IT MIGHT not be the end for Thomas Frank, yet.
A second half revival that might have brought extra time suggested there is something in this Spurs squad.
From the depths of what looked set to be a dismal, depressing defeat at the interval, which brought another relentless, incessant deluge of disdain from the stands at half-time, Tottenham found some spirit and desire against Aston Villa.
But if there is a real team there, it increasingly feels like someone else will be in charge of it, Frank’s departure a matter of time, inevitable and coming soon.
In the end, that second half effort was not enough to climb the mountain their defensive deficiencies had created in the opening period, exposed by clinical finishes from Emi Buendia and Morgan Rogers.
While Wilson Odobert gave them hope, as Xavi Simons and Randal Kolo Muani both turned up to show they can impact a game after all, it only added to the sense that it is the players who decide when they will perform, not the manager.
The home fans, too, finally got animated and behind their side, at last out-shouting the belligerent Villa supporters who had mocked them in the opening period.
Yet despite all the huff and puff, the reality is that Villa did not have to play well to win.
When it mattered, they were better in every department, Buendia and Rogers simply underlining that brutal fact.
An evening that started with the home fans standing together in honour of Martin Chivers and Terry Yorath risked ending with a chorus of utter disapproval, all goodwill long gone.
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It’s one thing to wear a shirt commemorating Tottenham’s remarkable 1901 FA Cup winning feats.
But that is no excuse for playing like the Southern League team Spurs were 125 years ago for the first 45 minutes.
As the Villa fans gleefully predicted that Frank will be “sacked in the morning”, outing him as “an Arsenal fan” – he will NEVER live that coffee cup down – there were no songs of support in response.
Those Villa goals, too, explained why.
Even with Emery picking a team that balanced his own winning instincts with the knowledge that Villa have bigger fish to fry, Spurs were unable to make any impression.
The opener, mid-way through the first half, summed up Tottenham’s defensive dysfunction.
John McGinn was left in space and Spurs were immediately in trouble.
The Scot fed Donyell Malen, who dragged both Pedro Porro and Kevin Danso inside, releasing Buendia into the huge hole left through the inside left channel.
The Argentine had time to pick his spot and smash past Guglielmo Vicario into the roof of the net.
While Frank’s side had made a brighter start, possession does not equal penetration, just one shot from Odobert, straight at stand-in keeper Marco Bizot.
Buendia’s goal pricked even that fragile veneer of belief.
When Richarlison pinged his left hamstring before the half-hour, Frank, his chalkboard out for the home players on the touchline, opted for Kolo Muani.
Rogers flashed a shot past the far post as Spurs were easily bypassed, a signal of what was to come.
And two minutes into stoppage time – after Kolo Muani carelessly ran offside before prodding Simons’ pass into the net – Spurs were punished again.
Tel’s pass was cut out, and Malen was left in space on the right.
His ball in was cleverly flicked by Buendia, allowing Rogers to pick his spot and pass into the corner of the net.
The jeers were telling. Frank seemed powerless and broken, standing hands on hips and hoping for something to happen.
Spurs had shown no imagination or verve, playing in a straitjacket of fear. And with the fanbase no longer interested in listening to excuses.
Yet from deep within themselves, perhaps because it was so bad, Spurs found a belated response.
Much of that came through Simons and Kolo Muani, who had previously shown little to suggest they really want to be on N17.
The Dutch schemer, calling for the ball and finding room to play, forced a save from Bizot before Kolo Muani shrugged Lamare Bogarde off the ball, drove forward and teased to Odobert, who drilled into the far corner.
Suddenly it was Spurs on top, Simons and Odobert both forcing diving stops as the home fans found their voices, urging them forward.
They might have lost those voices again had Porro not cleared off the line to foil Buendia, an intervention that kept the tie alive, before Simons was denied by the flag after scampering through.
That kept faith alive and Frank sent on Dominic Solanke, his first appearance since August, hoping to extend the contest.
It was to no avail. Another home defeat and out of the Cup.
There were only some boos at the final whistle, this time as the stadium recognised the effort and commitment. But that should be the minimum. Frank is running out of time.
