‘Collective responsibility’ – Tottenham sacked manager after Newcastle United humiliation

Thomas Frank will be hoping to avoid the same fate as Cristian Stellini against Newcastle this week.

The former Tottenham Hotspur caretaker boss was sacked by the club after a 6-1 defeat at St. James’ Park in April 2023.

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Stellini had taken over following Antonio Conte’s exit the previous month, having been his fellow Italian’s assistant.

Despite being placed in charge until the end of the season, though, he was dismissed after just four matches.

The last of those came in the north east as Spurs were thrashed by Eddie Howe’s side.

It would prove to be the end of Stellini’s reign as he was replaced by Ryan Mason for the remaining six matches of the season.

Stellini sacked

In a statement confirming their decision, then chairman Daniel Levy said: “Sunday’s performance against Newcastle was wholly unacceptable. It was devastating to see.

“We can look at many reasons why it happened and whilst myself, the board, the coaches and players must all take collective responsibility, ultimately the responsibility is mine.”

Stellini had initially joined Spurs as part of Conte’s backroom team in November 2021.

During his caretaker tenure, he claimed four points from four matches including a win over Brighton.

However, his unbeaten start in the role was followed by back-to-back defeats to Bournemouth and Newcastle.

As a result, he was replaced by Mason in a bid to rescue European qualification.

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The former midfielder would miss out, though, as Spurs ended the season in eighth following two wins from his six matches.

It was the first time in 14 years that the club had failed to earn a spot in Europe for the following campaign.

Having left Spurs, Stellini made a return to coaching last summer as he reunited with Conte at Napoli.

The pair went on to win the Serie A title at the end of the season, the fourth Scudetto in the club’s history.

Meanwhile, current Spurs boss Frank will be desperate for a better result against the Magpies this week.

The two sides meet in the Premier League on Tuesday night, with kick-off at 8.15pm, live on talkSPORT.

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Following Saturday’s defeat to Fulham, the north London outfit sit 12th in the table and are six points adrift of the top four.

The players have held a crisis meeting ahead of their trip to Newcastle in a bid to turn their fortunes around.

It comes after Frank called out fans for booing goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario for a mistake against the Cottagers.

Their latest loss was a third in a row in all competitions, whilst Spurs have not won at home in the league since the opening weekend of the season, a run which now stands at six matches.