Thomas Frank is the man responsible for taking Brentford to the Premier League, but like his time at Tottenham Hotspur, he did not get off to the best start.
The decision to appoint Frank was one with the ability to go either way. There were fears the Danish coach would be similar to Nuno Espirito Santo based on his track record, but there was also hope he could become a Mauricio Pochettino type figure at the club.
It certainly seemed like Frank would be more like the latter at first. Not necessarily due to his style of play, but rather his ability to bring balance to Tottenham Hotspur and get results in the Premier League.
However, a lot has changed since August and elements of the Spurs fanbase have already called for the removal of Frank after an abysmal run of matches. Despite this, there are some who believe the manager needs more time because history shows that great successes do not always start the way they finish.
Thomas Frank got off to a poor start at Brentford
Can Frank turn things around at Tottenham? Well based on the way he started out as the manager of Brentford, perhaps there is still hope for him yet.
Thomas Frank, who was formerly the assistant manager of Brentford, replaced Dean Smith as the London outfit’s boss. The Bees had suffered only two defeats in 12 Championship matches and sat seventh in the league table, but this soon changed.
Brentford were defeated a staggering eight times in Frank’s opening 10 matches, conceding 20 goals in the process. However, no hasty decision was made to offload the struggling coach and he delivered six wins and four draws in their next 10 matches.
Tottenham have also suffered eight defeats under Frank and have displayed problems at both ends of the pitch. Despite this, they have claimed eight victories, which is one more than Frank achieved in his opening 20 matches at Brentford. Of course, it is worth noting that he has now managed 21 games at Spurs if the UEFA Super Cup is counted.
Frank’s Brentford beginnings do not mirror his Tottenham results
Although Thomas Frank’s percentage of victories and defeats during his first 20 matches at Brentford and Spurs were very similar, the pattern of results are not the same.
Interestingly, all of Brentford’s opening seven losses under Frank were by a one-goal margin, which indicates that he had a clear plan which was not quite working. However, he eventually found a way to make his team tick, resulting in success further down the line.
In contrast, Frank made a largely positive start at Tottenham, yet has recently experienced a string of defeats, including a 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Arsenal. While at Brentford it seemed he had a plan which took time to come to fruition, Frank looks lost at Spurs as he frantically deploys different systems, of which none seem to be working.
Perhaps Frank needs more time to show that he can get Tottenham back to winning ways, or maybe the role is simply beyond his capabilities.
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