Thomas Frank confident he can win over disgruntled Tottenham Hotspur fans
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Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank has yet to convince Spurs fans as his side have just two wins from their last 10 English Premier League games.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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LONDON – Thomas Frank shares the frustrations of Tottenham Hotspur fans after another lacklustre display from his team, but believes he will win them over.
The Spurs boss was booed by supporters, who also chanted “boring, boring Tottenham”, following the drab goal-less draw at his former club Brentford on Jan 1.
Frank’s men, who host Sunderland on Jan 4, are languishing in mid-table following just two wins from their past 10 league games.
“We’re working very hard,” the beleaguered manager said on Jan 2. “I understand (the fans’) frustrations. I share them too.”
Spurs appointed Frank in June after sacking Ange Postecoglou following a 17th-place finish in the English Premier League.
But he has struggled to turn things around.
The Dane was asked by reporters whether he could be successful without the fans behind him.
“I will try to maybe turn that question around and say if you are successful, the Tottenham fans will be behind you,” he said.
“So the fans will get behind us and I’m pretty sure that, yes some booed last night (but) I’m still pretty sure there’s a lot of fans behind us.”
Frank was also asked whether there was a misalignment between what he saw as success in terms of results and the type of stylish football that Spurs fans crave.
“I think expectation is good and I also think we are probably in a bit of a transition,” he said.
“Not that we don’t want to play a lot better, but the club, the squad, the injuries, all that, taken into consideration, is part of that.”
He pointed to a lengthy list of absentees, including James Maddison and Dominic Solanke as a reason for his side’s struggles.
“I’m 100 per cent sure (what) will happen is that I know we will be able to score a lot of goals and I know we will be much more dominant in a lot of games,” he added.
“But, with the current situation with too many of the top players out, that just makes it more tricky. Also, with no time to train, it’s just reality.”
The manager insisted he was focused on taking “small steps in the right direction every day”.
“Right now, it’s the talk of the town, fair enough,” he said.
“Tomorrow (it) will be forgotten. It will be a new thing and we, just behind the scenes, need to be calm and work on the things very hard and keep improving.”
Meanwhile, Brennan Johnson completed a move from Tottenham to Crystal Palace on Jan 2 for a reported fee of £35 million (S$60.6 million).
The Wales international, 24, has signed a 4½ year deal at Selhurst Park. AFP
