LONDON (REUTERS) - Newcastle United manager Steve Bruce said he would not walk away from the club after Saturday's (March 20) 3-0 defeat by fellow strugglers Brighton & Hove Albion and is confident he can turn his team's fortunes around.

Bruce's side were comprehensively outplayed at the Amex Stadium and are now six games without a league win, leaving them in 17th place, two points above third-from-bottom Fulham with a game in hand.

Their dismal recent form has raised the pressure on Bruce, with a fans group calling on owner Mike Ashley to sack the 60-year-old in the wake of Saturday's debacle.

"I accept that wasn't good enough," Bruce said. "It rests at my door. I accept that and will see what develops, but I won't give up.

"I've been around the block a long time. That experience, trying to draw on it over the last few weeks. I'm not the type to just walk away from a bad defeat, but you're going to have to ask others.

"We've got to dust ourselves down. We've got nine games to go. We've been doing well of late to a degree. We're still confident we can get out of the situation we are in."

Newcastle have a tough run of fixtures after the international break, beginning with a home game against Tottenham Hotspur on April 4.