Holloway thanked him but said he didn't need to do it and then said: "Our fans are absolutely different class. They were the reason I came here in the first place.
"I was happy to try to get some famous days back for this wonderful club, and that's what I am still trying to do. I can take all sorts of criticism, but when I pick a team or make substitutions, I don't think that should be judged until the match has finished, and that is what is annoying me. Every manager feels the same. I'm sure Mick McCarthy does at the moment.
"We should be judged at the end of the season, not now. We are only 13 games in and surely everyone should be concentrating on Burnley, not anything else."
It was left to long serving midfielder Keith Southern to look at the game. He said: "It's a tough place to go Turf Moor, the crowd are very hostile and close to the pitch. Burnley showed when they were in the Premier League two years ago that it was a tough place to go even for the top sides.
"Our away record hasn't been too good this season so we'll be looking to put that right. We're very optimistic going into the game and hopefully we can come away with the three points. I think I've played there three times and we've not had much luck in recent times.
"We've had no midweek game this week so there's been a chance to get on the training field and work on one or two things. We're now looking forward to a red hot Lancashire derby."
He added: "Up until 2007 we hadn't played at this level for 29 years and at Premier League level for 39 years so expectations have just got to be tempered a little bit. On the whole the fans have been different class and stayed with us, although there is a minority that you're never going to please.
"I don't think we're playing that ridiculously bad, we're still in with the pack and in touch with the play-offs so a win on Saturday will take us right up the league again. If we can pull it out of the bag then we'll be going to Elland Road on Wednesday full of confidence. If you get two wins in a week then you're right back in the mix and whatever has happened in the last few weeks will be quickly forgotten."
Eddie Howe has only managed one Lancashire derby since becoming Burnley boss in January. That was the 2-1 win at Preston last season and it's a game he remembers.
"The Preston game sticks out for me," he said. "The away support we received that day was unreal and the atmosphere when we scored the goal towards the end of the game was great.
"We would absolutely love to repeat that in terms of the result and the atmosphere as well, but it's only an enjoyable experience if you win and perform so that's what we will be looking to do.
"I can't wait for it. It's a game we know we want to win and the supporters will be very keen for us to perform and do well. We don't under-estimate the importance of the game. We know it's a big one on the calendar and we know what we've got to do.
"I fully believe in the players we have and I know that if we show what we're capable of we can win the game."
He continued: "I think the next week is massive for us. We have three big games and at this stage in the season we need to get results. The league table starts to take shape now and we want to move up that league. Back- to-back wins would see us getting nearer to the top six and that's what we want to do."