NEWCASTLE UNITED captain Kevin Nolan last night apologised to any fans he angered when he declared his backing for Andy Carroll’s sensational deadline day transfer to Liverpool.

Magpies supporters have been critical of Nolan for the way he agreed to be interviewed by LFCTV – Anfield’s official media channel and website – and expressed his “delight” at his team-mate’s £35m move.

But Newcastle supporters have bombarded social networking sites and message boards to air their disapproval at Nolan, a boyhood Reds fan and born on Merseyside, showing a lack of respect for those on Tyneside.

Nolan, speaking after the first match of the post-Carroll era ended in a 1-0 defeat at Fulham, was still adamant his close friend has joined a top club, but does not want that to reflect badly on Newcastle.

The 28-year-old said: “Liverpool is a great club, there is no getting away from it. I am not taking away from how great this football club is, I have just said that Liverpool is a great football club.

“It’s a great city and a great move for Andy, no one can deny that. It is one of those things.

“I want to be here at Newcastle.

I want to play for this club. If fans don’t like what I said, I apologise. It was never meant to upset them, but Liverpool is a great club. I will say it again, everyone knows it, everyone standing here knows that.

“The last thing I want to do is start upsetting our fans.

Our fans have been fantastic, brilliant all season, as they were last season. I am sure they will stick with us until the end of the season.”

Nolan is confident that Carroll, infamously ordered to live under his captain’s roof for a short time after a brush with the law towards the end of last year and unveiled to the media at Anfield yesterday, will become a massive success story at Anfield.

But after losing to Fulham and ahead of tomorrow’s visit of Arsenal to St James’ Park, Nolan feels the time has come to move on and concentrate purely on the future.

“I have spoken to Andy already. He will be a top, top player for Liverpool,” said Nolan. “But I am getting sick of the Andy Carroll thing, the saga. I want to put it to bed and get on with it.

“We are all men in the dressing room. The thing is we are a team and never been a one man band, ever. Since we got our promotion, we knew it was going to be tough this season.

“We have not only lost Andy, we have lost Wayne Routledge and Xisco as well, who were there and thereabouts.

“You have seen our bench and we had a few young kids at Fulham. It’s just one of those things. We have to get on with it and we can’t sit and sulk.”

With Shola Ameobi expected to be out for up to six weeks with the fractured cheekbone he sustained at Fulham, Newcastle manager Alan Pardew has little choice but to pin his faith in Leon Best, Nile Ranger and Peter Lovenkrands.

All three have shown glimpses of decent form, but more often than not they have failed to impress on the Premier League stage this season.

But Nolan does not want to concentrate on the club’s failure to reinvest any of the £35m raised from Carroll’s departure last Monday – he just wants those left behind to prove they can stay clear of the relegation zone.

Just six points separate Alan Pardew’s team from the bottom three, with most of the teams below them showing signs of improvement.

And Nolan said: “It’s going to be a bit tough and a bit weird over the next few weeks.

We are stuck with it. We can’t use that as an excuse.

“We will stick together. We have fought big battles over the years. This is another one.

This is a big battle and we have to make sure we come out of it.

“I joined around the time the club was going down in 2009. We are definitely confident that we can stay away from relegation. We have to prove it now.

“A lot of the lads have got to step up to the plate. It’s going to be tough but we are up for the challenge.

“I hope we have the character.

We will see that in the next four months.

“We will see what is different to two years ago and hopefully it will be positive.”

Ameobi is now highly unlikely to make his first international start for Nigeria next month. The former England Under-21 cap had been scheduled to appear in this month’s friendly in Lagos.

Pardew is considering a move for ex-Middlesbrough and Arsenal striker Jeremie Aliadiere after a proposed move to Blackpool stalled.