Tottenham were again booed as Newcastle secured a rare 2-1 away win, increasing the pressure on Spurs head coach Thomas Frank.
The loss leaves Frank with the lowest winning percentage of any Spurs manager in the Premier League era, with a winning percentage of just 26.9 per cent, and the club now sit in a solid 16th place in the relegation battle.
Despite this, a defiant Mr Frank insisted he was “1000 per cent” sure he would continue in his role.
“You have to stay calm,” Frank said. “We have to get through this together.”
The Danes were booed by their fans before kick-off, but the home crowd cheered their team throughout the match and seemed to provoke a reaction after Malick Thiaw’s opening goal before half-time, followed by Archie Gray’s second-half equalizing goal.
But the relief and positivity for Spurs fans was short-lived, as four minutes later Jacob Ramsey, surrounded by defenders, darted home from inside the box to restore Newcastle’s lead.
Newcastle United’s Jacob Ramsey scores second goal
Frank had called for his team to be “desperate” to win the match, but in reality it was another tepid and disorganized display, with Newcastle clearly the better side despite their struggles on the road.
Up until this game, away teams had won just two of their last 15 away league matches, but in this game they were in control from the start.
Perhaps the victory should have been more convincing, but Joe Willock’s goal was canceled out by a ‘closest’ offside call seen by former referee Mike Dean six minutes before Chiau broke the deadlock.
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Mike Dean and Michael Dawson react to Joe Willock’s goal which was narrowly ruled out for offside.
There was pressure on both managers heading into this game, but it was Howe who took the pressure off. Newcastle secured a vital win to move up to 10th place and end a four-game winless run in the top flight.
Meanwhile, Spurs’ winless record has extended to eight league games, and they have yet to win in 2026.
Before the final whistle sounded, the home crowd chanted, “He’ll be fired in the morning,” and “I want Frank sent off,” and there were loud boos throughout, and Frank’s position is now approaching an untenable situation.
Tottenham will have 12 days of rest before their next game, but they are scheduled to face top rivals Arsenal on February 22nd, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.
Frank: Research shows sacking the manager is not the answer
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Thomas Frank answers tough questions about his future at Spurs after Newcastle defeat
Tottenham manager Thomas Frank:
“I’m 1,000 percent sure (I believe I’ll continue to work). I’m also 1,000 percent sure that I didn’t expect to be in this situation with 11 or 12 people injured.”
“There have been some people before me who have lost their minds here at Tottenham and at many other clubs. I have to stay calm. We have to get through this together.
“I also think there’s a lot of research that shows it’s not the right thing to do (to fire a manager).
“All I’m focused on is fighting. Of course I understand that we’re not in a good situation, but in everything in life you have to stay calm and keep moving forward.”
Howe: We showed who we are, the players are playing for me.
Tottenham manager Thomas Frank and Newcastle manager Eddie Howe
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe:
“I said it again, I have to believe that I’m the right person to take this job at all costs. I have to feel like the players are playing for me.”
“Today they showed that they are, but it has to continue to be consistent.
“It brought us together, strengthened our relationships, and allowed us all to look inward. It made us think about what we’re doing and how we can do it better. This is a really difficult job that we’re working on. We’re at a very high level.”
“You’re always asked new questions. We play a game every three days. Sometimes you feel like you can’t breathe and you can’t reset. You’re asked to play over and over again.
“So today we tried to rotate the team a little bit and refresh some guys and get them really back to their best form. If we can get some guys back from injury, we need to be more capable of doing that.”
