Jamie Carragher believes that Thomas Frank has plenty of work to do to win over the Tottenham fans, and it may take a while.
Tottenham are currently sitting third in the Premier League table and are still unbeaten in the Champions League despite playing away from home twice.
Yet, the general mood among Spurs fans is not an overly positive one, with many Tottenham supporters criticising Frank for his conservative selections.
The general feeling among the fan base appears to be that the team’s current style of play is not an easy watch, and Carragher is not surprised by the reaction to the Dane’s approach.
Jamie Carragher thinks Tottenham fans will take time to warm to Thomas Frank
The Liverpool legend opined that the Tottenham fans are more demanding of an attractive, attacking style of play than most fan bases.
He pointed to examples of how the likes of Jose Mourinho and Nuno Espirito Santo failed to win over the supporters, and suggested that Frank may need some time to be accepted by the Spurs faithful.
Carragher wrote in The Telegraph: “Spurs fans like what they are seeing with the team’s improved results. For the time being, Frank’s pragmatic approach is probably more tolerated than adored. My instincts are that the relationship between Frank and his new fanbase will be a slow burner.
“For the past two years, it felt as though many Spurs supporters were being blinded by the idea of what they were trying to be rather than what they actually were – a team far too easy to expose. During my lifetime, the Spurs fanbase has been one of the most obsessed about insisting their team play in a certain way. They never took to Jose Mourinho or Nuno Espirito Santo for that reason.
“The desire to play beautiful football is hardly exclusive to Spurs. Every top club in the world wants to play a technically brilliant style, although, for the majority, trophy-winning football trumps being regarded as one of the most attractive teams.”
Carragher tells Spurs fans Frank can achieve something special this season
The pundit suggested that this is the season where a side like Tottenham can cause a major upset, given the struggles of the other top sides.
He claimed that Frank’s men can make a real statement by beating Chelsea and backed the Dane’s preference for substance over style.
Carragher added: “Spurs are in third place, and Frank will have done an amazing job if he keeps them there. This is the season to dream big given the problems at other clubs. If England continue to have five Champions League spots, Spurs are well placed to take one of them through their league position.
“Spurs were style over substance for too long under Postecoglou. He never beat Chelsea as Spurs manager. Now, a period of substance over style gives them a great chance of making a statement against a top-four rival.
“Longer-term, and in a vastly different way, seeing how Frank goes about trying to give Spurs the best of both worlds will be as captivating as Postecoglou’s gung-ho approach.”