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Jamie Carragher has explained why Thomas Frank was always fighting a losing battle since the day he walked into Tottenham Hotspur.
When Spurs finally made the decision to sack Frank this month, it certainly did not come as a surprise to the footballing world.
In fact, the feeling among most Tottenham fans was that Frank should have been sacked a lot earlier and that the club dragged their feet for too long amidst the team’s continued struggles.
The decision to get rid of the former Brentford boss was very expensive for Spurs, but one pundit has now suggested that the experiment was never likely to succeed in the first place.
Jamie Carragher claims Thomas Frank was always the wrong fit for Tottenham
Carragher pointed out that pragmatic coaches, who cut their teeth at midtable or smaller sides, have rarely ever been able to make the transition to top clubs.
He suggested that Thomas Frank’s style of play was never likely to be accepted by the Spurs faithful and that the former Brentford boss was always swimming against the tide in North London.
The former Liverpool defender wrote for The Telegraph: “Frank proved the wrong fit because he is the latest example of one of England’s biggest clubs mistakenly believing experience at a mid-table or bottom-half Premier League team is the ideal first step and breeding ground to make the leap up. Pragmatic coaches do not mix with aspirational clubs demanding front-footed attacking football.
“Every recent example demonstrates it ends quickly and amid a toxic atmosphere. As Frank continued to fight a losing battle, I was increasingly reminded of Roy Hodgson’s short tenure at Liverpool, Nuno Espírito Santo’s brief spell at Spurs, David Moyes’s time at Manchester United and Sam Allardyce’s appointment at Newcastle United.
“The fans make up their minds early because they have so many historical reference points for the kind of football they want to see, and the manager they wish to hear representing them in every press conference.”
Carragher expects Frank to succeed again in the Premier League
Reports indicate that Frank is already on the wishlist of multiple Premier League clubs ahead of the summer.
Carragher is confident that the Dane will do ‘great work’ again in the English top-flight, but he believes that it will be at a club of Brentford’s stature rather than Tottenham’s.
The pundit added: “Frank is an extremely likeable and talented coach. I have absolutely no doubt he will be working again soon, and many clubs will seek to hire him to replicate the great work he did at Brentford. But that last sentence is the key.
“Repeating what worked for Frank at Brentford, or Allardyce at Bolton Wanderers, and Hodgson while Fulham’s manager, would be hailed as a wonderful achievement at 80 clubs in England. Those with a more illustrious history, who expect to be challenging for Premier League titles and the Champions League, will not tolerate a tactical plan which tips the balance more towards defensive structure over attacking flair.
“There is a vast cultural difference in leading a team where supporters have a reasonable expectation of going full throttle to win in every match, and one where there is a more realistic view that staying in the Premier League is a success, and anything higher than mid-table is one of the best seasons in a club’s history.”
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