Newcastle United players and support staff have all noticed how Eddie Howe does not tend to get too high after a win or too low after a defeat and that was certainly the case following Sunday's 5-1 hammering at Spurs. As disappointed as Howe was, the Newcastle head coach hoped the mauling could yet be looked back on as a turning point of sorts in 'bringing us back down to the basics that got us success'.
Defensive solidity, after all, had been the cornerstone of Newcastle's recent nine-game unbeaten run in the Premier League, when the black-and-whites struck a delicate balance between trying to win games and keeping the opposition at bay. Indeed, it had been a long time since a match had previously got away from Howe's side after countless hours were spent on the training pitches working on game management and being more streetwise.
Howe was, therefore, keen to try and keep a sense of perspective following a timely wake-up call on Sunday evening. Newcastle remain nine points clear of danger - a position even Howe did not expect to be in at this stage - and it is easy to forget that the black-and-whites were languishing in 19th place in mid-January.
