Tottenham have reportedly made a decision on Thomas Frank’s departure following their 3-0 defeat away to Nottingham Forest. Spurs have languished in the bottom half of the table since Frank took over from Ange Postecoglou in the summer. They were unbeaten in three games before losing at the City Ground, but the pressure continues to mount on the Danish manager.
Spurs have lost as many league games this season as they have won, and there is growing discontent inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with some in the crowd unhappy with Frank’s style of play. Spurs’ next match will be against a resurgent Liverpool side before they travel to London rivals Crystal Palace.
And the BBC insists Spurs have no immediate plans to sack Frank and won’t react knee-jerk if Sean Dyche’s Forest side lose.
There have been signs of improvement in recent weeks and the internal feeling is that this defeat is unlikely to prompt a change of plans within the club hierarchy.
However, there is not universal support for Frank within Spurs. He faced increased internal scrutiny after the defeat to Fulham on November 29, which ensured the team had just won eight games.
However, the club have acknowledged that there will be a setback to their long-term plans under former Brentford manager, and no serious consideration has been given to sacking Frank.
CEO Vinay Venkatesham, who joined Spurs from Arsenal, has chosen to maintain his trust with Mikel Arteta, who struggled early in his tenure in north London.
And Frank believes he too will be given time to succeed at the club. “I don’t see why not,” the head coach said of the possibility of the greats backing him.
“I think it’s clear that if no one has time, no one can turn things around. This is not a quick fix.
“I’m trying everything to control my emotions, but it’s becoming a hurricane inside me, because of course I’m very frustrated that I’ve had three good performances and today I’m not feeling well.
“I think it’s very important to be calm and cautious and, of course, to give a very direct and clear message at the right time so that they don’t question my thoughts.
“I’m also very honest about where we are. And I was also very honest. Today was a very bad performance. I can’t say either way about that.”
“But we also know that changing this will take time. No one wants to hear that. It’s just the reality.
“I think it’s fair to say for those who have followed the club and the team that there have been some performances that haven’t been very consistent. That’s the problem. We’re working hard.”
