Thomas Frank: What fans, insiders and stats say about embattled Spurs manager
Tottenham are unlikely to have an immediate reaction to Sunday’s disappointing defeat against Nottingham Forest.
Thomas Frank’s future is under the spotlight once again following the 3-0 defeat at the City Ground, which sparked anger from Spurs fans towards their coach, not for the first time this season.
But for now, despite his poor performance against Forest, there is no sense that the Dane’s future is under immediate threat.
For context, Tottenham were on the back of a three-match unbeaten run before Sunday’s defeat; A convincing 2-2 draw at Newcastle was followed by two straight wins against Brentford and Slavia Prague.
There had been some improvement before the defeat to Sean Dyche’s side, so Sunday’s defeat is unlikely to lead to an immediate change of tactics.
That’s not to say the support for Frank behind the scenes at the North London club is entirely universal.
Following the defeat against Fulham on November 29, which continued a worrying run of just one win in eight games, well-placed sources told BBC Sport that Frank’s performance had come under increasing self-examination.
The obvious disdain towards Frank from some sections of the fans in the first half of the season is also an unpleasant dynamic that does not go unnoticed.
However, Spurs have not yet reached a point this season where they are seriously considering giving up on Frank.
There’s an acceptance that there will be bumps in the road, but if the aforementioned doubts don’t resurface more prominently in the coming weeks, you can imagine Frank won’t be able to afford many days like Sunday.
It is also important to note that CEO Vinai Venkatesham was an integral part of Arsenal’s decision to stick with Mikel Arteta during one of the deepest periods of the Spaniard’s reign at the Emirates.
Arsenal are now seen as one of the strongest teams in European football.
Frank has a path to emulate Arteta but there is now a desire to give him the opportunity to lay the foundations for a similar path to success.
But the results will be key to continued support. There will be disappointments like the one on Sunday and Frank’s support will wane.
