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Tottenham Hotspur 'completely aligned', says head coach Thomas Frank

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Tottenham Hotspur 'completely aligned', says head coach Thomas Frank - BBC
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Head coach Thomas Frank says Tottenham are "completely aligned" about the future as he faces pressure from fans to improve results.

Frank has declared that the club are united behind the scenes, saying that chief executive Vinai Venkatesham makes "sensible decisions" and is "is one of the best communicators I ever met".

Spurs were booed off after Sunday's 1-1 draw with Sunderland, and have won two of their past 11 Premier League games.

In the past week, Enzo Maresca has left Chelsea and Manchester United have sacked Ruben Amorim - with both head coaches departing amid fallouts with senior figures at their respective clubs.

But Frank says he has no such issues with Tottenham's hierarchy.

"I think the biggest thing is that we are completely aligned with the ownership," Frank said.

"Vinai is one of the best communicators I ever met, as a CEO, leader or whatever, he is absolutely excellent in that.

"I think I'm OK, but he is way superior, which I think is crucial internally and externally.

"He's calm and he takes sensible decisions - two rare abilities in football. He understands the journey we're on."

Tottenham, who visit Bournemouth on Wednesday, are in a congested mid-table, sitting 13th in the Premier League.

They are unbeaten in their past three matches, but have not scored from open play since 6 December.

Sporting director Fabio Paratici has continuously been linked with a move back to Italy with Fiorentina during recent weeks, but remains in place at Spurs.

Frank said: "We're paying his wage, he's working very hard.

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Andoni Iraola press conference: Bournemouth vs Tottenham Hotspur

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Andoni Iraola press conference: Bournemouth vs Tottenham Hotspur - BBC
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Justin Kluivert will have surgery on his left knee after being injured against Arsenal. Iraola said "it is very bad news" and he cannot not give a timescale for his return until the surgery has taken place on Thursday.

He said "it could be" Antoine Semenyo's last game for Bournemouth before his expected exit but there is "nothing agreed and nothing signed" yet.

Iraola added Semenyo has "been very professional" about the situation and he will be "almost impossible to replace".

On whether he is disappointed that Semenyo has chosen to leave: "Everyone has to make their own decisions. We are all different. I suppose when a big club comes calling, it's difficult. But we still don't know what is going to happen!"

Centre-back Veljko Milosavljevic has returned to training, but Ryan Christie needs "more time" to continue his recovery as he still has some pain when kicking the ball.

On the Cherries' recent results: "We are one of the teams that scores more goals and one of the teams that concedes more goals. We need to deal better inside our box."

On the financial position of the club in this transfer window: "I don't know our financial fair play situation. I understand the club has to sell some players to position themselves better for the next windows. I am not part of those decisions as head coach. I try to help in the process when signing players but I am not involved in the economical side."

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Portsmouth: Loanee Yang Min-hyeok recalled by Tottenham

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Portsmouth: Loanee Yang Min-hyeok recalled by Tottenham - BBC
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Portsmouth loan winger Yang Min-hyeok has been recalled by parent club Tottenham Hotspur, report BBC Radio Solent.

The South Korea international scored three goals in 16 appearances, including the dramatic winner against Charlton at the end of December, and was due to remain at Fratton Park for the full season.

Championship leaders Coventry have been linked with a move to take the 19-year-old on loan for the remainder of the campaign.

Portsmouth sporting director Richard Hughes confirmed this week that talks had already taken place with Tottenham over the prospect of Yang being recalled.

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Bournemouth news: Antoine Semenyo set for Cherries farewell against Tottenham

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Bournemouth news: Antoine Semenyo set for Cherries farewell against Tottenham - BBC
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Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola believes Wednesday's Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur will be Antoine Semenyo's final game for the Cherries.

BBC Sport reported last week that Manchester City were in advanced talks with Bournemouth last week after agreeing to meet the winger's £65m release clause, which must be activated by 10 January.

Several top Premier League clubs have been linked with signing Semenyo in recent months.

Iraola received an update on the 25-year-old's future before his pre-match news conference on Tuesday.

He said: "I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow or the next two or three days, but I've asked before coming here just to tell me, otherwise I will look foolish there talking about Antoine and then [he leaves]. And that's the situation in this moment of the day.

"I think it could be the last game," added Iraola. "That is my personal opinion, but there is nothing agreed and nothing signed. It is my personal opinion as I understand the market and the noise but there is nothing agreed right now.

