Thanks to John Ellis for his eye-witness comments Newcastle 6 Tottenham Hotspur 1

Thanks to John Ellis for this picture, and his comments on the game

On the way up to Newcastle, we debated how the players could create a new way of embarrassment after each of those served up versus Sheffield United, AC Milan, Southampton, Everton and Bournemouth. When the team sheet came out it was immediately obvious, we were going to get a thumping.

In saying we would need to score four to get a draw, I was completely wrong in my assessment. Six were needed and the feeling is if we had scored six, Newcastle would have scored seven, eight or nine. Porro and Perisic are struggling to offer defensive cover as wing backs. They are most definitely not full backs and we learnt many years ago, Dier is not a centre back in a back four.

It was a suicidal team selection. A team set up to fail against a team which goes for the jugular and down the flanks. What an earth was Stellini thinking?

Many fans including me had implored Conte to try a back four formation but with Emerson and Davies as "make do" full backs not Porro and Perisic for pity's sake. As a friend said at half time, if Stellini had wanted a three in midfield, he should have just dropped Kulusevski to the bench and given Kane and Son licence to attack as a front two partnership.

After each goal, the fans implored Stellini to revert to a back three. It took until 5-0 before he responded by bringing Sanchez on. By then the damage was already more than done. After just 21 minutes, the score was unbelievably 5-0. If the formation hadn’t been changed, Newcastle would have run up double figures by half time. It was that bad… that pathetic.

It is a 600 miles roundtrip to Newcastle for the Spurs faithful which is ten hours plus by car and up to eight hours door to door by train. Then there is the cost. And yet inside ten minutes of the match, fans were heading for the exit. It is the first time I have seen fans of any club anywhere in the world walk out in disgust inside ten minutes of the start of the match.

The whole club from owners through to management and down to the players should hang their heads in shame. Tottenham Hotspur is a a global football institution with an illustrious history of Nicholson, Blanchflower, Mackey, Greaves, Burkinshaw, Ardiles, Hoddle, Gascoigne, Bale. It is though becoming a laughing stock with its name being dragged knee deep through the mud and far worse in the unforgiving world of social media.

In short, the club is a shambles.

It cannot be allowed to continue to drift aimlessly for a day longer. Strong and decisive leadership is needed. Unless action is taken and quickly, the run-in to the end of this ignominious season will sink the club into a quagmire of toxicity. Before today it was already apparent Stellini is out of his depth. The first 25 minutes today must surely confirm his immediate departure.

If as media reports suggest, Pochettino takes the Chelsea job, it will in my opinion be because Spurs don’t want him. Oh the irony of Spurs appointing ex-Chelsea managers by the barrowload to fail for Pochettino to go to Chelsea and win trophies. If the media reports are correct, It feels the club would be taking a major risk in allowing this to unfold and especially given the support Pochettino has been receiving at Spurs games for some time now.

A special word for Sanchez today who showed great character and resilience after the derision he endured last week. His efforts were recognised by the remaining travelling support who gave him some love with their singing.

Harry Kane showed his class at the end of the game by walking over to the fans to applaud their support and waved his teammates over to do the same. Mason also came over. Stellini didn’t.

The home game versus Manchester United last season led to the departure of Nuno. Let’s hope there is a new manager in place before Thursday.

#Coys

· Spurs Odyssey Match Report.

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