It’s over. Anyone with eyes could see that the Thomas Frank experiment at Tottenham Hotspur was not working, but for inexplicable reasons the Spurs board continued to give the Danish manager time to turn things around. The disappointing 2-1 home loss to Newcastle, which left Spurs adrift, just four points ahead of West Ham in the relegation zone, finally proved to be the catalyst to letting him go.
But even though the right decision was finally made to make a change as of this morning, there still
appears to be plenty of evidence that the club still has no plan on what to do next. Reports of the firing contain statements that suggest Spurs will go through a process to identify and appoint an interim successor before turning their focus to a permanent replacement, likely after this summer’s World Cup. And that decision is just as damning as their dallying over Frank’s future.
According to an explosive article by Football.London’s Alasdair Gold which detailed how Frank’s sacking came about, the decision to part ways came after yesterday’s dispiriting home loss to Newcastle that left Spurs in real danger of what would be a catastrophic relegation. The decision was reportedly made by CEO Vinai Venkatesham with agreement from sporting director Johan Lange.
It was CEO Vinai Venkatesham, along with sporting director Johan Lange, who made the recommendation to the club’s owners, the Lewis family, late on Tuesday night, soon after watching the latest Spurs disappointment unfold alongside non-executive chairman Peter Charrington. Venkatesham had tried to give the 52-year-old as much time as possible but what he produced was ultimately not enough.
— Alasdair Gold, Football.London
Also in that same article are some unsourced tidbits about the days and weeks leading up to this morning’s sacking, suggesting that Frank had lost the dressing room a while ago, with Gold openly wondering why Frank was afforded the luxury of being given an extended chance to turn things around when his predecessor, Ange Postecoglou, was not.
Ultimately Frank lost the confidence of the dressing room as well as the fans. He put his faith in a small core leadership group of players – some of those outside that main group would go days without getting barely a word from him on an individual basis and few knew where they stood with him.
… For years, Tottenham had twisted rather than stuck with a manager but there was nothing about the Frank era to suggest he should finally be the one to break the cycle of doom at the club since Pochettino was sacked.
The fanbase had every right to wonder why if the Argentine was handed his marching orders in 2019 despite all of his credit in the bank and just six months after reaching a historic Champions League final, what had the current incumbent done to earn such remarkable patience?
… All the reasons given for sticking with Frank beforehand were the same ones dispensed with for Ange Postecoglou. Spurs must show patience, look at the injuries, the team will come good as people come back.
Yet there was proof of the football Tottenham could play under Postecoglou. There was no such evidence under Frank, no set style or football to get the fans out of their seats.
— Alasdair Gold, Football.London
Let’s be clear: sacking Thomas Frank this morning was the right decision, even if it came way, way too late for most fans and even, apparently, some of the players. However, that’s just the beginning. Frank rightfully falls on his sword because that is the nature of the game in professional football, but the club executives — Venkatesham, Lange, non-executive chairman Peter Charrington — all should shoulder a significant chunk of the blame for what got a proud club with the best stadium in England on the cusp of relegation.
The fact that the announcement of Frank’s sacking can come without an immediate announcement about Spurs’ managerial future — the appointment of an interim head coach, clear communication about a long term successor — is absolutely ridiculous. Spurs have been a hot mess for months. It has been obvious to anyone and everyone that Frank’s tactics were not working, what with just two Premier League wins since October and one win in their last eight games. Results in the Champions League seemingly saved Spurs’ board from having to even consider the idea that they might need to make a change, when any halfway competent club would’ve had contingencies already lined up and ready to go in the event a change was made. There should be reports already saying Spurs have identified Frank’s temporary successor and that the announcement will be made imminently. Instead, we are getting background reports suggesting Spurs are only just now looking at options, either an internal promotion or bringing in someone from outside.
This is unfathomable, and damning.
Make no mistake about it — whoever ends up leading Tottenham Hotspur out against Arsenal in 11 days will do so because the Spurs board only recently decided they needed to appoint someone. There is no plan. There apparently was no recognition that a plan needed to be made. That is, quite frankly (and if you’ll pardon the pun), inexcusable.
One hopes that whoever the board appoints to save Spurs from the ultimate indignation will do enough to get the job done and keep Spurs up so they can rebuild. But this entire process has put an emphatic point on the idea that this club is not being run by serious people. There are a lot of reasons why a club in Tottenham’s financial position are in the position it is right now — the manager, the players, and the executive leadership are all culpable. I no longer have the confidence that there is visionary leadership at the board level to make the drastic changes that are so obviously needed to get this club back to where it is supposed to be — at the top, competing for titles and trophies.
