Newcastle United boss Alan Pardew admits this season has been the toughest period of his career.
Pardew, though, has weathered the storm with Newcastle now threatening a challenge for Europe.
Pardew told the Evening Standard: "It's certainly been the most difficult time for me in Newcastle. The back end of last season [14 League defeats between January and May] spilled over into this season when we sold Yohan Cabaye and did not have a replacement.
"We were a bit unlucky at the start. Against Aston Villa and Crystal Palace, we should have won but we lost. It looked to our fans that we were in reverse. So it was tough. Some of the personal jibes were hurtful. You can't disguise that. But you have to be resilient, particularly as a Premier League manager. You have to ride the storms.
"I've had a few [setbacks] in my career and not just in Newcastle. In the Championship at West Ham, we really had some tough days. I remember losing to Tony Pulis's Stoke and being run off the park at Wigan.
"Against Millwall, I lost 4-0. Can you imagine the West Ham manager losing 4-0 to Millwall and surviving? That steeled me for what's happened in Newcastle. Your credibility, your respect everything goes out of the window. You have to fight to get it back.
"I'm quite good at getting over games. I try not to put the pressure which is on me on to the players, my staff and certainly not my family. You have to be quite single-minded and focused in what you are doing."
