Eddie Howe has warned his players that they are playing for their futures after the squad witnessed a different side to the Newcastle United head coach in the aftermath of Sunday's mauling at Spurs. It is easy to forget that Newcastle actually took the lead at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, after a steady enough start in the capital, but Ben Davies equalised for Spurs just a few minutes after Fabian Schar's opener.
Although it was a bad time to concede, right before half-time, no one could have foreseen what happened in the second half. Even in recent defeats at Chelsea and Everton, Newcastle were solid and disciplined off the ball, but the game quickly got away from the Magpies on Sunday as the visitors conceded four goals in the space of just 35 minutes after the break.
While these same players were part of the side who went nine games unbeaten in the Premier League not so long ago, the 5-1 defeat was a reminder that Newcastle are not only still in a relegation battle but, also, that Howe's side have a lot of work to do to one day close the gap on sides like Spurs.
