Tottenham were booed off yet again as Newcastle secured a rare 2-1 win away from home to compound the pressure on Spurs head coach Thomas Frank.
The defeat means Frank now has the lowest win percentage of any Spurs manager in the Premier League era, with a win rate of just 26.9 per cent, as the club now drop into 16th, firmly in the relegation battle.
Despite that, a defiant Frank insisted he remained “1000 per cent” certain that he will continue in his role.
“I have to stay calm,” said Frank. “We have to get through this together.”
The Dane was booed by fans before kick-off but the home crowd did rally behind their side throughout the game, which seemed to spark a reaction after Archie Gray tapped home an equaliser in the second half following Malick Thiaw’s opener before the break.
The relief and positivity were short-lived for Spurs fans, though, as Jacob Ramsey restored the lead for Newcastle four minutes later, sweeping home from inside the box despite being surrounded by defenders.
Newcastle United’s Jacob Ramsey scores their second goal
Frank called for his side to be “desperate” to win games in the build-up to this fixture but in reality, it was yet another tepid and disjointed display, with Newcastle clearly the better side despite their struggles on the road.
The visitors had won just two of their last 15 league games away from home before this game but controlled this fixture from the start.
The victory likely should have been more convincing, but Joe Willock’s goal was ruled out for the “closest” offside call former referee Mike Dean had seen six minutes before Thiaw broke the deadlock.
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Mike Dean and Michael Dawson react to Joe Willock’s goal that was ruled out for offside by the tightest of margins
Pressure was piled on both bosses heading into this fixture but it was Howe who alleviated it, securing a crucial win to take Newcastle into 10th place and snapping their run of four games without a win in the top-flight.
Meanwhile, Spurs winless run stretches to eight games in the league, with no victory in 2026 as of yet.
Chants of “you’re getting sacked in the morning” and “we want Frank out” emerged from the home crowd before the full-time whistle, alongside loud boos throughout, with Frank’s position now creeping towards untenable.
Tottenham have 12 days of respite before their next outing – but it arrives against table toppers and rivals Arsenal, live on Sky Sports, on February 22.
Frank: Studies show sacking manager isn’t the answer
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Thomas Frank responded to tough questions about his future at Spurs following the Newcastle defeat
Tottenham boss Thomas Frank:
“1,000 per cent [I believe I will keep my job]. I’m also 1,000 per cent sure I didn’t expect us to be in the position we are in with 11-12 injuries.
“There are a few before me up here at Tottenham and many other clubs that have lost their head. I have to stay calm. We have to get through this together.
“I also think there is a lot of studies that show it is not the right thing to do [to sack the manager].
“The only thing I am focused on is fighting. We of course understand we are not in a good situation. But with everything in life, you need to stay calm and keep going.”
Howe: We showed who we are, the players are playing for me
Tottenham boss Thomas Frank and Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe:
“I said again that I’ve got to believe that I am the right person to be in the job with all the sacrifices that it entails. I’ve got to feel the players are playing for me.
“Today, they showed that they are. But that has to be consistent moving forward.
“It’s brought us closer together and it’s reinforced relationships and made us all look inward. It made us all look at what we’re doing and how we can do it better. This is a really tough job that we’re doing. We’re at the very highest level.
“You’re constantly asked new questions. We’re playing a game every three days. Sometimes that can feel like you can’t breathe, you can’t reset. You’re being asked to play again and again.
“That’s why we rotated the squad to a degree today to try and freshen a couple of players up so they can really find their top form. We need to try and have the ability to do that more if we can get a few players back from injury.”