"He, right now, is our player and I hope it continues."

Iraola also said Semenyo is "almost impossible to replace".

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FA Cup: How to watch and listen to third round on the BBC this weekend

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FA Cup: How to watch and listen to third round on the BBC this weekend - BBC
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The FA Cup third round is almost upon us - and you can keep tabs on all of the action across the BBC.

Two matches - hosted by National League side Macclesfield and the Premier League's Tottenham Hotspur - will be shown live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website.

This is the furthest the Silkmen have gone in the competition since they were re-formed in 2020. They beat Slough Town 3-1 to reach the third round, including a long-range stunner from James Edmondson in extra time.

Eight-time FA Cup winners Tottenham will be aiming to win the competition for the first time since their Wembley triumph in 1990-91.

Macclesfield face defending FA Cup winners Crystal Palace on Saturday (12:15 GMT) before Spurs take on Premier League rivals Aston Villa at 17:15 GMT.

Highlights from all games will be on BBC Two, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app on Saturday (18:00 GMT).

Live text commentary will cover all of the weekend's action, while digital highlights will be available on the BBC Sport website and BBC Sport social media channels.

There will be 22 ties shown live on television or available on streaming platforms, with 20 matches on TNT Sports and discovery+.

BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds will be broadcasting nineteen matches from the FA Cup third round across 5 Live, 5 Sports Extra and the Sports Extra 2 and Sports Extra 3 radio streams (available only on BBC Sounds).

You can also follow every game live with your local BBC radio station on radio, on BBC Sounds or live updates on the BBC Sport App. To find coverage on BBC Sounds, scroll through the radio dial and tap on the match you want or search the name of your local BBC radio station.

Here is where you can listen...

Friday 9 January:

MK Dons v Oxford United (19:30) - BBC Radio Three Counties and BBC Radio Oxford

Port Vale v Fleetwood Town (19:30) - BBC Radio Stoke

Preston North End v Wigan Athletic (19:30) - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

Wrexham v Nottingham Forest (19:30) - BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio Nottingham

Saturday 10 January:

Macclesfield v Crystal Palace (12:15) - BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio Manchester

Cheltenham Town v Leicester City (12:15) - BBC Radio Gloucestershire and BBC Radio Leicester

Everton v Sunderland (12:15) - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2, BBC Radio Merseyside and BBC Radio Newcastle

Wolves v Shrewsbury Town (12:15) - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 3, BBC Radio WM and BBC Radio Shropshire

Boreham Wood v Burton Albion (15:00) - BBC Radio Derby

Burnley v Millwall (15:00) - BBC Radio London

Doncaster Rovers v Southampton (15:00) - BBC Radio Solent

Fulham v Middlesborough (15:00) - BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio Tees

Ipswich Town v Blackpool (15:00) - BBC Radio Suffolk and BBC Radio Lancashire

Manchester City v Exeter City (15:00) - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Radio Manchester and BBC Radio Devon

Newcastle United v Bournemouth (15:00) - BBC Radio Newcastle and BBC Radio Solent

Salford City v Swindon Town (15:00) - BBC Radio Wiltshire

Sheffield Wednesday v Brentford (15:00) - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2

Stoke City v Coventry City (15:00) - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 3, BBC Radio Stoke and BBC Radio CWR

Bristol City v Watford (17:30) - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Radio Bristol and BBC Radio Three Counties

Cambridge United v Birmingham City (17:30) - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2 and BBC Radio Cambridge

Grimsby Town v Weston-super-Mare (17:30) - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 3, BBC Radio Humberside and BBC Radio Somerset

Tottenham v Aston Villa (17:30) - BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio London

Charlton Athletic v Chelsea (20:00) - BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio London

Sunday 11 January:

Derby County v Leeds United (12:00) - BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio Leeds

Portsmouth v Arsenal (14:00) - BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio Solent

Hull City v Blackburn Rovers (14:30) - BBC Radio Humberside and BBC Radio Lancashire

Norwich City v Walsall (14:30) - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2, BBC Radio Norfolk and BBC Radio WM

Sheffield United v Mansfield Town (14:30) - BBC Radio Sheffield and BBC Radio Nottingham

Swansea City v West Bromwich Albion (14:30) - BBC Radio WM (commentary not available on BBC Sounds)

West Ham United v QPR (14:30) - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and BBC Radio London

Manchester United v Brighton (16:30) - BBC Radio Manchester and BBC Radio Sussex

Monday 12 January:

Liverpool v Barnsley (19:45) - BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio Merseyside and BBC Radio Sheffield

*All times listed as GMT

To find coverage on BBC Sounds, scroll through the radio dial or search the name of the BBC radio station you want.

