Thomas Frank's Ambitious Spurs Tenure Ends in Disappointment

Thomas Frank's Struggles at Tottenham

By Rohith Nair

Expectations and Performance

Feb 11 (Reuters) - When Thomas Frank took the reins at Tottenham Hotspur in June, there was genuine belief that the popular Danish coach could rejuvenate the side, but eight months on he is another casualty in the graveyard of managerial ambitions at the London club.

Mitigating Factors in His Tenure

As Spurs hovered five points above the relegation zone amid their worst run of form in 18 years and the fans jeered the manager after every draw or defeat, the board decided to pull the trigger and put Frank out of his misery on Wednesday.

Fan Reactions and Future Prospects

Frank had arrived with a reputation for clarity and cohesion after making Brentford a mainstay in the Premier League, a team that regularly punched above their weight in a league famous for being unforgiving to promoted sides without vast resources.

But the step up from successful mid-table management to the pressure cooker of Tottenham proved a bridge too far for the Dane.

WEIGHT OF EXPECTATION

Frank arrived with the weight of expectation and an impatient fanbase that had witnessed Ange Postecoglou's squad drift away from the rest of the 'Big Six' in the Premier League.

But under Frank, the numbers tell their own bleak story as Spurs dropped to 16th in the standings with just 29 points from 26 games, unable to stamp an identity on a squad that had, only months earlier, won the Europa League.

They suffered 11 defeats, seven home losses and registered only two home wins in 13 league matches.

An eight-game winless run -- the club's worst since Spanish manager Juande Ramos was escorted out in 2008 -- created a tense and hostile atmosphere at Spurs games.

Postecoglou was dismissed despite delivering the club's first trophy since 2008 because their league form was anaemic.

Frank was meant to improve their league form without sacrificing the upward arc but instead, the domestic campaign floundered.

MITIGATING FACTORS

There were mitigating factors with Spurs having 12 players sidelined -- 11 through injury, plus a captain now suspended after his second red card of the season. No other club has more than eight players unavailable.

At times there were barely enough bodies to fill the bench and skipper Cristian Romero's social media lament -- where he described the squad shortage as 'disgraceful' -- was less a complaint and more an urgent appeal.

The contrast with their Champions League form made Frank's short reign even stranger as Spurs finished fourth in the standings and cruised into the last 16 with just one defeat in eight games.

But where Europe's elite competition offered poise and control as they finished the group stage with three straight wins, the Premier League offered nerves and anxiety -- a disparity Frank was unable to overcome.

He did himself no favours when he was spotted drinking an espresso out of an Arsenal cup and the relationship with the Spurs fans frayed with every passing fixture.

'YOU'RE GETTING SACKED IN THE MORNING'

Grim chants of "You're getting sacked in the morning" from some sections of the crowd became routine at Spurs matches and although he did his best to acknowledge the fans, he was often met with boos as he made his way back down the tunnel.

Frank's brief was to build on the Europa League triumph and restore Spurs to the top four.

Money was spent in both windows to bring in quality, but instead they find themselves looking over their shoulder at the relegation zone.

Spurs' long-serving executive chairman Daniel Levy stepping down from his role after nearly 25 years in September was seen as a win for the fans after he faced demonstrations, but the board continues to face the same structural issues.

As a rudderless Spurs contemplate the unthinkable -- a first relegation in 49 years -- the sacking could not have come at a worse time with a North London derby against bitter rivals and league leaders Arsenal up next.

No announcement has yet been made on who will be in the dugout for that match, but some names already linked to the job include Italian coach Roberto De Zerbi, former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino and the club's current assistant manager John Heitinga.

(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru;Editing by Christian Radnedge)