ALAN PARDEW started the fightback by ordering his Charlton players in for Sunday training after being booed off by their own supporters following Saturday’s 2-1 home defeat by Preston.

However, he stopped short of ordering the squad to relive the potentially disastrous setback by watching the match video on what he described as a “horrible, horrible day.”

For the first time since he took charge in December, 2006, Charlton’s manager found himself fielding flak from large sections of support who jeered the team off at half-time and at the end.

The Addicks have won four of their last 15 matches and on Saturday the fans’ patience finally snapped.

Queens Park Rangers, when they were bottom, and present basement side Colchester, have won at The Valley while Charlton have failed to overcome fellow strugglers Scunthorpe (twice) and now Preston.

“We’ve lost our way and the players need to take responsibilty for their performances,” he said.

“I didn’t want them sitting at home moping on Sunday, so I got them in to get that performance out of their systems on the training ground.

“For the first time this season, we looked short in certain departments and I won’t accept that. We had a few out there who played with fear.

“I feel for the fans, they pay good money and they had to watch a load of rubbish. They’re fully entitled to vent their feelings.”

Pardew publicly conceded for the first time that Charlton’s faint hopes of automatic promotion dissolved with Saturday’s defeat but insisted: “This squad is certainly good enough to go up via the play-offs.”