A wretched run of just two wins in 17 Premier League games led to Thomas Frank’s sacking from Tottenham.
Thomas Frank was brought in as a replacement for Ange Postecoglou, who won the Europa League last season but oversaw a 17th-place Premier League finish.
The Dane forged a reputation as one of the clever tacticians in the game during his time with Brentford and was believed to be well aware of the pressure and magnitude when accepting the Tottenham job. He began his life well at Spurs, making an immediate impact with his tactical flexibility and acumen. The Lilywhites were excruciatingly porous under Ange Postecoglou, and Thomas Frank did stabilise their backline.
However, things quickly changed, with results and performances dipping. After a run of just two wins in the last 17 Premier League games, ENIC decided to pull the plug on Frank last week. This means the 52-year-old lasted only eight months in N17, with the Lilywhites just five points above the relegation zone. The Tottenham fans had turned against him for his poor tactics, drab style of play and inability to get results.
Keith Wyness blames the Tottenham hierarchy behind Thomas Frank’s sacking
Everton’s former chief, Keith Wyness, has pinned the blame on Tottenham’s hierarchy for Frank’s failure. He claims the issues at the club run beyond the manager and slammed the owners for not supporting the Dane enough.
“Well, I have been a supporter of Thomas Frank, and I’ve always believed that at Spurs the issues go above the manager. And it may be that the weak leadership at the top not showing even more support for Thomas Frank has allowed the unrest in the dressing room, which is reportedly the reason behind why he’s gone,” Keith Wyness said on the Inside Track podcast (h/t Football Insider).
“I think that the Lewis family have got to really start getting a stronger hand on things and showing some proper support for the manager.
“Nothing wrong with Thomas Frank in terms of the manager, as far as I can see. He just needed some time and some proper support.”
Frank’s position at Tottenham had become untenable
In reality, Frank’s position at Tottenham had become unsustainable for weeks and months. Things started falling apart from the October international break, and Frank just couldn’t take grip of the situation and solve the problems. The injury crisis poured fuel on the fire, and it reached a point of no return for him.
The safety-first approach in games did not go down well with the White Hart Lane faithful. For months now, the frustration within the fanbase had mounted, and it led to the players and Frank getting booed on multiple occasions. It can be argued that the Lewis Family did not give him enough tools to work with and stand by him during the testing period, but Frank barely helped matters for himself.
Winless in eight league games, Frank’s sacking did not come as a shock for anyone associated with the North London club.