Eddie Howe has hit back at Brentford boss Thomas Frank following his 'dark arts' jibe in the aftermath Saturday's clash at the Gtech Community Stadium. Newcastle played their opposition off the park in a fine second-half comeback but were still accused, once again, of underhand tactics.
"Everyone needs to game manage but we need to look into the dark arts of football and be aware of the sportsmanship. We know that Newcastle have that strategy where Jason Tindall always speaks to the fourth official through the game so we just had to be aware of that," the Brentford boss told reporters after his side lost 2-1.
But Howe has defended his team, again insisting his Newcastle side never set out to time-waste or cheat their way to victory. "I don't even know what dark arts are! If someone could explain it to me that would be great. I've said many times we just try to win but within the laws of the game," he said.
