Tottenham head coach Thomas Frank wasn’t afraid to lose his job after losing at home to West Ham this month.
After a 2-1 home defeat to the Hammers, Frank was loudly booed by fans who said he would be sacked in the morning, and his seven-month stay at Spurs appeared to be in serious doubt.
These chants were repeated in last Saturday’s 2-2 draw against Burnley.
But the Dane has been fighting to lead Tottenham into the last 16 of the Champions League after Wednesday’s 2-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt secured Tottenham a top-four finish.
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Attention now returns to the Premier League, where Spurs are facing a tough battle. The Europa League holders sit 14th in the table, just eight points above the drop zone.
With two wins from 14 league games, Frank is under pressure ahead of a daunting list of fixtures in February, starting with Sunday’s home game against Manchester City, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports, and continuing with Manchester United, Newcastle and north London rivals Arsenal.
In an exclusive interview with Sky Sports News’ Michael Bridge ahead of this weekend’s game against Man City, Frank spoke about the ‘fired’ chants and how he wants to be more protective of himself and have support from the top amid a major hierarchy change at the club.
At the start of the season, could you have imagined finishing in the top four in the Champions League while sitting 14th in the Premier League table?
“Looking back, it definitely wasn’t my guess or prediction.
“We knew this season was going to be a transition period. We knew we had big ambitions. We want to do really well. We all know where we want to get to. But where the club and the team will get to where we want to go from here. We knew there was going to be a transition period, there would be ups and downs. I fully expected us to be better. The ambition is to get higher in the Premier League table and do better. That’s what we’re working hard on.”
“I think we’re looking more consistent and more competitive, especially in the last 10 games. Also, we’ve had a little bit of ups and downs before, but it looks like we’re in the right direction. The last three games, definitely, we’re heading there and that’s what we need to keep doing.”
There was an uproar after the result between West Ham and Burnley, but do you think qualifying for the last 16 of the Champions League gives you the right to stop that a little bit?
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Spurs fans called for Frank’s sacking after last weekend’s 2-2 draw with Burnley
“I think when you’re at a big club like Tottenham, with big ambitions and a great fan base, and you’re not where you want to be, there’s always going to be noise.
“That’s what I expect, and that should be the noise. All I know is that eventually we’ll get there and we’ll get through this situation, and we’ll get to a better place and there’ll be less noise.”
Were you worried about your job after losing at home to West Ham?
“No, I’d like to say it’s not my problem, but of course I understand how football works. It’s easier to blame only the head coach.
“I think what we feel is a very committed playing team. A very committed staff. Very committed leadership at the top of the club in Vinay (Venkatesham – Spurs chief executive) and Johan (Lange – Spurs sporting director).”
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Tottenham fans booed and sang ‘fired’ songs for Frank after West Ham defeat
“It’s a very committed ownership and we feel the support from everyone. We’ve felt that way since day one and we still feel that way. Of course it was windy and rough weather when we didn’t get where we wanted to go, but I think we need to get better results, that’s for sure. But everything underlying behind the scenes, we’re moving in the right direction.”
“Hopefully all that effort will pay off in the form of consistently good performances and wins.”
There have been a lot of changes in Spurs’ upper echelons since Daniel Levy’s departure, but is it fair to reflect that?
“I think that’s fair. I think Daniel has been an integral part of the club. Of course there are new ways of doing things. I think a lot of the upperclassmen have changed within the organization. I think everything is moving in the right direction. It really looks like it’s moving in the right direction. The more we get to know each other, Vinay, Johan, the various coaches and myself, the better things will get.”
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Tim Sherwood expresses frustration at Tottenham’s domestic struggles
How difficult was it to leave the Burnley pitch amid the fans’ misgivings about you?
“Of course it’s difficult. Of course it’s difficult. When you play a game where you could have gotten more and you don’t understand that, it’s difficult.
“It was also a good study of English football culture, because in fact the whole Burnley stand, everyone from 12-year-olds to 25-year-olds to 70-year-olds, had signs saying, ‘You’re fired in the morning.’ But that’s the way it is, and I understand that.”
But didn’t that happen at Brentford?
“No, but I experienced it with Brondby, so it is what it is. Would you like to avoid that? Yes, of course. You would prefer it not to happen.”
“But there are a few things. Number one, I’m working hard every day. There’s a lot of good people and I doing everything we can to make sure this situation turns around. I have no doubt at all that we’ll end there.” No. Two, I’m down to earth. I think I have good values. I know reality and I have a perspective on life, so that helps.”
You’ve lost key players like James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke, and your talismanic Son Heung-min is no longer at the club, but you never use that as an excuse when it’s true. Do you ever feel like you need to protect yourself a little more?
“Obviously, sometimes you want to protect yourself a little bit more.
“I actually did the math the other day and it means that over the whole season, in all competitions, those four players have scored between 50 and 60 goals (lost) and about the same amount of assists (lost).
“And it’s difficult to replace that, especially when it comes to young players or new players who come to the club from another league. It’s just difficult. So definitely that’s part of the reason why we’re not as free-flowing.”
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Frank admits the club tried to sign Antoine Semenyo before moving to Manchester City
What is your message to supporters who don’t care about excuses and want another rep?
“First and foremost, we’re here for the supporters. I’m here too. The players want the supporters to be happy and proud of the team. That’s one thing. I’m working hard to make the supporters proud of the team.”
“This season there are still magical moments and good performances, but I have no doubt that with time we will get to where we want. We know very well where we need to go. We know very well what we need to work on and what we need to do.”
“The leadership of this club, we are completely aligned on what we need to do and where we want to go. And we just need a little bit of momentum and a little bit of margin along the way and we’ll get there.”
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Jamie O’Hara believes Spurs could find themselves in a relegation battle if they continue to play like this in the Premier League
3,500 Spurs fans applauded you and the players after Wednesday’s win against Frankfurt, does this show how a win can turn things around?
“And that’s the beauty of football, you’re right. If you win a few times and perform well a few times, everyone becomes a little bit happier because we all want the same thing.
“We want Spurs to be successful, we want this great football club to be successful and it was a great feeling to see the happy faces of the fans.”
