Tottenham players Micky van de Ven and Jed Spence came under fire from some supporters after their defeat to Chelsea, after they apparently refused manager Thomas Frank’s request to play against fans.
Tottenham manager Thomas Frank says he has apologized to Micky van de Ven and Jed Spence for their actions after the defeat to Chelsea. Spurs lost 1-0 to the Blues in the Premier League on Saturday night, a dismal performance that saw the home team booed by their fans.
Frank’s situation worsened after a video went viral that appeared to show captain Van Deven and Spence ignoring instructions to confront supporters after the match. Two Spurs defenders were seen trudging down the tunnel in disappointment, rather than remaining on the pitch with their teammates after the final whistle.
Although this painted a bad picture of team morale and Frank’s leadership, Danes said the incident became history after the players apologized. “Mickey and Jed suddenly came to my office yesterday and said they wanted to apologize for the situation,” he told reporters ahead of Tottenham’s Champions League game against Copenhagen on Tuesday.
“They didn’t want it to look bad or disrespectful or any kind of recognition that you get in this beautiful media world. That wasn’t their intention towards me, the team or the club. They were just frustrated with the performance, the loss and the booing during the game.”
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Asked how important it would have been for them to come voluntarily, Frank added, “If they hadn’t come, we would have had to ask them about the circumstances in which they came in, what they were feeling, and why they did it, because we all have the awareness… And we tough it out because their mom’s not feeling well, or they don’t like their head coach, or they’re losing and they’re frustrated with their performance, and yet none of us knew.
“Obviously I’m happy (that they’re here) because I knew that question would come today. It means they care about the team, the club and in this case me, and I think that’s a very good thing.”
“We talked a lot about a lot of things, and like everything, we keep it internal. As I said to the players, it would be very, very unusual for me to throw a player under the bus. We’re all human beings, and I’m always going to protect them.”
Frank admitted the boos were “more than justified” after their side struggled hard against Chelsea, who won thanks to a goal from Joao Pedro. The away team should have won by a bigger margin, but they missed some good chances.
The Spurs manager called on supporters to channel their frustrations in the right direction once he arrives in Copenhagen on Tuesday night. “We need fans during games,” he said.
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