Thomas Frank has addressed the comment he made about Tottenham fans after the Fulham defeat, offering a clearer explanation of what he meant.
Tottenham Hotspur’s dismal home record continued on Saturday night, when Spurs fell to a 2-1 defeat at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium against Fulham.
That was the Cottagers’ first win away from home, and to the frustration of Spurs fans, it came in north London, where Tottenham were second best for most of the game.
Individual mistakes did not help Spurs’ case, as Guglielmo Vicario gifted Fulham their second goal of the night after failing to boot the ball to row Z when he found himself in no man’s land, miles away from his own penalty box.
Thomas Frank offers clarity on comment about Tottenham booing
The performance on display by Tottenham left Spurs fans frustrated, with many booing Frank’s men during the match, a gesture Frank was not pleased with.
The Dane was quick to label Tottenham supporters who booed during the match as fake, while some Spurs fans hit back on social media, describing Frank as not a real Spurs manager.
The 52-year-old, speaking ahead of Tottenham’s clash with Newcastle United, has now attempted to offer more clarity on what he meant.
Frank introduced his thoughts by stressing that he understands why fans were annoyed and that their frustration is not something he dismisses, before going on to emphasise the atmosphere he expects during games.
He said, as relayed by Football.London: “I completely understand the frustration. If we do not win there will always be a frustration. We have not won much at home this season and also last so the frustration can grow. It is my job to do what we can to have calm.
“We are nothing without the fans. Tottenham Hotspur is nothing without the fans. My point was that during matches we need each other. Afterwards the booing can be fair. During, we need to make it a fortress and to do that we need to be together.”
Asked whether he regrets saying those who booed are not ‘true Tottenham fans’, Frank added: “I don’t know, and you can say, how do you define a true Spurs fan? I think all the fantastic fans we have believe they’re true Spurs fans. Some react in one way, some react in another, some are a little bit in between. No matter what, we need all of them.”
Thomas Frank must focus on what really matters at Spurs
Tottenham supporters will feel they have every right to do what they did, as they are the ones who pay money for pricey tickets.
The football on display under Thomas Frank has been nothing to cheer as Spurs are quite often outplayed in games, and fans cannot just sit and wait for the game to end before voicing their discontent.
The Tottenham boss needs to focus more on his team’s performance, as good displays will naturally get his fans on his side.
He also needs to quit trying to switch attention from what really matters, and that is Spurs’ poor performances in recent weeks.