JOHN CARVER is keen to prove he is making changes to the way Newcastle United operated under Alan Pardew and that he can win over his doubters on Tyneside.

Carver has been criticised by sections of fans since taking over as head coach officially, despite guiding the team to an undefeated five-point haul from a possible nine under his watch.

There were chants of ‘are you Pardew in disguise’ at Selhurst Park ten days ago, when Newcastle failed to build on their one-goal advantage.

The reaction that night has led to managing director Lee Charnley issuing a message of support to Carver, calling for fans to get behind him and suggesting the chants were “not helpful or indeed deserved.”

Pardew’s former No 2 has tweaked the system, with one sitting midfielder often being used rather than two, while he has worked hard on trying to make the team’s defensive shape more rounded.

But Carver is well aware he can't please everyone. He said: “I sit down with the fans every day. I was at the golf club the other day on a day off and sat with nine, ten, 11-year-old kids for ten or 15 minutes talking about the team.

“It was quite funny. I asked one kid what his formation would be and to write down his team on a piece of paper. He had two defenders in a 2-6-2. I told him we would do that on Saturday!”

He added: “I've only experienced that one thing at Crystal Palace right at the end and that's maybe because they didn't understand what I was trying to do. I was trying to get something from the game rather than lose all three points.

“A draw is one point more than Stoke or Everton got that night. Every point you get is a crucial valuable point. I got that reaction because I took off a forward for a defender - but I had to do it.

“If I explain that situation to people then they might begin to understand that. Some might say this is a massive issue, but it’s not. It was a minority of people and I have to say that reaction from people in the street has been different.”

Carver was brought up in the Cruddas Road area of Newcastle and went to school on Tyneside, so feels passionate about leading successful times back to the club he has long supported.

“If I was in the stands I'd be having a go about the same issues at times,” said Carver. “Our fans are very knowledgeable people. I genuinely mean that. I think we are fortunate in the North-East to have very knowledgeable fans here - and at Sunderland.

“They're very, very good, very fair. They love the game. So when people start having a go I can half understand that. It takes away from the importance of supporting the team.

"I'm trying to create something. This is not about me or about Lee Charnley this is about Newcastle United Football Club on the pitch with a product trying to be given the best support possible. That's what this is about. End of story.

“That's what I'm trying to create. That's what these guys (Charnley) are trying to create by saying let's support this guy, let's support the team. Let's not make them out to be bad fans because they're not.

“I’ve come from nothing but that background doesn't mean I don't deserve what I've got. I think I am a humble person, that's for sure. I respect everybody because that's the way I was brought up. The important thing is making sure there is a relationship between me and the fans. I think it is important. I'm trying to get that. It's important that people understand I only want the best for this club.”

If Carver’s unbeaten start to life as interim head coach is to extend to four matches then he must come up with a way of stopping Manchester City, who Newcastle beat earlier in the campaign in the Capital One Cup.

City are seven points shy of leaders Chelsea, so Carver can be forgiven if he adopts a defensive approach against Manuel Pellegrini’s attack-minded and fluent side.

He said: “We went to Chelsea and we didn't fear Chelsea. It's important that you don't have a negative atmosphere within the group saying right ‘we're going to park the bus’. You can't do that. There'll be long spells where we have to defend but we need to give our defenders a rest, we need to be progressive.

“We're going to get opportunities. The way we set the team up we have to put Man City under pressure. The problem is so many teams playing against Man City give them so much respect they just invite them onto them and invite them onto and eventually City break them down.

“We've got to give them respect but we've got some good players as well - and as Middlesbrough and Hull City have proven in the past few weeks they have got some cracks.”