things through adversity, and that’s what we have to go through. We’re going through it now, and we need to come through the other end.

“There are 24 games to go – I’d be more worried if there was only 14 left. There’s a lot of work ahead, and we know this is not good enough. We’ve got to get back to work and solve it.”

McClaren cancelled his players’ planned day off today, and instead instructed them to report to the club’s Benton base for an extra training session.

Having read the riot act in the wake of last weekend’s 3-0 home defeat to Leicester City, he felt there was evidence of a positive reaction as Newcastle claimed an early lead at Selhurst Park through a header from Papiss Cisse.

However, the Magpies’ advantage lasted just four minutes before James McArthur equalised, and with Palace’s leveller sparking a wholesale collapse, McClaren admits his side are incapable of dealing with adversity at the moment.

“It’s not about ability, and it’s not about tactics or systems either,” he said. “It’s about doing your job and doing the basics right. When we’re going behind, or suffering disappointments in games, we’re not refocusing on our jobs.

“We’re not doing that at all. That’s a mentality thing, and that’s just one of many things we have to work on within this group. We knew that at the beginning – it’s tough, and it might get tougher. But we’re up for the fight.”

Newcastle’s supporters vented their frustration during the second half of yesterday’s game, singing “You’re not fit to wear the shirt” and “We’re sh*t and we’re sick of it”.

They did not direct any chants specifically at McClaren, but the former England boss can sympathise with their mounting anger.

“I can understand that after this, they’re probably not behind the team,” he said. “They vented their frustration, disappointment and anger, and rightly so.

“There’s only one group of people who can turn that around though, and that’s us – the coaches and the players. We’re as hurt, angry and disappointed as they are. But we have to work it out and work it through, and we’ll do that.”