1 hour ago
1
Here are our Tottenham talking points after the derby defeat to West Ham United in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon
How does a Spurs manager come back from 17,500 of his own fans singing 'you're getting sacked in the morning' from the south stand of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium?
The club's hierarchy and the Lewis family behind them have wanted to buck the trend at Tottenham and end the biennial cycle of doom that exists within its walls with sacked managers, new players, rebuilds and frustration every other year in N17.
The powers-that-be have been desperate to give Thomas Frank every possible bit of time to stop the revolving door of managers at Hotspur Way, and work with a more full-strength squad, but it was noticeable in CEO Vinai Venkatesham's long and detailed open letter to the disgruntled Spurs fans ahead of Saturday's game that he mentioned everything but the head coach he had employed.
"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" was the closest the Tottenham supremo, who was in attendance at the game with Vivienne Lewis, got to mentioning Frank.
The problem is that even mentioning the Dane's name right now is likely to provoke an unwanted reaction and Venkatesham and Lewis are expected to be questioning their previously unwavering support for Frank after what they saw on Saturday inside that huge stadium in N17.
There's an unfortunate irony that one of the more affable managers the club has had in the past decade has stirred up more anger from the fanbase than any of his predecessors in recent memory put together.
Frank was booed mercilessly at the final whistle as he applauded the south stand and also when he walked down the tunnel afterwards, one fan above it shouting at him 'get out of our club'.
The former Brentford boss is getting a worse reaction than the man who beat him on Saturday - Nuno Espirito Santo - who could have gone to football jail for making a Tottenham team containing Harry Kane and Son Heung-min look so awful back in 2021.
Frank is sifting through the remnants of what Spurs have become since then and he's failing to come up with the answers. Going into this latest derby he had the worst points per game ratio across all competitions of any of the past eight Tottenham head coaches with 1.32.
To then lose to a West Ham side that had not won a match at 10 previous attempts in the Premier League was the last straw for many of the Spurs fans.
It felt like kicking a man when down when football.london asked Frank how difficult it was to hear so many people chanting for him to lose his job.
"I've probably had better times, it's probably not the best time of course. But I understand, I'm the man in charge. So the blame will go to me," he said.
"That's fair, no problem in that sense. As long as they are backing the players, doing everything they can, to support them and drive them forward, that's what we do, and we will keep going forward."
The problem for Frank is that nothing he's done thus far has justified the club's decision to sack Ange Postecoglou in June, in the wake of Spurs winning their first trophy in 17 years.
The new man's appointment was sold as the modern coach who would solve all the issues the Australian was branded with - the leaky defence, a lack of tactical flexibility and being incapable of competing in all competitions.
None of that has improved particularly and on top of that, Frank's Tottenham are simply...well...boring. There's very little to suggest that any attacking work done on the training pitches has left an imprint on the players.
Whenever Tottenham score occasionally from open play, it seems more instinctive from players than planned, such as on Saturday with Cristian Romero deciding to stay up front and duly heading home Pedro Porro's cross.
football.london asked Frank why after a full week of training on the pitches of Hotspur Way, there was still no real cutting edge to Spurs' forward play. The stats showed 21 shots from the hosts but most were in more danger of smashing the windows of Chick-King on the High Road than hitting the back of the net.
The Tottenham boss attempted to mount a defence for his attack but ultimately ended up agreeing with the assessment.
"I think you could see signs of it, that which has really looked right. But of course, we can only talk about it here, but Kolo looked sharper, Xavi got in some top positions, Mathys as well, Wilson as well," he said. "It's good to have Dom on the pitch. But I also think it's a sign that the goal is scored by Cuti, our captain and centre-back.
"And we didn't have enough chances, or have the cutting edge from the offensive players on the day. And that of course is no criticism, it's just reality. We didn't have the cutting edge, the perfect weighted pass, the sharp finish. That we need to keep working on and keep going."
Frank could easily have stated that while Postecoglou lost his key defenders, so he has lost his key attackers.
What the Dane has been left with is a shadow of what Spurs once were going forward in those days with Kane and Son up top.
The lightweight Wilson Odobert is more likely to float out of the stadium on a gust of wind than into the opposition box. If there's a chase on for a ball, the young Frenchman often appears to admit defeat rather than use any of his pace, as 35-year-old Jordan Henderson discovered to his surprise in Sunderland's draw in N17 earlier this month.
At least Odobert is young enough at 20 that he can work on all of the above and match his raw ability with a far better end product and strength.
The 27-year-old Randal Kolo Muani however is labelled as a striker but if you were to watch his play around the box, you'd struggle to see the PSG man throw himself at anything like a natural striker would.
