Pierre Sage has rejected the idea of turmoil within Crystal Palace after the Eagles slipped to a 2-0 Premier League defeat against Newcastle United at Selhurst Park.
Newcastle took control shortly after half-time when William Osula converted Jacob Murphy’s cross. Joe Willock briefly appeared to add a second, but his effort was ruled out for offside following a VAR review. Harvey Barnes then made it 2-0 with a close-range finish that gave Walter Benitez no chance.
Palace pushed for a way back into the contest late on, but Newcastle goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek denied Adam Wharton and Dario Osorio. The result leaves Palace 17th in the Premier League, with five defeats from their opening eight matches.
The defensive record is also a concern, with Palace having conceded 19 goals. That is their second-highest total after eight top-flight games, behind the 22 they allowed during the 1980-81 campaign. Palace have only lost more than five of their first eight matches in four previous seasons: 1971-72, 1980-81, 2013-14 and 2017-18.
Sage acknowledged the frustration among supporters but maintained that the squad and club are concentrating on improvement. “The boos are normal because we don't have the result,” he said. “Inside, we are just really focused on solutions. How to be better, how to create the conditions to compete, and we will continue our work, and there's no noise inside.”
He added that the reaction surrounding Palace was a consequence of their results, saying supporters naturally lose patience when the team is not winning. Newcastle’s victory also marked their second successive away win and clean sheet in London this season, after a 2-0 success at Tottenham in August.
