‘Newcastle have…’ – Ange Postecoglou makes controversial St James’ Park atmosphere claim
Charlie Bennett
2 – 3 minutes
Newcastle United were outplayed for large spells against Tottenham Hotspur but ground out a 2-1 win
Ange Postecoglou claimed a “strong” St James’ Park atmosphere helps Newcastle United earn “little” decisions from referees.
Another tense Toon display saw Eddie Howe’s men grind out a 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur – despite being on the back foot for large spells. Both Newcastle goals came against the run of play but that mattered little to home supporters at the full-time whistle.
For the third consecutive season, the Magpies put Tottenham to the sword to maintain their unbeaten start to 2024-25. Speaking post-match, Spurs boss Postecoglou praised the Tyneside atmosphere – but insisted it helped sway referee Rob Jones’ performance.
“(It was) very similar, I guess to our first away game when we controlled it for the most part, nullified most of the threats that Newcastle have,” he said. “It’s obviously a difficult opponent here at home. The crowd create a pretty strong atmosphere for the home side. Little things go their way but I thought for the most part we handled that really well.
“We gained the ascendancy in the game and just needed to kill it off – we didn’t. I thought we switched off a little bit but the game should have been well over by then. When an opposition defence stays deep, it’s pretty hard to get in there. There are 10 bodies in there at times. Apart from Isak, everyone else is there (defending).
“We just lacked a little bit of composure. Sometimes our positioning was off where we should have been with work and we let them off the hook. So, another sore one (result) unfortunately where we haven’t got the rewards for our play. But ultimately, it’s three strong performances from the first three games. The results don’t reflect it in that way.”
Ange Postecoglou, the Tottenham Hotspur manager, expressed disappointment and frustration after his team’s defeat at St James’ Park against Newcastle United. He stated:
“We didn’t execute our game plan well enough. We started slow and struggled to gain control of the match. Newcastle’s energy and intensity caught us off guard.”
Postecoglou also praised Newcastle’s performance, saying:
“Newcastle were excellent, they played with passion and purpose. They deserved their win.”
When asked about his team’s struggles away from home, Postecoglou replied:
“We need to be more resilient and adaptable on the road. We can’t let our performance levels drop like they did today.”
He also emphasized the need for his team to learn from their mistakes and bounce back quickly:
“We’ll analyze this performance, identify areas for improvement, and work on getting better. We can’t let one defeat define us.”
Postecoglou’s comments reflect his commitment to improving Tottenham’s away form and his determination to get his team back on track.
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