Newcastle United midfielder Damien Duff has admitted Sam Allardyce's under achieving players must take the blame for their club's woeful Christmas.
The 28-year-old Irish midfielder heads for his old club Chelsea tomorrow with the Magpies having taken just a single point from their matches against lowly Derby and Wigan.
Allardyce once again found himself the target for the massed black-and-white ranks after an abject display at the JJB Stadium on Boxing Day which saw Steve Bruce's men win by the only goal.
But Duff, who started his first game since April at Wigan after a career-threatening foot injury, insists the players need to help their boss.
He said: 'Newcastle is obviously a big club, but we all love the gaffer.
'We are behind him and we just want to put it right for him. He cannot take all the flak.
'We are the ones on the pitch - so don't hammer him, hammer us.'
He added: 'The players have to stand up and be counted as well.
'It's a massive club, but you cannot just blame the gaffer. We are the ones out on the pitch, so we are all in it together.
'As far as I'm concerned, he's a brilliant manager. I get on great with him.
'Up until recently, I was buzzing to get back on the pitch and starting working for him - so from that point of view, he has been great for me.'
