- Spurs humiliated by Newcastle
- Stellini sacked after loss
- Players vow to pay fans back
WHAT HAPPENED? Spurs suffered a humiliating defeat on Tyneside at the weekend that saw them go 5-0 down within 21 minutes, and the final result leaves them six points off the pace in the race for a top-four finish. Assistant manager Cristian Stellini paid the price with his job, but the squad has now also come out to take some responsibility for one of the worst performances in the club's recent history.
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WHAT THEY SAID: The players released a statement via Spurs' official social media channels on Tuesday, which reads: "As a squad, we understand your frustration and anger. It wasn't good enough. We know words aren't enough in situations like this but believe us, a defeat like this hurts. We appreciate your support, home and away, and with this in mind we would like to reimburse fans with the cost of their match tickets from St James' Park.
"We know this does not change what happened on Sunday and we will give everything to put things right against Manchester United on Thursday evening when, again, your support will mean everything to us. Together - and only together - can we move things forward."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Assistant coach Ryan Mason is now set to take Stellini's place for the remainder of the season, with Spurs still on the lookout for a permanent successor to Antonio Conte. Former Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann is reportedly the leading candidate to take over at Tottenham, while Burnley boss Vincent Kompany is also in the frame. However, a potential homecoming for Mauricio Pochettino now looks unlikely as the Argentine closes in on the top job at Chelsea.
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GettyWHAT'S NEXT FOR TOTTENHAM? Mason's first game in charge will see Spurs travel to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United on Thursday, with a huge clash against Liverpool at Anfield set to follow just three days later.