That was what Thomas Frank needed most.
The struggling Tottenham manager walked around the Vitality Stadium drinking an espresso on Wednesday ahead of his struggling side’s Premier League game against Bournemouth, but little did he know that the drink was in a cup emblazoned with Arsenal’s branding.
Yes, it’s Arsenal. Tottenham’s strong rivals and the last team to visit Bournemouth’s ground.
“I didn’t notice it at all,” Frank said. “It’s fair to say we don’t win every football match, so it would be absolutely, completely stupid to pick up an Arsenal cup (with the emblem on it).”
No matter how foolish it is, and Frank expressed sadness that such an incident would be highlighted, it is a PR disaster that may become the defining image of a tenure in turmoil.
Tottenham conceded a goal in stoppage time and lost to Bournemouth 3-2, falling to 14th place in the 20-team league. Spurs have won just two of their last 12 league games, but the pressure is mounting on Frank and his players, who are struggling to cope with the situation.
After the match, Micky van de Ven was one of the players who walked up to disgruntled Tottenham fans, gestured at one of them and reprimanded him in an angry exchange.
Then Cristian Romero – Van de Ven’s centre-back partner – Post to Instagram He sent a long message apologizing to Tottenham’s fans for the result. The Argentina national team defender, who specializes in tough tackles, also made harsh attacks on unspecified members of the club.
“At times like this, others should speak up, but they don’t. This has been the case for several years,” Romero wrote. “They only show up when things are going well.
“We’re going to stay here, we’re going to work together, we’re going to come together and we’re going to do everything we can to turn things around. Especially in times like this, it’s part of football to shut up, work hard and move forward together,” he added.
Tottenham fans are increasingly frustrated by the pragmatic style of play under manager Frank, who joined the club in the off-season to replace the sacked Ange Postecoglou after leaving fellow Premier League side Brentford.
Postecoglou led Tottenham to the Europa League title and eventually a return to the Champions League, but only finished 17th in the league and ultimately lost his job.
This is the highest-profile role in the 52-year-old’s coaching career, which has included stints with the Danish national youth team and Brøndby. At Brentford, he was able to work mostly away from the public eye, earning praise and respect for his work, keeping the team in the Premier League, and causing problems for England’s big clubs with his tactical acumen.
However, the view on Spurs is even tougher.
Frank admitted that the recent loss was “very, very tough and really hurt.”
“Of course it’s natural for people to be dissatisfied,” he says. “It’s very tough sitting here now and we haven’t gotten anything out of a good performance overall.”
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