Kirkland, speaking to the club's official website, said: "The manager has played his part this week in picking us up after what happened on Saturday and now it's up to us to do the job at Wolves. Some of the criticism which he has been getting in the press has been scandalous and so it's now up to us to silence the critics, win some games and go on a consistent run.
"It's hard for all of us when we read criticism of our manager. We know what a good job he is doing. People should remember what he has done for us since he came to the club. He has taken the club to finals and won trophies, including the UEFA Cup.
"It hurts the lads to see some of the stuff which has been written. A lot of it is very unfair. We all expect criticism if we're not performing but I think people have gone way over the top with what they've said about the gaffer.
"We are all behind him as he has been behind us all season. He is definitely the right man for this job, there's no doubt about that. He always sticks up for us and now it's our job to make the critics go away for a while."