Robert Vilahamn has admitted he understands fan anger but has called for Tottenham Hotspur to “stick together” amid a difficult period.
Tottenham lost 2-0 to West Ham on Sunday via an own-goal from Josefine Rybrink and a late free-kick from Viviane Asseyi.
They have now lost their past six in all competitions, scoring just one goal, and sit ninth in the WSL.
Five managers (Jonas Eidevall, Robert de Pauw, Matt Beard, Laura Kaminski and Gareth Taylor) have been sacked in the division this season, and Vilahamn, who admitted that “pressure is here”, has called for the club to “stick together”.
“The pressure is here. I get it as we are in a winning industry. But also, we are doing something in the long run,” he told VAVEL.
“The first year was quite good, now it’s a year where we’re struggling. We know what we’re but we need to fix it to take it to the next level.
“You can always switch a coach but then you need to restart. You are looking at a style of identity and how we play. Look at the culture we want to create. We have ways we want to do this.
“But if they think it’s the coach’s fault, they can be angry, but we need to stick together as a club and a collective. We want to win. We want to do it for them [the fans]. It’s more to see where we need to improve. I get the questions as a lot [of managers] have been fired.”
Spurs dominated proceedings in the first period against The Hammers but were made to rue missed chances when Verena Hanshaw's strike deflected off Rybrink into the back of the net.
Spurs continued to pressure the hosts until the break but then struggled in the following 45. Asseyi’s late free-kick, which evaded everyone, including Kop, in the box, compounded the misery.
Vilahamn outlined post-match that the performance was a “big step forward”, even if it was a challenging result.
“Tough result. They were much more clinical when they got their chances. Performance-wise, it’s a big step forward in how we play,” he said.
“We played some great football and created chances, but when you don’t convert them, it’s a tough loss.”
Spurs’ issues came primarily in front of goal. They have now scored just once in their past six matches, and lack a clinical edge without Bethany England.
The club captain, who has also scored eight WSL goals this season, is currently unavailable with a quad issue. The former Chelsea striker is the only player at the club who has scored more than two WSL goals this campaign. However, Vilahamn, 42, is confident Spurs are making progress as they “didn’t create anything” against Brighton last week.
“Today we hit the crossbar and post and had a few ‘almost chances’. We’re getting closer. Now it’s down to quality and calmness in situations,” he outlined.
“It’s a little bit of self-confidence, as well. We need to make sure we get to those phases in training and in games.”