Newcastle United legend David Ginola has met with co-owners Mehrdad Ghodoussi and Amanda Staveley following the Magpies' heavy defeat at Tottenham. Elsewhere, Bruno Guimaraes has apologised to supporters following the performance in the capital.
Here are your Newcastle United headlines for April 4.
Ginola meeting
Newcastle United co-owners Mehrdad Ghodoussi and Amanda Staveley met with Magpies legend David Ginola following the heavy defeat at Tottenham. The pair were in the stands at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday as Eddie Howe's side suffered a third straight defeat in a 5-1 thrashing.
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The former Newcastle and Tottenham winger urged the head coach to reshape the team 'from scratch' in the upcoming windows, believing the former Bournemouth boss is trying to 'copycat' other sides without the required 'quality'. Beyond the expected flurry of transfer activity in the coming seasons, the Sky Sports pundit also believes Howe needs to instil a greater 'spirit' in his players.
Bruno's apology
Newcastle United's shell-shocked players almost looked relieved when referee Martin Atkinson finally put them out of their misery at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium following Sunday's 5-1 defeat against Spurs. Some of these individuals had fond memories of smash-and-grab results in this very arena in years gone by, but they won't be in a rush to watch this mauling back in the analysis room.
'Bad day' was the succinct verdict of watching part-owner Mehrdad Ghodoussi after a result and second-half performance no one saw coming. Even substitute Bruno Guimaraes felt the need to apologise.
Ahead of this game, Eddie Howe warned that his side were still in a relegation battle despite being nine points clear of the drop zone and this was a timely reminder of why that's the case. Indeed, the manner in which the Magpies capitulated after going in front at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was worrying.
Howe's Bruno decision
Eddie Howe has revealed why Bruno Guimaraes was not in his starting line-up at Spurs. His absence from the beginning coincided with Newcastle finding themselves 3-1 down before the hour mark.
Bruno has been on international duty with Brazil in South America for the World Cup qualifiers against Bolivia and Chile and did not return until Thursday. Howe said: “I thought it was a difficult game to come into, because, at that moment, we were still chasing the game.
"I don’t think we chased it (the game) very well, we were efficient in what we were doing, so I thought it was a difficult game to come into. The rhythm of our game had gone.”
Howe's Tottenham view
Eddie Howe has told his players to quickly move on from their Tottenham Hotspur horror show and focus on a series of three crucial home matches.
The Magpies' fate could be decided as they prepare to host Wolverhampton Wanderers, on Friday night, then Leicester City and Crystal Palace in the space of just 12 days. Victories during this period will ensure Howe's team do not suffer a nervous finish to the season with tougher matches in store for the Magpies.
Howe insisted he did not want his players to get too carried away with one of the season's low points. And after Toon players accepted the defeat was not good enough behind the scenes, Howe said: “It’s a massive period coming up for us. "I think we were well aware that this run of games we’ve just exited out of was a very difficult spell.
Conte's verdict
Antonio Conte has admitted that it was 'not easy' to play against Newcastle United despite his Spurs side hammering the Magpies 5-1.
For all the possession and territory Spurs enjoyed in the opening half-hour, Martin Dubravka was largely untested before Newcastle landed a sucker punch in the 39th minute. Hugo Lloris will have felt he should have done better with Fabian Schar's free-kick, but the Spurs' goalkeeper was unable to keep the Switzerland international effort out as the visitors took a shock lead at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
However, Newcastle were not in front for long and Ben Davies equalised just four minutes later before Matt Doherty put Spurs ahead shortly after the break. There was plenty of time left in the game, but that second goal was the cue for Newcastle players to push forward in search of an equaliser as the visitors veered away from Howe's original game plan.
Longstaff's future
Sean Longstaff is keen to sign a new contract with Newcastle United and insists his focus is on 'being the best player' he can be. The Magpies academy graduate is set to become a free agent this summer, with Everton repeatedly linked as a potential destination.
Longstaff made his first-team breakthrough under Rafa Benitez and his form alongside Isaac Hayden towards the end of the 2018/19 season made him a transfer target for Manchester United. However, the central midfielder has since struggled to nail down a regular starting spot under Steve Bruce and current head coach Eddie Howe.
Young's exit
Former Newcastle United prospect Jack Young has expressed his delight after making his move to Wycombe Wanderers permanent. The young midfielder initially joined the Chairboys on loan in January, but has penned a three-year deal to remain with the League One side.
Young joined the Magpies as a seven-year-old and signed his first professional contact in 2019. The 21-year-old was named in the matchday squad for three Premier League fixtures under Steve Bruce towards the end of the 2019/20 season.
Young has previously enjoyed a loan stint with Tranmere Rovers, and made his senior debut in black-and-white in the pre-season victory at Doncaster Rovers in July. The central midfielder, who also captained United's under-23 side on several occasions, has made just two substitute appearances for Gareth Ainsworth's side so far, but has agreed a deal with the club until 2025.
May TV picks
New dates have been set for two of Newcastle United's final matches of the season following the Premier League's announcement on the TV picks for May. The Magpies clashes with Manchester City and Arsenal have been selected for live coverage on Sky Sports, and have both been rescheduled to new dates.
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