‘On the Brink’—Thomas Frank Gives Verdict As Tottenham Sack Talk Spirals

Spurs’ hierarchy addressed the broader issues in north London prior to losing to West Ham.

Thomas Frank looked on aghast as his side lost to West Ham on Saturday. | Marc Atkins/Getty Images

Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank is on the brink of losing his job after Saturday’s defeat to West Ham United, multiple reports claim, though the Dane remains confident that he can turn things around in north London if given the time.

Callum Wilson’s stoppage-time winner handed relegation-threatened West Ham a vital three points, rendering Cristian Romero’s equaliser to an early Crysencio Summerville goal irrelevant. Defeat for Spurs was their eighth in their last 14 games, and prompted vociferous chants of “you’re getting sacked in the morning” from the home support once the final whistle had sounded.

Reports from The Times and BBC Sport both state that Frank’s position will be considered by Tottenham’s hierarchy, and the former Brentford boss admitted it was natural for him to be under pressure when results are not favourable.

“Of course, I probably have had better times. I understand—I’m the man in charge, so the blame will go to me. That’s fair, no problem in that sense,” Frank said postmatch.

He later said in his post-match news conference: “If you’re not winning enough, we know you will not get enough support from the fans. But when we’re winning, it will change, when we start winning again. Which we will do. I’m not in doubt of that.

“I think also you can look a little bit at the performances. Let’s say the Bournemouth and the Villa and this game here, if the players stop running, or stop doing anything, or not working hard, and we are not the team that’s closest to winning, then you can say O.K. But I think the team is working very hard. And I still think, and I know it sounds a little bit crazy, that we are close to something very good, than further away.”

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Tottenham’s Chief Executive Officer Writes to Supporters

Vinai Venkatesham (middle right) acknowledged the concerns of Spurs suppoters. | Marc Atkins/Getty Images

Fans disgruntled by performances on the pitch under Frank and the general direction of the club were addressed pre kick-off by chief executive officer Vinai Venkatesham.

In a lengthy statement written in the matchday programme, former Arsenal chief Venkatesham acknowledged that Spurs had fallen short in a number of areas but hinted that Frank would be given time to implement his ideas and help facilitate meaningful change.

“Our focus is sporting success, and in that we share the same ambition as our supporters,” he penned. “We know that words carry little weight without action, which is why recent months have been spent undertaking a thorough review of our operations. Opportunities for a genuine reset are rare in clubs of our size and we have been determined not to waste this moment as we make the changes needed behind the scenes to compete consistently at the highest level.

“Football has changed significantly in recent years and, while the club has evolved and achieved incredible things, we recognise that in some key areas we have not always kept pace. We all feel the gap between where we are and where we want to be and, while we know progress takes time, we share your impatience to close it.

“Our supporters want wins and performances to be proud of and we know the men’s first team has fallen short of where we want to be so far this season. Significant work is underway and I wanted to set out the key areas of focus.”

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Frank: I See a Team Working Hard to Turn Corner

Frank’s belief in his players is unwaverinf—publicly at least. | Justin Setterfield/Getty Images

Frank’s defiant tone post-match was epitomised by his belief that Tottenham’s players are doing all they can to address their current situation.

His success at Brentford was largely attributed to the spirit and culture he helped to cultivate—one that has seemingly paved the way for Keith Andrews to build on the foundations and lead the Bees to a strong first half of the season.

The Dane remarked: “I hope the players are playing for the club, the team, each other, the fans, me, the staff, ownership, everything. They play for their families. That’s what I hope.

“But I also know, and that I know very well, if you are building a good culture and someone who can get through tough times, you need to see the team running, and especially in tough times. I see a team that is running in tough times. I also see a team that’s doing everything they can to turn this around. I also think you can see that in quite a bit of the performances, even when it’s very tough.”

Frank’s attention will now turn to the seventh matchday of the Champions League league phase—Spurs are currently 10th with just one defeat from their opening six games—before a trip to West Ham’s fellow relegation battlers Burnley.

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