Newcastle United defender Mike Williamson has come out in support of under-fire manager Alan Pardew, claiming that the players are "100%" behind their boss.

Newcastle have endured a miserable start to their Premier League campaign, picking up just three points from six games, but Williamson believes that Pardew has what it takes to turn things around.

"We're all frustrated but he's been calm and he's showed composure and that's what we need," the centre-half is quoted as saying by the Daily Mail.

"He's obviously come in for a lot of criticism but he's got a thick skin and he knows we can only get ourselves out of this position by going back to the drawing board and working hard.

"It shows on the pitch that we are 100 per cent behind him and we're doing everything we can."

Magpies captain Fabricio Coloccini has insisted that the team are not in danger of being relegated.