The Swans head coach found himself at the centre of furious scenes at the Swansea.com Stadium as home supporters raged following a 4-1 defeat to Ipswich Town.
Boos rang around the ground at both half-time and full-time, and the frustration reached boiling point when a section of fans chanted “we want Sheehan out”.
The Irishman had walked over to applaud fans but his team are now languishing in 18th place in the Championship and there is a deep sense of unrest surrounding the club.
“I understand the fans’ frustration and the first half was incredibly disappointing. We were nowhere near the level that we have been performance-wise,” admitted Sheehan.
“We turned the ball over a lot, we looked a bit anxious, we didn’t come out on top of duels. We were second best, totally.”
Swansea were overwhelmed by a clinical Ipswich side that recorded their second consecutive 4-1 away win.
Jack Clarke opened the scoring before two own goals from former Ipswich defender Cameron Burgess and a late strike from Ivan Azon sealed another emphatic result for Kieran McKenna’s team.
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Goncalo Franco had briefly drawn Swansea level early in the second half, but the hosts’ collapse soon reignited the anger among home fans.
“You can’t give up these opportunities to teams like this,” said Sheehan.
“Second half we made a few changes to try to give us more impetus and we scored a really well-worked goal. Then we turned the ball over again and conceded the next goal, then a set-piece.”
Swansea’s early-season optimism under Sheehan has evaporated amid a sequence of just two league wins since August, and his position is now being questioned by frustrated fans.
“I know what my job is, I know what I have to do – we have to get wins, there is no two ways about that.
“But I believe I’m the man to take this club forward, of course I do,” said Sheehan defiantly.
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When asked again whether he still believes he is the right man to lead the Swans, Sheehan repeated his stance.
“Yes, I believe I am. Of course I do [believe that]. I think that nothing good comes easy.
“I think where we are within football, every manager goes through spells where they don't win consistently.
“You need to be very strong. You need to be confident and believe in what you do, and I do believe that.
“I think we get so many plaudits from opposition managers and staff about what we do, but we need to turn some of those performances and what we do into wins.”
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While Sheehan faced jeers, McKenna’s Ipswich were applauded off by their travelling supporters after another convincing display on the road.
The victory pushed them up to seventh in the table and reinforced their credentials as one of the division’s most complete sides.
“You enjoy your away wins, they're a really good connector for the group,” said McKenna.
“You go away from home to tough places like this and you get the win and you have to work hard for it.
“It's really good for bringing a new group together. It is a result to enjoy and importantly I thought it was a really good performance.”
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