Thomas Frank is running out of time to make amends at Tottenham this season.
Tottenham manager Thomas Frank has endured a difficult spell at the helm following his summer move from Brentford. The Danish tactician has failed to turn the club’s Premier League fortunes around in recent months, leaving Spurs languishing in 14th place in the table. His side have won just seven of their opening 22 matches in the competition, raising serious doubts over whether Frank is the right man to oversee a transitional period at N17.
The ongoing fallout with the fanbase has only compounded Frank’s problems. The Spurs faithful appear to have lost trust in the manager and are eager to see the club make a change before it becomes too late to rescue the season. The “you’re getting sacked in the morning” chants aimed at Frank during the West Ham clash were a clear indication that many match-going supporters have reached breaking point, sending a strong message that they want him shown the exit.
The fans’ stance is clear, and the club are aware that persisting with Thomas Frank ahead of the upcoming Champions League clash could further inflame tensions. However, recent reports suggest the Lilywhites do not currently have a replacement lined up. As a result, they are prepared to stick with the Danish tactician for now as they attempt to weather the storm at N17.
Thomas Frank still hopeful of turning it around at Tottenham
Thomas Frank will be hoping to engineer a positive result in the Champions League against Borussia Dortmund. Having lost the backing of large sections of the fanbase, there is a real risk that the atmosphere could turn toxic if the result against the Bundesliga giants does not go Spurs’ way. Frank has also stressed the importance of fan support as his side looks to secure automatic qualification for the knockout stages of the competition.
Despite the mounting pressure, the Spurs boss has remained optimistic and insists the team are making progress despite their poor domestic form in recent months. Speaking in his pre-match press conference (via Tottenham Hotspur), Frank said,
“Of course, I think the fans are crucial. I don’t see any club performing well without the fans supporting and helping and doing everything they can. It’s fair that it’s not been smooth and it’s not been as fluid as we want it to be and a little bit too much up and down.”
The Dane added,
“Unfortunately, it’s a result business and there’s a lot of emotions in this as well. I think there’s a lot of signs it’s going the right way. When it’s a little bit tricky to play every third or fourth day, that makes it more difficult, but we still need to find a way to get over the line. I think we’re much closer than we think and we just need to keep going.”
Frank has acknowledged the supporters’ frustration, with his side struggling to find consistency in domestic competitions. The Danish tactician believes the emotional reaction from the fanbase is understandable, given that recent results have fallen short of expectations under his leadership. However, he maintains that there have been encouraging signs in the team’s performances, suggesting Spurs are moving in the right direction.
Time is running out for Frank to convince the Spurs faithful that he is the right man to take the club forward. The Danish tactician has found it difficult to produce positive results in the Premier League during the first half of the season. Statistically, the once highly-rated manager ranks among the worst in the club’s recent history, holding the lowest points-per-game ratio of any Spurs boss in the last decade. This has only fuelled the belief among many supporters that he may be out of his depth at the North London club.
