The Tottenham players have offered to repay supporters who were at St James’ Park on Sunday to witness their 6-1 thrashing at the hands of Newcastle.
The Spurs showed a dismal performance against Eddie Howe’s side as they went down 5-0 within 21 minutes.
Harry Kane scored a goal back in the second half before Callum Wilson added a sixth shortly after coming on in the second half, leaving Spurs’ Champions League hopes hanging by a thread.
Acting head coach Cristian Stellini was sacked following the result, with the Italian playing just four games in the role and he will be replaced by Ryan Mason – who had a similar stint as caretaker manager in 2021 after Jose Mourinho was sacked.
And on Tuesday, a statement from the players was released by the club apologizing for the performance.
Tottenham players have offered to repay their supporters who were at St James’ Park on Sunday to witness their 6-1 thumping by Newcastle
The players apologized for the performance in a statement the club released on Twitter
Tottenham sacked acting head coach Cristian Stellini after the heavy defeat to the Magpies
It read: ‘As a team we understand your frustration, your anger. It wasn’t good enough. We know that words are not enough in situations like this, but trust us, a defeat like this hurts. We appreciate your support at home and away and with this in mind we would like to reimburse fans for the cost of their St James’ Park match tickets.
“We know this doesn’t change what happened on Sunday and we will do everything we can to put things right against Manchester United on Thursday night, because once again your support will mean everything to us. Together – and only together – we can make progress.’
Many Spurs fans were understandably angry, with one supporter going viral after filming himself storming out of St James’ Park as his team went down 5-0.
Meanwhile, several others left the game early, meaning the end was half empty for much of the game.
Stellini had apologized to the supporters after Sunday’s result when he said: “We have to apologize to everyone – and I hope it’s my responsibility today because changing the system was my decision. I hope this was the problem.’
Chairman Daniel Levy then issued a ‘club update’ on Monday night, explaining the board changes as he took ultimate responsibility for the outcome.
Levy formulated his critical message: ‘Sunday’s performance against Newcastle was completely unacceptable. It was devastating to watch.
“We can think of many reasons why it happened and while myself, the board, the coaches and players all have to take collective responsibility, that responsibility ultimately rests with me.
He added: “I met with the players’ committee today – the side is determined to work together to finish the season as strong as possible.
Many Tottenham fans decided they had seen enough during the abysmal first half
Ex-Spurs midfielder Ryan Mason was appointed interim boss until the end of the season
“It is clear to all of us that we must deliver achievements that deserve your tremendous support.”
Members of the club’s players’ committee that Levy met with include Spurs captain Hugo Lloris, England skipper Harry Kane and midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
Their performance against Newcastle was one of the worst in the club’s history and their atrocious start was the second worst ever by a Premier League side – beaten only by Watford, who headed home in 18 minutes in 2019 lost 5-0 against Man City. an 8-0 loss that day.
Ryan Mason, who coached under Stellini and Antonio Conte, would have significant support from Spurs’ players to lead the team through to the end of the season.
During his previous seven-game stint in 2021, he won four and lost three of his seven games in charge of the club.
Behind the scenes, there were concerns that little had changed under Stellini given his ties to Conte and that the team could do with a whole new approach.
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy deemed Stellini’s position untenable after talks on Monday
The away side (top tier) emptied long before the final whistle after Spurs’ dismal performance
Stellini oversaw a draw with Everton, a win against Brighton and back-to-back defeats to Bournemouth and Newcastle – as his side scored six times and conceded eleven.
Mason has been unable to fully establish his authority over the team since Conte’s departure, as he was an assistant.
But the former Tottenham player is well placed to take charge of the team, having filled the role in the past.
Spurs are now outsiders in the race for a Champions League place, six points behind Manchester United – which they will receive on Thursday night – despite having played two games.