In groping for a new manager before the leaves had turned, Tottenham Hotspur may have got their season back to front, but there can be little disputing that Martin Jol is now enduring a sequence of results that invites severe scrutiny. Not only were they comprehensively outplayed by Newcastle United last night, Spurs also slipped into the unforgiving clutches of humiliation.

While Newcastle were worthy victors - scorching St James’ Park with the searing pace of Obafemi Martins – Tottenham’s contribution to their own downfall was undeniable. In total, they have mustered only one win from their ten Premier League fixtures and none in the seven since dispatching the questionable might of Derby County. Their defending was wretched.

The result made Mike Ashley, the Newcastle owner, £100,000 richer, a consequence of his charity bet with Paul Kelmsley, the former Spurs vice-chairman. The two men sat beside each other, wearing their respective colours, in the directors’ box. The cost for Jol could be far steeper. Spurs fans continued to chant the Dutchman’s name on Tyneside, but patience cannot be unlimited.

At present, they are not giving themselves a chance. With Dimitar Berbatov brooding on the substitutes’ bench – he ignored Jol’s outstretched hand at the end – Spurs lacked craft as well as belief. They are a brittle outfit. Few of their players deserved credit, but Michael Dawson was a notable culprit, repeatedly failing to intercept crosses or repel pressure.

Whispers of disaffection are troubling. According to Setanta’s touch-line reporter, it was only at the third time of asking that Berbatov acceded to Jol’s request to warm up in the second half.

That claim was rebuffed. “There is no problem with him,” Jol said. “He knows what the schedule is for the next few weeks. I don’t know where this sort of rubbish is coming from.”

He might have said the same of his side’s pitiful resilience, which was not helped by Gareth Bale’s departure early in the first half with a foot injury that will require a scan.

“Even when we play well, we seem to concede goals,” Jol said. “You saw the first one – a long ball to a small striker; the second a corner kick. Before the game we tell them who to pick up, but . . . disastrous.” Before Martins opened the scoring, Abdoulaye Faye struck the woodwork and Michael Owen was thwarted adroitly by Radek Cerny.

It was effectively a warm-up for the subsequent ordeal. With the interval approaching, José Enrique thumped a long pass down the right channel that Dawson misjudged, allowing Martins to gain possession and shoot unmolested. The ball touched Cerny’s trailing leg en route, but a more significant deflection would only have masked Tottenham’s imperfections. If anything, they were equally negligent as an attacking force.

By the time Shay Given was beaten, Newcastle’s advantage had been stretched farther. Proving beyond doubt that more than simple repetition is required to learn a lesson, Dawson’s response to another fizzing corner from Emre Belözoglu in the 51st minute was sluggish, with Caçapa rising above him to head with power and conviction.

Finally, Spurs roused themselves. Darren Bent met a deep centre from Pascal Chimbonda with a fine header that thudded against the left post, with Robbie Keane racing forward to prod the ball home.

Allowing for the morass of Tottenham’s campaign, the Ireland player’s haul of seven goals is praiseworthy; here, it briefly swung the game’s pendulum in his side’s favour.

It was now that Berbatov appeared, but it was another replacement who made the decisive intervention. That it took James Milner two attempts, one on either foot, to thump a volley past Cerny, did not show Spurs in a brilliant light. Not much did. “If everybody comes back, we have a very good team, but they lack leadership and mental strength,” Jol said. “We have had it in the past, but it isn’t there.”

For Newcastle, it was a rewarding affair. A squad that has been completely remodelled by Sam Allardyce remains unbeaten at home; this is now their most accomplished start to a season for 11 years, although they remain eighth in the Premier League. “With the players just coming together, it’s been terrific,” the manager said. “I only play winning football, but if people think it’s sexy, then great.”

Spurs, by contrast, were impotent. “When things are going badly for the other team, you’ve got prey on that,” Allardyce said. “They’ve changed their style a bit, but we coped with it. Confidence disappears when you score against the opposition and you could see their confidence draining.” For Jol more than anybody, it must have made for uncomfortable viewing.

Newcastle United

(4-4-2): S Given — H Beye, C Caçapa, A Faye, J Enrique — Gérémi, N Butt, Emre Belözoglu (sub: J Barton, 71min), C N’Zogbia (sub: J Milner, 46) — M Owen (sub: D Rozehnal, 79), O Martins. Substitutes not used: S Harper, S Ameobi. Booked: Beye, Butt.

Tottenham Hotspur

(4-4-2): R Cerny — P Chimbonda, M Dawson, Y Kaboul, Lee Young Pyo — S Malbranque (sub: D Berbatov, 58), J Jenas, D Zokora, G Bale (sub: T Tainio, 20) — D Bent (sub: A Lennon, 78), R Keane. Substitutes not used: T Forecast, A Gardner. Booked: Bale, Chimbonda.

Referee: S Bennett.