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<\/div>\nInterim manager Cristian Stellini has been sacked by Tottenham Hotspur after four matches in charge.<\/p>\n
The decision comes a day after\u00a0Spurs were thrashed 6-1 at Newcastle\u00a0\u2013 a performance chairman Daniel Levy has described as \u201cwholly unacceptable\u201d.<\/p>\n
Stellini, 48, was appointed on 26 March after Antonio Conte\u2019s 16-month spell as Spurs boss came to an end.<\/p>\n
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Ryan Mason, who worked under Stellini and took charge when Jose Mourinho was sacked in 2021, succeeds him.<\/p>\n
Sunday\u2019s defeat at Newcastle, where they trailed 5-0 after 21 minutes, was a significant blow to Spurs\u2019 hopes of securing Champions League qualification.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was devastating to see,\u201d added Levy.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can look at many reasons why it happened and while myself, the board, the coaches and players must all take collective responsibility, ultimately the responsibility is mine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tottenham are fifth in the Premier League table, six points behind both Newcastle in third and Manchester United in fourth.<\/p>\n
Both teams have played fewer games than Spurs, who host Erik ten Hag\u2019s side on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Spurs won one, drew one and lost two games after appointing Stellini, who acted as Conte\u2019s assistant during his time as manager.<\/p>\n
Stellini also led the side when Conte was missing from the touchline after a gall bladder operation in February, with Spurs winning three of their four Premier League games in Conte\u2019s absence, but also losing to Championship side Sheffield United in the FA Cup.<\/p>\n
\u201cCristian stepped in at a difficult point in our season and I want to thank him for the professional manner in which he and his coaching staff have conducted themselves during such a challenging time,\u201d said Levy.<\/p>\n
Former Spurs and England midfielder Mason, 31, returns to the helm for the final six games of the season.<\/p>\n
\u201cRyan knows the club and the players well,\u201d added Levy.<\/p>\n
How it \u2018went so badly\u2019 under Stellini<\/strong><\/p>\n Stellini apologised for the defeat at Newcastle, saying the performance was \u201cunexpected\u201d.<\/p>\n He changed the system to a back four for the first time this season but returned to three centre-backs after 23 minutes when he substituted midfielder Pape Sarr with Davinson Sanchez.<\/p>\n The thrashing was Spurs\u2019 heaviest Premier League defeat since December 2013, when they lost 5-0 to Liverpool at White Hart Lane.<\/p>\n \u201cIt went so badly because we were not prepared enough to play an important match,\u201d Stellini told Sky Sports.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a good squad but today no-one showed how good we are. It was my responsibility to decide how we play and we decided to do it differently because of the injuries. It is my responsibility, I took it and it was wrong.<\/p>\n \u201cI have to take responsibility because once we changed system we played better, scored and showed fight. It\u2019s very difficult to understand why the first 25 minutes were so bad.\u201d<\/p>\n Stellini\u2019s tactical decisions had drawn the ire of Spurs fans during his brief tenure, particularly when Sanchez was brought on as a substitute in the 35th minute during the 3-2 defeat against Bournemouth and then booed when he was taken off in the 58th minute.<\/p>\n Spurs are searching for their fourth permanent manager in four years since Mauricio Pochettino left in 2019.<\/p>\n Questions over the playing style have persisted under Stellini, with Spurs conceding nine goals across their last two league matches, the most they\u2019ve conceded in consecutive league games since May 2003.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n