EDDIE HOWE has no problem with Tottenham’s decision to reimburse their supporters for Sunday’s thrashing at the hands of Newcastle United – and does not feel the move is disrespectful to his side.

Having been hammered 6-1 at St James’ Park at the weekend, Spurs’ players issued a statement apologising to the away fans who had travelled to Tyneside and offering to pay for their match ticket.

Some commentators have suggested the move shows a lack of respect to Newcastle as it suggests Sunday’s result was solely down to Tottenham underperforming rather than having anything to do with the quality of the Magpies’ display.

Howe does not see things that way, however, and has no problem with Spurs’ embarrassed reaction to the weekend’s events.

“I don’t see that as a slur on us at all,” said the Newcastle boss, who watched his side score five goals in the opening 21 minutes as Spurs’ defence imploded.

“I have no issue with that. Tottenham have to do what they have to do with their side of things and respond as they see best. It was nothing to do with us or a lack of respect, I think.”

READ MORE:

Nevertheless, the fact that most of the national post-match reaction to Sunday’s game focused on Tottenham’s shortcomings rather than Newcastle’s brilliance is perhaps a reflection of the way in which the Magpies’ return to the top four is not yet being interpreted as a permanent shift.

No one expected Newcastle’s resurgence in the wake of their Saudi Arabia-backed takeover to be quite so swift or dramatic, and away from Tyneside, there is not really a sense of them being viewed as equals to the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United, Tottenham and Liverpool, or even Chelsea, who are currently languishing in the bottom half of the table.

Howe is not really perturbed by that, instead focusing on what he can do to maintain Newcastle’s upward trajectory rather than worrying about how others are perceiving the club’s progress.

“It’s difficult to for me to comment (on people’s perceptions),” said the Magpies boss, ahead of this evening's game at Everton. “I don’t know if people don’t think of us like that (as part of the Premier League elite).

“I’m not open to what’s been communicated or talked about on that level. All we have to do is play the games and try to win as many points as possible, and how people perceive us is up to them.”