There's no determination to attack crosses or balls into the box. He's rarely in the positions a poacher would instinctively find themselves in. Romero had to show him how to attack a cross in the 64th minute and he's a centre-back.
Behind him, Xavi Simons remains a work in progress. The Dutchman is as likely to hit a pass out of play as he is to send a clever ball into a team-mate's path, and similarly he's as likely to fail to get past the first man as he is to slalom through three or four challenges.
The 22-year-old is someone who needs a winning team to ease himself into rather than a struggling side that needs someone to grab games by the scruff of the neck and perform now.
The brightest attacker on the day once again was Mathys Tel. The 20-year-old Frenchman set up a chance for Odobert, which was headed - well technically shouldered - at the keeper, and had a string of efforts himself. He also curled in a series of dangerous set pieces.
Yet with Solanke primed to come on in the 62nd minute, it was not the anonymous Odobert nor Kolo Muani who saw their number held aloft. It was Tel's. Perhaps the duo had been so ineffective that Frank forgot they were on the pitch.
Tel looked stunned and the fans booed around the stadium. It's not the first time Frank has nullified Spurs' attacking movement or momentum with his own substitutions this season.
The Dane may well point to the fact that Romero scored soon after but that had little to do with the change and everything to do with the Spurs captain going off on his walkabouts as usual.
Spurs never looked particularly dangerous after they scored and Frank was asked why he took off Tel.
"I need to take decisions. I had to take one offensive player off, and I feel Wilson is a bit better to the right and wanted two strikers on the pitch. So that was the decision. There was nothing wrong with Mathys' performance," said the head coach.
Frank's need to have two strikers on the pitch has rarely worked as a mid-game change. Spurs would have been better served by a straight swap with Solanke for Kolo Muani, or replacing Odobert and putting Kolo Muani on the right. The two front men kept occupying the same spaces and had no connection on the pitch whatsoever nor service to feast upon.
Conor Gallagher must wonder what he has walked into. The £34.7million signing from Atletico Madrid was a busy, active presence but within a team that appeared to have no discernible plan to move forward.
The 25-year-old embarked on a few runs into the West Ham box - with one prompting a VAR check for handball - but there was rarely anyone to get the ball across to.
Dr Tottenham cured West Ham's ills and it looked like it had ended Gallagher's remarkable run of never getting injured in his senior career when he was involved in a clash of heads just 15 minutes into the contest.
He was able to continue thankfully but Ben Davies wasn't in the build-up to West Ham's first goal, suffering what looked like a serious injury to his left leg while attempting to make a challenge.
The Welshman immediately signalled to the bench as the visitors swept down the left and Crysencio Summerville cut inside Porro and Gallagher with ease before hitting a deflected shot into the net off Micky van de Ven.
That Davies required oxygen as his leg was strapped up was not a good sign and as he was stretchered off he joined an injury list that included Joao Palhinha, following a training ground knock, and potentially Archie Gray who kept holding his knee after an awkward challenge before leaving the action at half-time.
The man who replaced the teenager was Yves Bissouma, a player few expected to ever pull on a Spurs shirt again. In fairness to the 29-year-old he was Tottenham's best player in the second half as he rolled back the years with the kind of driving display that he's never been able to produce consistently.
However, even he was at fault late on in misjudging a ball over the top that landed for Callum Wilson to have a chance blocked by Porro.
What happened next from the resulting corner felt all too predictable amid the current problems at Tottenham.
The ball was swung in and Guglielmo Vicario ruined a reasonable performance, containing two excellent saves, by getting himself penned in on his line and after a scramble, Wilson poked the loose ball home.
The outraged Spurs fans sang for Frank's dismissal before VAR had even checked for a potential offside and couldn't find it.
At the final whistle, Vicario complained to the referee about an infringement that never really existed while Micky van de Ven crouched with his back to the south stand, trying to take in the mess that Tottenham have become before turning to applaud them.
Djed Spence, who had faced Frank's wrath when he was not ready to come on for Davies early in the game, darted straight over to Summerville to chat. It was probably the most proactive thing the England international did all afternoon, although he was not alone.
Romero held his hands up to the fans in that big looming stand to apologise before undertaking a rare post-match club interview.
"Obviously another lost game at home, for me there's only one message for the fans, thank you for always staying with us. It is difficult and also a disaster moment for us, but especially in this moment, we need silence," he said in English.
"Back tomorrow in training, working hard every day and stay together. In three days we have another big match and this moment it is really silence and work hard."
He added: "It is a difficult moment, it is like a disaster but Champions League, we have another big opportunity to maybe win and go to top eight and go to the next round. That’s the most important thing.
"The performance was good but we lost the game, so it’s difficult like this and now we have to stay together."
