Money 6, Mismanagement 1. There has been a sense for some time that Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur have been on differing trajectories, but few would have imagined the Champions League baton would have been passed quite as emphatically as at St James’ Park on Sunday.
Spurs’ complete capitulation on Tyneside is the tangible manifestation of a club losing all sense of direction and, very probably, conceding their Premier League top-four place to a team possessing the purpose and cohesion they lack.
Rightly, there is enduring focus on the source of Newcastle’s wealth given renewed scepticism over the “legally binding assurances” the Premier League say they received which determine the Saudi Public Investment Fund is separated from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. But if the football can be separated from the finance, it must be stressed that money alone does not guarantee success. Look at Chelsea as they are right now, or Manchester United in the decade since Sir Alex Ferguson retired as manager.
Newcastle have not opted for the fast-track approach that Manchester City initially tried under Sheikh Mansour in 2008, when they signed Brazil forward Robinho from Real Madrid on deadline day in a glamour move epitomising a club trying to run before they could walk. Instead, manager Eddie Howe has steadfastly built a team that is primarily difficult to beat — boasting the best defensive record in the division — by signing multiple players with knowledge of the Premier League while strengthening an attack with exciting options including Sweden forward Alexander Isak.
The end product is a team unified in belief and purpose, everything Spurs are not. And when you think of the headstart Tottenham had over Newcastle last summer, the gulf between these two sides on Sunday is all the more unforgivable. Tottenham had Antonio Conte, Champions League football and a £160 million transfer spend to try and close the gap on Manchester City and Liverpool.
It has long been the case that Spurs do not possess the financial might of Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea, meaning they have to compete by making smart decisions, spending shrewdly and committing fully to a clear plan.
