Steve Bruce believes Newcastle United's win over Burnley will silence his critics over the international break.
The 3-1 win against the Clarets fired his team into the top six but he admits the build-up to the game wasn't pleasant.
Bruce had hit back at reporters who called him "lucky" after the club's best start in over half a decade.
He said: "I am delighted for the players. We've all had our fair share of criticism this week, maybe rightly so.
"Tonight we have hopefully quietened a few for a while anyway. We have tried to change and be more expansive. It goes up and down so quickly - that's Newcastle."
The night belonged to Allan Saint-Maximin who scored and assisted to set up a 3-1 win.
He said: "If we can keep Allan Saint-Maximin fit he will get people off their seats, he can do things that other people can't. He is explosive.
"He is a goalscorer and a threat.
"I've known Phil Bardsley since he was 12 (at Man United) so I'm not surprised that he had a few kicks at him."