After the game, there were plenty of angry faces, Porro in particular furious as he walked out of the dressing room and into the night.
There was a new smiling face down there as well with incoming Brazilian left-back Souza having watched the match from the stands before going to join his soon-to-be Tottenham team-mates in the dressing room.
He has been awaiting the final documents of his move from Santos to be signed off and his work permit, likely to be an Elite Significant Contribution one.
A Spurs announcement appears to be close as the 19-year-old posted a message to the Santos fans on Saturday night.
"After 10 years of defending this shield, the time has come for a new challenge," he said. "The last year was intense, of growth and overcoming, but even in the difficult moments, I felt the affection and support of the Santista cheerleading. This will never be forgotten.
"I walk out with my head held high, grateful for all that I have experienced and for the certainty that this story was built with truth. Thanks for everything, @santosfc is a pride that not everyone can have!"
Tottenham need more than Gallagher and a raw teenage left-back if they are to climb out of the hole they find themselves in and the hierarchy have promised improvements to the squad and the wage budget.
"We believe in our current squad, but must add more quality, experience and leadership to compete consistently at the highest level," wrote Venkatesham. "Doing so requires a more proactive approach to recruitment, alongside a wage structure that supports our ambition.
"We are fully focused on strengthening the squad in January where the right opportunities exist, while recognising that the most significant player trading activity typically comes in summer windows. Our priority is to make signings that genuinely move us forward and we will be disciplined against that aim."
Tottenham need attacking options desperately but they also must decide whether Frank is still the man they trust to coach them.
The results, with eight defeats in 14 matches, and the fans' feelings towards him are verging on making Frank's position an impossible one. The feelings towards him and the way the team is playing is affecting matches, with any delay to proceedings such as a hesitancy to pass from Vicario or time taken over a throw-in jeered.
The fans are sick of repeated false dawns but cannot see anything positive coming on the horizon.
A group of around 100 protesters before the game called on Change for Tottenham. After the final whistle, a couple of those same flags were used in regard to Frank.
Spurs face two tough choices. The first is whether they stick to their guns and back the head coach they went through an exhaustive criteria-driven process through 30 candidates to select after taking the big decision to sack Postecoglou?
If they do so then they must shut out the noise from the same fans that Venkatesham admitted to on Sunday that "we know there is distance between the club and our supporters and we are committed to rebuilding that connection".
If Tottenham were to decide that Frank's position had become untenable then the next choice would be who next? A permanent manager like Xavi - the other one - or making a play for Oliver Glasner, currently venting his fury at Palace, or Andoni Iraola? Fabio Paratici's last act would no doubt be his regular go-to move of suggesting someone from Serie A or Jorge Mendes' stable of managers.
Or there's the interim options of a remarkable return for Ryan Mason, handing highly-rated Stuart Lewis, promoted to Frank's staff to work with the younger players, a big leap in responsibilities by being put in temporary charge or dipping into the smaller well of former players and managers turned coaches than Manchester United were able to.
In the summer there will be more options for Tottenham, not least those employed by countries at the World Cup, including one often-mentioned former manager.
Whoever is in charge on Tuesday night against Dortmund will have to pick a team without the suspended Micky van de Ven and a midfield potentially without the injured Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur, possibly Gray, although the youngster looked to be walking ok after the final while, and the unregistered Gallagher and Bissouma.
Lucas Bergvall, who came on late in the game, may be the only fit midfielder if none of the above can play.
Then after trips to Burnley, who drew at Anfield on Saturday, and Frankfurt, comes a queasy quartet of fixtures against Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle and Arsenal.
On one hand it's the worst possible run to throw a new man into and on the other the players need something to lift them.
"The joint ambition of our executive team, board and the Lewis Family is clear: to see our men's team competing regularly in the Champions League and for major trophies, while significantly raising the competitive level of our women's team," said Venkatesham.
"Our focus is sporting success, and in that we share the same ambition as our supporters. 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."
The coming days will show just how impatient Venkatesham and the Spurs hierarchy are.
Frank was asked whether he deserves the time to turn things around with the supporters after such a poor run of results.
"I know it sounds a little bit crazy, but we are closer to something very good, than further away," said the Dane.
"I think you all saw the game today, we could easily have won this one 2-1. No excuses, but also the reason is we're a little bit down to the bare bones with players and we also need some of the offensive players to score a goal or two.
"All that is difficult for me to do like that (clicks his fingers), but I can promise that I'm sitting here, giving everything, every single day. I feel the trust from everyone and there's only one way, we need to keep going."
Thomas Frank will swiftly find out if that trust remains and whether Tottenham will keep going with or without him.
English (US) ·