Tottenham’s players will refund the tickets of supporters who travelled to watch their chastening 6-1 defeat at Newcastle on Sunday, which plumbed fresh depths during a turbulent season for the club.
A defensive capitulation at St James’ Park helped the hosts go 5-0 up within 21 minutes and, although Harry Kane scored a consolation goal in the second half, Callum Wilson added Newcastle’s sixth to paint a realistic picture of their supremacy. The embarrassment led Spurs to sack Cristian Stellini, their caretaker manager, the following day with prospects of a top-four finish appearing distinctly remote. Third-placed Newcastle, six points ahead having played a game less, are one of the teams they need to hunt down but there was a chasm between the sides.
“As a squad, we understand your frustration, your anger,” a statement from the players to the supporters read. “It wasn’t good enough. We know words aren’t enough in situations like this but believe us, a defeat like this hurts.
“We appreciate your support, home and away, and with this in mind we would like to reimburse fans with the cost of their match tickets from St James’ Park. We know this does not change what happened on Sunday and we will give everything to put things right against Manchester United on Thursday evening when, again, your support will mean everything to us. Together – and only together – can we move things forward.”
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Offering supporters reimbursement after a team have performed poorly is a relatively rare step but not one without precedent. In 2014, Sunderland’s players repaid the ticket outlay of supporters who endured an 8-0 humiliation at Southampton; three years previously, Arsenal offered free tickets to a future away game to those who watched Arsène Wenger’s team lose 8-2 at Old Trafford. One argument against such measures is that disappointment simply forms part of the ebb and flow of being a football fan.
Spurs, who also parted company with their managing director of football Fabio Paratici last Friday after he lost an appeal in Italy against a ban for alleged false accounting while he was at Juventus, will aim to get their season back on track when they host United. It looks a defining clash for their Champions League hopes: United are, like Newcastle, six points above them but have played two fewer games. Ryan Mason will take charge of his first match since being named caretaker in Stellini’s place.
