CRAIG HOPE: Nervy Spurs head to Newcastle with Magpies ready to pounce

CRAIG HOPE: This is the day Tottenham have always feared! They head to Newcastle with no manager and no plan for next season while the Magpies are ready to pounce and take a huge step towards the Champions League at Spurs’ expense

• Spurs filleted Newcastle in the first game of the club’s Saudi-led ownership
• In a reversal of fortune, Magpies are a shoo-in for Europe and Spurs are faltering
• Eddie Howe praised the owners’ ‘stability and trust’ for helping side’s success 

When Newcastle played Tottenham in the first game of the club’s Saudi-led ownership, a rivalry fuelled by fear smouldered in the boardroom, if not on the pitch.

There, Harry Kane and Co. poured cold water on the flames of a new era. It was a wake-up call for Newcastle’s custodians, such was the gulf in class. A 3-2 defeat had flattered them.

Eighteen months on and the gulf remains – only the tides have changed. Tottenham, on reflection, were right to resist the entry of Newcastle’s owners to the Premier League, albeit motivated exclusively by self-interest. This is the day they feared.

For on Sunday, back at St James’ Park for the first time, Newcastle can accelerate their journey towards the Champions League, leaving Tottenham in a spin in their rear-view mirror. By way of an analogy, a car crash just about captures where they are headed.

The decision to leave Antonio Conte’s assistant Cristian Stellini in charge looks increasingly flawed. It’s like divorcing your wife and getting a key cut for the ugly sister. At least Conte’s side used to have one good half.

Tottenham sobered up Newcastle fans overjoyed about their recent takeover the last time Spurs travelled to Tyneside

But eighteen months later, there has been a dramatic reversal of fortune between the clubs

A home win today sends Magpies into the top three and endangers Spurs’ hopes for Europe

And that reflects Tottenham’s direction of travel right now – backwards. They are still in contention for the top four – fifth and three points behind Newcastle – but some fans believe they will be lucky to qualify for the Conference League, more so is the likelihood of them dropping to eighth.

After Newcastle they play Manchester United and Liverpool, with a trip to Aston Villa on the horizon in May. By then, there is every chance the sun would have set on their season, leaving Daniel Levy fumbling in the dark for a way forward.

The Tottenham chairman must realise that finance alone is not the reason for this reversal of fortunes. Newcastle’s success has its foundations in sound decision-making. From the appointment of head coach Eddie Howe to sporting director Dan Ashworth and barely a penny wasted from £250million across three transfer windows – the same as Tottenham – Newcastle have been a case study in prudent management. Both clubs have money, only one of them has sense.

Here’s an example. Newcastle paid £12m for Kieran Trippier last year, a player Tottenham have never replaced. Meanwhile, the North London club were investing the same sum in Djed Spence. He is currently on loan at Rennes and yet to start in the Premier League.

Whilst Spurs have never quite replaced Kieran Trippier (L) for the same price the club bought Djed Spence, who is yet to make a Premier League appearance

A woeful defeat in north London to Bournemouth loosened their hold in the top six 

Tottenham always were the most vulnerable of the big six to the growth of a potential giant like Newcastle. But on that afternoon at St James’ in October of 2021, never would they have imagined returning as David so soon.

Kane was outstanding during that game, at the away ground he confesses to being his favourite. The noise he so admires has amplified since. But lose on Sunday and, in a quieter moment with himself, he should realise that the time has come to move on.

Not that Newcastle would have him – not at 30 years old and demanding wages of more than £250,000 per week. Theirs is a different model, one which identifies value and scope for improvement. The easiest way to beat Financial Fair Play is not to cook the books – as Levy and others suspected they might with bloated sponsorship deals – it is to make your money go further than that of your rivals. To that end, Tottenham are stuck in a footballing recession, deflating moods and their worth all the while.

Howe smiled yesterday as it was put to him that the parallels drawn between the clubs are about to veer in different directions. At roughly the same time, Tottenham were confirming that Fabio Paratici had resigned as director of football.

‘I will only comment on this club,’ said Howe. ‘I would say we have been stable and very well run from above. There has been a clarity in terms of what we can and can’t do. There has been a vision.

‘That stability and trust has enabled us to be successful. It’s rare to have that stability at a Premier League club, because the pressure you are working under is so high. Hopefully that can remain for as long as possible.’

Howe inherited a team in the bottom three – win here and they will move into the top three.

‘Sometimes, when you’re working day to day, you lose sight of change over a longer period of time,’ he said. ‘I feel the club has changed a lot. There have been huge improvements internally. The playing squad has evolved.

Eddie Howe’s leadership has been revelatory for the Magpies but he has in turn heaped praise on the club hierarchy

Just one season after their takeover, Yasir Al-Rumayyan and Amanda Stavely (centre, pictured October 2021) have the club challenging at the highest levels

Spurs’ hierarchy was disrupted by the resignation of Fabio Paratici (R) yesterday, leaving Daniel Levy with yet another headache

‘The feeling has changed, certainly, from these press conferences when I first arrived, which was very much associated with our league position and relegation. Now, it’s a totally different tone and theme.

‘Sometimes, for a split second, it’s good to reflect on those changes and be proud of where we have come, and the speed of our journey. But that’s only a split-second, because it always has to be about what is in front of us – and that is an opportunity to achieve something really special.’

That is as close as Howe will ever get to revealing Newcastle’s Champions League ambition. But he knows how important qualification is in pushing back the boundaries of FFP and maintaining forward momentum.

Tottenham are not done yet, the league table tells you that much. But a rivalry that promised to burn brightly, to crackle angrily as Saudi-sourced petrodollars were added to the fire, already feels in its dying embers.

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