Thomas Frank has weighed in on whether the Tottenham players should acknowledge the fans after the full-time whistle.
The topic of whether the Spurs players thank the fans after the final whistle, especially at home, has been the subject of much controversy this season, given the boos ringing out regularly in the stadium.
A month ago, Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence ignored Frank and went straight down the dressing room when the Tottenham boss was urging them to applaud the fans.
Following the Lilywhites’ 2-1 loss to Fulham on Saturday, Pedro Porro was caught screaming at Lucas Bergvall as the Swede went over to thank the supporters.
Thomas Frank recommends that Tottenham players clap the fans
Instead of apologising, Porro has defended his behaviour on social media, insisting that he and his teammates felt disrespected by the supporters.
Frank has now made it clear that he has not made it mandatory for every player to applaud fans after the final whistle, but admitted that he recommends that his players do so.
The Tottenham boss said (via Football.London): “I think it is important that we connect with the fans. It is pretty obvious that away from home we go to the away fans and thank them for their travelling and support.
“There were maybe not many who clapped after the [Fulham] game but I still saw a few. Sometimes they can be emotional or whatever, but I would still say ‘clap the fans after the game’. You don’t have to do the big loop. There is no specific instruction, that is what I recommend.”
Frank denies internal meeting about players’ relationship with Spurs fans
According to reports over recent days, the Tottenham players have had lengthy meetings about their worsening relationship with the supporters.
However, Frank denied that there had been any such meeting, although he clarified that there had been discussions about the fans’ reaction following their defeat to Chelsea last month.
When asked if any players raised their concerns about the fans in a team meeting, Frank responded: “We didn’t have a meeting about the fans. We had a debrief after the [Chelsea] game about the game as we do all the time.
“It was pretty evident after that game that it was the first time there was a little bit of talk about the fans and the relationship and that. We had a talk about that, which is natural.”