Thomas Frank sacked by Spurs after eight months in charge: What went wrong for the former Brentford boss?
Thomas Frank's Tottenham spell is over after just eight months.
Tuesday night's 2-1 loss at home to Newcastle, who were winless in their previous five matches, ended up being the final straw. Spurs remain without a Premier League victory in this calendar year.
Spurs were booed off by their own supporters at both half-time and full-time of the loss to the Magpies, with chants of 'sacked in the morning' and 'we want Frank out' aimed at the head coach.
Frank arrived in the summer as the popular Ange Postecoglou's replacement following a successful seven-year spell in charge of Brentford. Why did it not work out for him at Spurs?
Tottenham sack head coach Thomas Frank after eight months
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Fans reject playing style
Tottenham's playing style became a major bone of contention under Frank. His predecessor Postecoglou's high-intensity, attacking ethos may have been flawed, but it did at least give supporters something to get behind. 'Angeball' entertained.
The same cannot be said of Frank's approach.
The Dane insisted his ultimate aim was for Spurs to play free-flowing football, but fans saw little evidence on the pitch.
Their numbers for possession, passing sequences and build-up attacks all plummeted. Instead of pressing opponents and forcing high turnovers, Spurs under Frank seemed happier to sit back and absorb pressure. It all felt reactive rather than proactive.
Stylistically, Spurs profiled similarly to Frank's Brentford as he put more emphasis on long passes and aerials. He prioritised defensive solidity, with little success, and their attack suffered. In their November defeats to rivals Chelsea and Arsenal, Spurs generated a meagre combined total of just 0.17 expected goals.
Frank succeeded in transforming their set-piece threat. Spurs have already scored more goals from dead balls than in the whole of last season. But the apparent lack of intent from open play was difficult for fans to stomach given the club's attacking traditions.
Frank pointed to availability issues, with some justification. But the lack of incision was alarming, with Frank frequently preferring a workmanlike midfield pairing of Joao Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur, much to the frustration of the club's fans.
Damningly, he departs with Spurs having attempted fewer through balls than any other Premier League side this season.
Home discomforts
It all started so well for Frank at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The 3-0 win over Burnley in his first Premier League game in charge in August came after a spirited showing in the European Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain. It offered early encouragement about what was to come under the new head coach.
Fast forward six months, though, and Spurs have only added one further Premier League victory from a total of 13 games in front of their own fans. Their home record is the third-worst in the division. Frank tried to avoid the R-word, but it is relegation form.
Their struggles at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where fans outwardly turned on Frank on numerous occasions, made it impossible for him to build a connection with those in the stands and ultimately paved the way for his departure.
Spurs' home form actually ranked as the worst in the Premier League relative to their away form, with Spurs taking 0.69 points per game fewer when playing in front of their fans than they did on the road.
Injury issues
Frank was not helped by certain factors beyond his control. Spurs have been dogged by injuries, especially offensively.
Frank was not able to call on James Maddison or Dejan Kulusevski once during his brief tenure. Dominic Solanke also missed a large chunk of the campaign. And when the striker finally returned to action, Spurs lost Richarlison and Mohammed Kudus.
Wilson Odobert became the latest player to fall when he had to be withdrawn in Tuesday's defeat to Newcastle.
Their current absentee list stretches into double figures and features the suspended Cristian Romero as well as the injured Pedro Porro, Bentancur, Lucas Bergvall, Djed Spence, Kevin Danso and Ben Davies, in addition to the names already mentioned.
The numbers are striking. Spurs have suffered the third-most injuries in the Premier League this season, their total of 43 putting them behind only Chelsea and Arsenal.
They are top, though, when it comes to the number of days lost. Spurs players have missed a cumulative total of 1,302 days of action this season. It all added up to make Frank's task tougher.
That Arsenal cup
Did getting pictured holding an Arsenal cup have any bearing on whether Frank lost his job or not? No. It was a simple mistake. But it did not help his chances of building a relationship with Spurs supporters.
The Spurs boss drinking from a cup branded with the badge of his biggest rivals, who were flying high at the top of the league while his team struggled, was an embarrassing mishap at a sensitive time. Coupled with the fact Spurs went on to lose that game against Bournemouth, it created an unnecessary hurdle for Frank to climb.
Of course, it was an unfortunate accident. But it added to the noise around his position and gave his detractors more ammunition.
Romero's discipline
When you have a player who knows they are walking into your starting line-up, it can sometimes cause more harm than good. For Frank, that sums up the story of Tottenham captain Romero.
So often the Argentine produced huge moments. Game-saving and perhaps, at times, job-saving moments. A crucial double against Newcastle and an equaliser against Burnley added to why he was indispensable at both ends of the pitch.
But for every time Frank had him to thank, he also had a headache to deal with. Romero wears his heart on his sleeve, but too often did that cause the Dane a problem.
On multiple occasions, Frank publicly backed his skipper despite question marks over his future and whether or not he had the right mentality to wear the armband. Any issues were dealt with in-house. What cannot be argued is that Frank protected the player.
How was he repaid? In his final couple of weeks in charge, he had to respond to comments Romero made on social media where he described the state of a 'stretched' Tottenham squad plagued with injuries as disgraceful. Again, he defended the player. Refused to strip him of his captaincy.
That was followed by a reckless sending off against Manchester United days later, ruling him out for the remainder of Frank's tenure. A leader not standing up alongside his team-mates. Instead, leaving them to fight without him.
Perhaps it's the case that Romero's words and actions were the reflection of how Spurs players felt across the squad. In that case, it was always going to be difficult for Frank to turn it around. But, to have your main point of leadership cause you more harm than good is an issue every manager would rather avoid.
