Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has accepted responsibility for Sunday's chastening 6-1 defeat against Newcastle after confirming that acting head coach Cristian Stellini has been relieved of his duties.
Stellini had been placed in charge on an interim basis after former head coach Antonio Conte agreed to leave the club by mutual consent last month.
But Stellini has now paid the price for Tottenham's humiliating defeat at St James' Park, where they made the worst possible start after conceding five times in just 21 minutes. Ryan Mason will step in to take charge "with immediate effect" while the club continue with their process to find a new head coach.
Levy has attracted widespread criticism from fans and pundits alike this season in the wake of a disappointing campaign. And in the statement which confirmed Stellini's departure on the club's official website, the Spurs chief shouldered some of the responsibility for Sunday's horrific result.
The statement read: “Dear all, 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.
“Cristian will leave his current role along with his coaching staff. Cristian stepped in at a difficult point in our season and I want to thank him for the professional manner in which he and his coaching staff have conducted themselves during such a challenging time. We wish him and his staff well.
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“Ryan Mason will take over Head Coach duties with immediate effect. Ryan knows the Club and the players well. We shall update further on his coaching staff in due course.
“I met with the Player Committee today - the squad is determined to pull together to ensure the strongest possible finish to the season. We are all clear we need to deliver performances which earn your amazing support. COYS, Daniel.”
Prior to the release of Levy's statement, there had been reports claiming that the club hierarchy had held crisis talks in the wake of Sunday's loss, which dealt a huge blow to Tottenham's hopes of qualifying for the Champions League once again this season.
Stellini held his hands up in the wake of the damning defeat, admitting to Sky Sports on Sunday: “I take responsibility because when I changed the system the game was already gone. We played better, we scored, we tried to fight. It’s very difficult to understand why the first 25 minutes was so bad.
“We were not prepared to play this type of tough game. To be prepared means to be ready to suffer, to be ready to control the space and be ready to fight. But this? We were not prepared.”
