Football
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Cisse says Newcastle fans protesting Pardew's management hurt the team

Newcastle striker Papiss Cisse admits unrelenting crowd protests over Alan Pardew's managerial reign are damaging the team.

Cisse saved Pardew from coming under further fire when he struck twice to earn Newcastle a creditable point in the 2-2 draw at Swansea on Saturday.

But Pardew still had to run the gauntlet of angry Newcastle supporters in south Wales as he faced further calls for his dismissal following a dreadful start to the season which has yet to see the Magpies win a league game.

Club owner Mike Ashley, who was present at the Liberty Stadium, was also in the firing line of Newcastle fans, but at least he and Pardew had something to smile about after Cisse cancelled out goals from Swansea pair Wilfried Bony and Wayne Routledge.

"Yes, I know this moment is not easy for him," Cisse said later of Pardew's predicament.

"The team don't think about that one [the protests] because the players just play.

"It is for the gaffer, but it's not good for the team.

"It's not easy for the players because it is the player playing the game.

Pardew shrugged off further speculation about his future at Swansea by insisting he would simply turn his attention to the next game after the international break, at home to Leicester on October 18.

But Pardew will be grateful for the timely return of Cisse who started his first game since fracturing a patella in April after previously making two substitute appearances this season.

The Senegal striker repeated his two-goal show against Hull on September 20 when he came on for the final 20 minutes. Cisse has now scored more Premier League goals than during the whole of last season, when he was very much in the shadow of the on-loan Loic Remy.

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"It's just like I woke up for this because at the moment I'm enjoying my football," Cisse said.

"My one objective is to come back and score my goals. This is my job and I'm happy to score four goals in three games.

"The Premier League is not easy, it is very, very hard.

"But we just have to keep going because it's not finished yet and it can come good for us.

"I know this is not three points, but one point in Swansea is not bad and we will work hard to get up the table."

Swansea skipper Ashley Williams blamed poor defending for losing the lead twice as his side's winless run in the Premier League stretched to four matches.

"It is pretty disappointing to be pegged back twice and this is the first time we have felt like this so far this season," Williams said.

"If you score two goals at home you should win.

"They did not have many chances, but the two goals were a mess for us as a team and as a unit at the back."

Williams insisted complacency had not been an issue given Newcastle's poor form and Swansea having made their best start to a Premier League campaign with 11 points from the first seven matches.

"A lot of people probably thought this was a game where we could just turn up and get three points, but we knew that would not be the case," Williams said.

"We knew they would scrap for everything but the principles we set down during pre-season mean we want more from ourselves.

"We do not want another mediocre season, we want to beat teams here and we did not do that."

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