Another week has passed and yet another Premier League manager is under scrutiny. Last week, Arne Slott managed to turn around a difficult week with back-to-back wins and lifted Liverpool’s spirits. But Tottenham and their head coach Thomas Frank have a completely different story.
Following Sunday’s 3-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest, Spurs find themselves languishing in the bottom half of the table, having secured just one win in their last seven league games. The disappointing performance at the City Ground has increased the pressure on Frank, who only joined the club from Brentford in the summer. There is growing concern among fans about the future of the team under the Danish manager, with some now calling for a change in management.
There’s a game against Liverpool next, followed by a daunting visit to Crystal Palace to conclude the 2025 campaign, but that begs the question. Will Frank be able to weather the storm of fan dissatisfaction and team problems during the long, cold winter?
Our committee is considering whether Tottenham should sack their second manager in six months and admit their mistake before it’s too late…
john cross
Tottenham need to give Thomas Frank more time. It would be a grave mistake to make a hasty decision before Christmas and deny the new manager the opportunity to rectify the situation.
Spurs currently have 22 points after 16 games, just one point less than they had at this stage under former manager Ange Postecoglou.
But the real concern is with the style of football, the lack of entertainment and identity. That being said, these are exactly the elements that new managers need to instill over time.
It was by no means a quick victory.
Frank took over a team that had underperformed for most of the previous season, although they had won the Europa League. At first I thought the team was stronger than it actually was.
They urgently need another transfer window.
The team lacks quality, character and determination. The feeble surrender at Nottingham Forest was deeply alarming.
However, the difference with 5th place is only 4 points!
But who else could do a better job?
Managers need time. Mikel Arteta endured even tougher conditions at Arsenal.
Manchester United have also been patient with Ruben Amorim.
Certainly, Tottenham need to improve. However, it would be a grave mistake for Tottenham to make further changes so soon after Frank takes over.
Andy Dunn
This is how major clubs operate today. This is how elite soccer organizations work.
They maintain their rank. They trust their judgment.
Patience became the new impulsive response. The hire-and-fire approach is outdated.
Tottenham Hotspur are a sleeping giant that has been dormant for years and it will be a long process to wake them up. The idea of firing Thomas Frank after just 10 wins in his tenure is completely ridiculous.
After securing a decent point against Newcastle United, Spurs defeated Brentford by two goals and Slavia Prague by three goals, before a disappointing performance at the City Ground.
How can such a format justify dismissal?
Spurs sit above Eddie Howe’s side in the Premier League table.
At least they are guaranteed a spot in the Champions League play-off stage. Admittedly, their performance at Nottingham Forest was abysmal.
Admittedly, consistency has not been achieved.
However, including the European Super Cup, Frank managed 25 games for Spurs, losing just eight. It would be completely unreasonable to fire him.
neil mcleman
Tottenham’s points tally this season is second only to last season’s tally after 16 games under manager Ange Postecoglou. Their performance at Forest on Sunday was shockingly poor.
But the North London team cannot survive with constant management turmoil. And Frank is an established, albeit somewhat limited, Premier League manager, attracting interest from both Chelsea and Manchester United last year. Who can deliver great results right now?
Although they finished 17th last season, they won the Europa League under manager Big Ange and this season was supposed to bring relative stability under Frank. However, the victory over his predecessors Brentford represented their only impressive performance since October.
After Forest’s defeat, Frank admitted there was no “quick fix” and that this was a fairly mediocre team assembled at considerable expense. If you take out injured stars Dejan Kreszewski, Dominic Solanke, James Madison and Destiny Udogi, the team looks even more lackluster.
Their goals this season should be to secure a top 6 or 7 place and qualify for next season’s European competition. If that turns out to be unachievable, the blame cannot be placed solely on Frank.
nathan ridley
This scenario feels somewhat nostalgic.
Everything unravels after a promising manager exceeds expectations in the Premier League and secures a coveted move to a big club.
Red flags appear to have been raised for Tottenham’s Thomas Frank. While Spurs have performed admirably in European competition, their domestic performance has been disappointing, and their early exit from the Carabao Cup, coupled with a difficult FA Cup campaign just around the corner, suggests a difficult road ahead.
However, I think patience is key. The manager has experience managing progressive Brentford, has a proven ability to develop players and is able to build a defensively sound unit – exactly what Tottenham lacked under manager Ange Postecoglou.
Naturally, Frank will need to get even more production out of the Spurs’ offensive talent, but the expected return of Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison will no doubt enhance creativity. Tottenham have experimented with different managerial profiles and it seems prudent to stick with their current policy at this point.
Connor Mummery
“If no one has time, no one can change things. This is not a quick fix,” manager Thomas Frank said after Sunday’s disappointing 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest.
There may be merit to this, and many have highlighted how players like Jurgen Klopp and Mikel Arteta endured rocky starts at Liverpool and Arsenal respectively before being given the time and resources to foster change, but there is no evidence to suggest that Frank has the ability to have a transformative impact in either case. Tottenham’s recent form has been unimpressive, with just four wins in their last 14 matches in all competitions.
Business results do not show any prospects for improvement in the near term. Frank was brought on primarily to shore up a porous defence, but Spurs were equally ineffective offensively, conceding 16 goals in their last five away games.
Tottenham haven’t won so many points at this stage of a season since 2008-09 under Juande Ramos, when they picked up just two points from their first eight games. The club were quick to replace their Spanish manager with Harry Redknapp in October and need to act with similar decisiveness now if they hope to salvage this season.
ben husband
Thomas Frank is undoubtedly a capable manager, as evidenced by his excellent work at Brentford. However, he seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and it would be best for both parties to acknowledge this reality.
Managing Brentford in the Premier League is a very different job than managing Tottenham, and so far Frank has proven to be lacking in ability.
While it’s true they’re missing two of their most creative players in Maddison and Kulusevski, their absence alone doesn’t explain their lackluster performance under a beleaguered manager. According to Opta, Spurs’ average xG per game is just 0.96, which ranks them 17th worst in the division and the lowest since statistics began being recorded in the 2012/13 season.
The situation is uncannily similar to Nuno Espirito Santo’s tenure as manager in North London. Although he was a capable director, he was not the right person for the job. Spurs admitted their mistakes just four months into the role, but the result was a disastrous run that is strikingly similar to their current predicament.
Frank is likely to find success elsewhere, but that doesn’t prevent Spurs from taking quick action and making the necessary changes sooner rather than later.
