Thomas Frank has spoken candidly as pressure continues to mount in north London, addressing whether collective trust and backing are required if Tottenham are to arrest their slide in form.
It has been anything but a perfect opening six months for Thomas Frank in the Tottenham Hotspur dugout.
The Dane, who enjoyed a relatively strong start to life in north London that included a London derby victory against West Ham United, has since seen his side’s form and performances take a significant downturn.
Spurs’ struggles make the next five months of the campaign absolutely crucial for Frank, who has made it clear that support from all sides will be important if momentum is to shift.
Thomas Frank on trust and backing at Tottenham
Speaking via the club’s official channels, Frank was asked directly whether he needed the trust and backing of everyone at Tottenham to help turn the club’s fortunes around.
The Spurs head coach offered a detailed and candid response to the question, highlighting the recent results, progress and culture of the club in recent weeks.
He said: “Yes. I am very aware of how this football world works, no doubt about that. I know that we have not got enough of the results we want.
“I can see the small steps we are constantly taking. I still refer to the last six games with more positive, consistent performances, not perfect, but there are some good signs of a team.
“We talk about sometimes not being able to deal with enough setbacks or resilience, the two second-half performances against Bournemouth and Villa.
“It is so easy to fall apart but the team actually sticks together and adds more. I think that talks about a culture that is getting a little bit stronger, a little bit more, come on, let us do everything we can to turn this momentum. In football, sometimes momentum changes like that.
“I can see the small signs in the culture, the training, how the boys have been training here, especially Tuesday and Thursday.
“Very intense, focused, working very hard on the offensive part of the game because we know the defensive in many ways looks quite good, not through the roof, but quite good.
“It is the offensive we need to do better and that is what we are working hard on. I think all the small steps we are taking with everything from signing Conor [Gallagher], signing John Heitinga as an assistant coach, an excellent signing, Rafi as a Football Operations Officer, I think that is the correct title, a key member in the direction of how we want to do things.
“So everything is moving forward. We just need to add a top performance and a win on Saturday.”
Frank addresses pressure ahead of West Ham clash
While the Dane is eager to turn things around, Spurs fans are still not convinced that the 52-year-old is the man for the job.
A protest has already been organised by supporters ahead of Tottenham’s clash with West Ham on Saturday at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Frank also spoke about handling the growing personal pressure, again via Tottenham’s official channels, with the focus firmly on performance levels rather than external noise.
He added, “Yes, that is fine. I am happy to take that. It is all about how we can get the players out there full of confidence, brave and playing forward. We need to.
“I know it is a big London derby, of course, against West Ham, with the rivalry and everything, but it is all about us. For me, it is all about us.
“It is how we come out with energy, positive, forward, adding, hopefully, the first half against Sunderland and the second half against Villa. If we can do that, then we will put a top performance out there and then we will win the game.”