I never questioned the Toon Army's loyalty with 'vicious' remark, says Newcastle star Barton

The 25-year-old will run out at St James' Park this evening for the Magpies' Barclays Premier League clash with Arsenal - the first time since the 3-0 home defeat by Liverpool which sparked an angry response from the Toon Army.

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Barton's use of the word "vicious" to describe their reaction made for banner headlines over the weekend as the outspoken former Manchester City star once again found himself at the centre of a controversy.

But, he is adamant that he was issuing a rallying cry rather than an attack ahead of last Saturday's trip to Blackburn.

He said: "I woke on the morning of the game to see that comments I had made earlier in the week had been presented in some quarters in a way they were never meant to be.

"When I spoke about the atmosphere at our last home game against Liverpool, the point I was making was that, through results good or bad, we all need to stick together on and off the pitch.

"There are a lot of new players at the club still finding their feet and there was a big summer of change at the club with a new manager and owners coming in.

"So it is clear everyone needs time to come together and move the club on - and that will happen much, much quicker if everyone is pulling together.

"Of course I never questioned any fan's loyalty - who could question the loyalty of any Newcastle United fan, or their right to be unhappy if performances are not going well?

"In fact, I actually made the point that it is up to the players to lift the fans when results are not going our way.

"What I said was intended to be a rallying call after a defeat. It was not a blast or an attack."

Barton is hoping the fans turn St James' Park into a fortress tonight - the supporters' website www.nufc.com is urging them to "sing your hearts out for the lads" - and chairman Chris Mort has issued a similar message amid the club's current troubles.

Writing in his programme notes, Mort said: "We have an ambitious owner, chairman, manager, players and supporters.

"However, we all have to decide how much pressure we want to put on our manager and the players to get things right.

"Personally, I would like to relieve some of the current pressure in order to give the players a chance to perform.

"I suspect some of our new signings are currently struggling with the level of expectation that comes with playing for one of the biggest clubs in the Premier League - and the Premier League is a very different league to any other.

"But if the players have sufficient quality (and I think they have), that will show through.

"However, in the meantime, every supporter has to decide for himself or herself how they want to influence what happens on the pitch - and with the volume a full St James' Park is capable of generating, you can be sure that you do have an influence on what happens on the pitch."