Matthias Jaissle told his detractors he does not care about their opinions amid a wave of negativity for his Newcastle side ahead of the start of the new season.
Jaissle was brought in after Eddie Howe ended his successful tenure, but the sales of star trio Bruno Guimarães, Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon this summer have led to a feeling of malaise on Tyneside.
While untested youngsters Bazoumana Touré, Sean Steur and Aladji Bamba have been signed and Jaissle is optimistic of more arrivals before the transfer window closes, the Magpies' preseason form has been underwhelming.
Jaissle accepts Newcastle are short of a gallop ahead of their Premier League curtain-raiser against Liverpool on Sunday, but he insisted he is happy to take any criticism on the chin.
Asked if his team are being underestimated before the campaign, the German said: "I don't know. I don't know how they rank us or how they rank me. To be honest, with all the respect, I don't care.
"It's not something I can influence, the opinion of others. We are good in our approach and we can only focus on what we can influence and that will be the same on this whole journey with this team.
"It's smart from us to avoid the negativity from outside, and there is negativity. You read the newspapers, the media, the social media in particular. So for us, the job is to focus on what we can influence.
"For sure there is a gap to reach our full potential. We are aware of that. That's normal in that stage of the season that you cannot be 100%, especially when you consider the circumstances around."
Joelinton will miss the visit of Andoni Iraola's Reds because of an unspecified injury, which is set to sideline the Brazilian for a couple of weeks, meaning a new-look midfield for Newcastle this weekend.
Jaissle warned he will need to be "smart" with Tino Livramento's recovery from a calf injury that led to him missing the World Cup, with fellow full back Amar Dedic poised for his debut following the Bosnian's £29.5 million ($40m) arrival from Benfica earlier this week.
Jaissle said: "It will be different for him. New signings need to adapt. He came back from the World Cup but in general he is looking very fit. He got some minutes in friendlies so I'm confident he is ready, and we need him."
Jaissle was speaking on the day Newcastle announced an agreement to purchase land for a new £190 million ($258m) training ground, acquiring the 260-acre Woolsington Hall estate owned by former chairman Sir John Hall.
The exodus of top-tier talent this summer and a shift in transfer policy, signing elite young prospects rather than established players, has led to questions about the ambition of Newcastle's Saudi-backed owners.
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But Jaissle added: "They're ambitious in the approach where the club will go in the future. And today with the announcement of the training ground, that's one step towards that bright future the club will have.
"They were also realistic and clear about that period right now. That comes also with a huge transition phase.
"So that's what I liked, the transparency, that they are realistic about that progress. But they're also ambitious and fast forward in their thinking. This is something I like a lot."