Caretaker Mason adamant he’s ‘ready’ for Tottenham post

Ryan Mason said he had no doubt over his ability to take charge of Tottenham Hotspur as he promised a positive reaction to their embarrassing defeat by Newcastle.Caretaker boss Mason has become Spurs’ third manager of a rollercoaster season after Cristian Stellini was sacked on Monday following last weekend’s 6-1 humiliation at St James’ Park.Although only 31, this is Mason’s second stint as caretaker manager after he was thrust into the same role at the end of the 2020/21 season when Jose Mourinho was sacked.Now the former Tottenham midfielder, whose playing career was ended when he suffered a fractured skull following an accidental clash of heads while representing Hull in 2017, is set to have six more games in charge of Spurs.He has a tough start with Manchester United, who are six points clear of Spurs and also have two games in hand, visiting north London today before an away trip to Liverpool on Sunday."I feel comfortable, it’s just part of being involved in football,” Mason told a pre-match news conference yesterday."You have to be ready and I am ready. I don’t doubt that. It’s just business.”He added: "(My first time as caretaker was) just confirmation that I’m absolutely ready for this sort of situation. We handled it well two years ago. A lot has happened in the last two years, but I feel fine and ready in this situation.”Asked if he wanted the job on a full-time basis, Mason replied: "Yeah, I’m ready and if that situation happens it obviously means I have done a good job."But that is obviously in the future of four, five, six weeks’ time and, like I said, the immediate thought is the game on Thursday and the game on Sunday.”Tottenham players have vowed to reimburse fans who travelled to Newcastle, where Spurs were 5-0 behind after just 21 minutes.Fans have chanted for chairman Daniel Levy to leave the club during recent home games and the ill-feeling could surface once more if Spurs suffer a poor start against United. Mason, however, was confident his players would respond in the right way. "(I expect) a reaction, absolutely a reaction,” he said."Obviously Sunday was disappointing for us and I would hope and expect there’s a reaction from not only the players, but everyone in the building and everyone involved in the club as well."I’m pleased (about the reimbursement) because our fans are important for us. We value them and need them. I understand that relationship has wavered recently, but there’s no doubt we need them and want them on board.”Mason could be without captain Hugo Lloris, after the goalkeeper was forced off with a hip injury at Newcastle. He also hinted at a return to the 3-4-3 formation Antonio Conte used throughout most of his time as Tottenham manager."When you have two to three training sessions before two games, it’s hard to change a great deal, but I would hope and expect towards the end of the season that everyone, not only inside but outside, will see my stamp and our stamp on the group,” Mason said.Meanwhile the Spurs squad have offered to reimburse the match tickets of travelling fans to St. James’ Park after a performance that chairman Daniel Levy branded "wholly unacceptable”.But it is Levy who is now receiving the bulk of the backlash from supporters for years of poor decision-making in the four years since the club reached its first Champions League final. Levy can point to successes off the field in the club’s state-of-the-art new stadium and training ground. But he has overseen a 15-year trophy drought and every game at the glistening 63,000 capacity Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is now greeted with chants of "Daniel Levy, get out of our club!”But the most painful blow of all could be to come should Harry Kane, who turns 30 in July, decide he cannot afford to waste his few remaining prime years at his boyhood club. Even surrounded by mediocrity, the England captain has scored 26 goals this season. Kane previously tried to force an exit to Manchester City two years ago. Levy stood in his way back then, but the striker has more bargaining power now with only one year left on his contract amid interest from Manchester United and Bayern Munich.