RAFAEL BENITEZ has urged Newcastle United supporters to stick with his side – but warned things could get even worse as they attempt to safeguard their Premier League status this season.

The Magpies head to West Bromwich Albion tomorrow looking to arrest a run of four successive defeats that has seen them slip to 14th position in the table.

They are four points clear of the drop zone, but are heading in a downwards direction after holding a top-half position as recently as the start of the month.

There were mutterings of discontent from the stands during Saturday’s 3-0 loss to Watford, and Newcastle’s players were booed from the field in the wake of their heaviest home defeat of the season.

Benitez understands the frustration, but is calling for unity given that he always feared it could be a difficult season after Newcastle owner Mike Ashley failed to sanction significant spending during the summer transfer window.

“The fans appreciate that this group of players really care about the shirt and what they are doing,” said the Newcastle boss. “We cannot forget that on the first of September we were complaining, and all the fans were saying it will be a difficult season.

“We are 14th in the league and in a good position. What is our target? What do we want to achieve? To stay in the Premier League. Nobody was saying it was going to be easy.

“I was reading about the average wages in the Premier League- who are the top six teams in terms of wages? The top six in the table. Football now has a lot of connection with the wages – you can sign the top players by paying big money.

“We do not know what is going on and what might happen in January. Our fans need to know it could be even worse. If we cannot sign anybody, what can we do?

“We have to stick together. I am telling the players to keep going and keep working hard. Until the end of the season, we have to do what we have to do.”

Benitez always felt his side were in for a difficult season after winning promotion from the Championship last term, and the Spaniard feels the majority of Newcastle fans appreciate the scale of the challenge his side is facing.

“I think the majority of the fans know what happened, and they know the reality,” he said. “The reality is that we have a good team, but we have some injuries and our squad is not as big as some squads.

“Still, I think we are doing well. Could it be better? Yes, 100 per cent. But we need to be sure we understand our reality, which is that we are a team that have to stick together, like we did in a lot of games.”

Isaac Hayden returns from suspension tomorrow, and with Mo Diame set to drop out of the starting line-up, Benitez must decide whether to start with the former Arsenal trainee or the fit-again Mikel Merino. Paul Dummett, Jamaal Lascelles and Christian Atsu are all still unavailable.