Spurs v Newcastle United – Some things you just can’t explain | OneFootball

It is Spurs v Newcastle up next.

Eddie Howe looking to make it six wins in a row.

Ange Postecoglou hoping to save his job.

The Spurs boss is now second favourite in the Premier League sack race, only Julen Lopetegui rated more likely to be sacked first.

There are some things you just can’t explain and this Spurs v Newcastle fixture is one of them.

These are the last ten Premier League meetings of the two clubs down in London:

Spurs 0 Newcastle 1 (2013/14) Loic Remy

Spurs 1 Newcastle 2 (2014/15) Sammy Ameobi, Ayoze Perez

Spurs 1 Newcastle 2 (2015/16) Aleksandar Mitrovic, Ayoze Perez

Spurs 1 Newcastle 0 (2017/18)

Spurs 1 Newcastle 0 (2018/19)

Spurs 0 Newcastle 1 (2019/20) Joelinton

Spurs 1 Newcastle 1 (2020/21) Callum Wilson

Spurs 5 Newcastle 1 (2021/22) Fabian Schar

Spurs 1 Newcastle 2 (2022/23) Callum Wilson, Miguel Almiron

Spurs 4 Newcastle 1 (2023/24) Joelinton

That Spurs v Newcastle record reading for NUFC – Played 10 Won 5 Drawn 1 Lost 4

A few things to mention.

This run of away results, ahead of the 2022/23 season anyway, coincided with a time when Spurs have enjoyed their very best modern day era AND during a time when Mike Ashley controlled Newcastle United.

Those results listed above, until we get to the season where United won 2-1 and ended up fourth in the Premier League, Spurs had never finished outside the top six, apart from 2020/21 when they ended up seventh. This in a period where Newcastle United were fighting relegation season after season, yet even in the 2015/16 season when NUFC went down, we still won 2-1 at Spurs (and 5-1 at home with ten men!).

It is so strange how some away grounds you get zero luck and at others, the exact opposite. Stadiums where you at times win against the odds and balance of play, or vice-versa, just can’t win no matter how well you play.

Everybody has been talking about Newcastle United winning only their second league match at Old Trafford since 1972. I can’t say we should have been winning there regularly but I went plenty of times and saw us do enough to potentially win, yet never did. That one when Solskjaer cynically hacked Robert Lee down just as he was about to win the game, lives with me to this day. The Man U rat was red carded but he saved his team from defeat. I must admit I have found the conversation a little bizarre in one way, about winning at Old Trafford and the way many fans have gone over the top. What I mean, is in terms of totally ignoring the fact that only 13 months earlier Newcastle United went to Old Trafford and smashed Man U 3-0, absolutely tore them apart and with a completely changed team including the likes of Paul Dummett. Yes it was in the League Cup BUT it was still Old Trafford and Newcastle reserves tore the Man U first eleven apart, you know, a bit like Monday!

Anyway, Spurs v Newcastle saw us win four and draw one of the eight visits before our Champions League qualifying season. I think in pretty much all of the eight games Spurs were the better team and yet United’s finishing and moments of magic left them devastated. Who can forget a shocking first half and then seconds after the kick-off Sammy Ameobi scores out of nothing and Perez gets the winner!

On Tuesday night of course we face Arsenal away and until that excellent goalless draw in the NUFC 2022/23 Champions League qualifying season, the Newcastle United record playing them away was just horrendous. Indeed, despite Arsenal having been nothing special during this timeframe, Newcastle managed to lose 18 of 19 games, home and away against Arsenal in all competitions. From August 2011 until we got to May 2022, it was those 18 defeats and just the one exception, Rafa’s NUFC winning 2-1 against Arsenal in 2018.

Eddie Howe has been all about smashing these hoodoos, with two wins at Old Trafford, defeating Man City, beating Arsenal three out of four at home and avoiding defeat in that goalless draw away (you have to start somewhere!).

He hasn’t quite managed a victory over Liverpool but that 3-3 was a very decent effort.

At Arsenal on Tuesday I would take another goalless draw, though not ruling this out as the moment when we break that particular away hoodoo without a win.

For Spurs v Newcastle though, having picked up regular wins when we were rubbish, just now a case of like Monday at Old Trafford, playing as we have been doing and it will be a deserved victory away at Tottenham, just like that one which I think was a key moment in helping to set us on our way to fourth place in 2022/23.