You can also listen to this weekend's commentaries on BBC Sounds via your smart speaker.

Just ask your speaker to 'play 5 Sports Extra' or 'play Sports Extra 3', for example. Or if it's local coverage you are after, simply use the name of your local BBC radio station.

Here are ways to download the BBC Sounds app in the UK:

Apple, external

Android, external

You can stay updated with everything going on with your team by following the club feed on the BBC Sport website and app, as well as BBC Sounds.

So if you are a Grimsby Town fan, check out:

BBC Sport website and app

BBC Sounds

This article is the latest from BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything team.

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Tottenham news: Opinion - Fan writer on club needing investment

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Tottenham news: Opinion - Fan writer on club needing investment - BBC
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No matter what side of the Thomas Frank debate you sit on, Sunday's performance had something for everyone.

While the first half offered glimmers of hope and indications of what he is trying to build with a squad of mostly average players, the second half confirmed that significant changes are required for the future to look anything other than bleak.

No doubt Frank will be looking nervously over his shoulder at developments in west London and Manchester, but it is our squad which requires an upgrade more than our coaching department.

Granted, things are not clicking for Frank at Spurs yet. It is unclear what his strategy is, particularly regarding creating and scoring goals. Even so, chances were created but could not be finished against Sunderland, and that speaks to a lack of quality players, not coaching style.

The reality is we are sorely missing our most creative and attacking players through injury, and the ones we had brought in to fill the gaps are either absent through suspension, such as Xavi Simons, or simply not good enough, such as Randal Kolo Muani.

Losing Mohammed Kudus to injury in the early stages of the game on Sunday has just added to those woes.

It is more important than ever that the club's owners invest in quality players. We are currently a mid-table team playing mid-table football, yet our aspirations are far higher and so, naturally, tensions arise.

Yes, this is more or less the same squad which won the Europa League, but it is also a team that finished 17th in the Premier League last season.

As much as it hurts to admit it, out of these two results, the trophy is the anomaly.

If we want things to improve, our club must act ambitiously with player recruitment.

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Thomas Frank press conference: Bournemouth vs Tottenham preview

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Thomas Frank press conference: Bournemouth vs Tottenham preview - BBC
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Mohammed Kudus had a scan on Monday so is expected to be unavailable.

Destiny Udogie "is training and looking better", but Frank could not say for certain whether he will be fit enough for Wednesday's game.

Frank says Dominic Solanke will be back "in the near future", but after six months sidelined "it will take time" for him to get back to his previous level.

On Brennan Johnson's £35m move to Crystal Palace: "There was an opportunity to sell him now and give him the opportunity to try something else, and that was the right decision."

Frank said "it's fair to say we are short of offensive options" so is hopeful to solve that issue in the January transfer window.

He confirmed the club have appealed against Cristian Romero's red card against Brentford.

On opponents Bournemouth: "They're a very good team. I know they haven't won as much lately but they are very competitive. The game against Arsenal [on Saturday] was very tricky and they could have got something out of [it]."

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Premier League highlights: Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Sunderland

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Premier League highlights: Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Sunderland - BBC
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Tottenham 1-1 Sunderland: Why Thomas Frank is trapped in a gilded cage at joyless Spurs

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'Struggling Frank trapped in gilded cage at joyless Tottenham' - BBC
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Thomas Frank is trapped in a gilded cage at Tottenham Hotspur, his attempts to escape hindered by yet another joyless experience and more Premier League points dropped.

The magnificent Tottenham Hotspur Stadium resounded to a familiar sound of loud boos at the end of Sunday's 1-1 draw against Sunderland, more out of widespread frustration than specifically aimed at Frank, but a soundtrack of deep discontent nonetheless.

Spurs were functional rather than thrilling as they held sway in the first half, their superiority rewarded by Ben Davies' eighth goal in 244 Premier League appearances for the club.

And there the good news ended for Frank.

Sunderland woke from their first-half slumbers, detected the growing anxiety around the stadium, and a sense of inevitability accompanied a thunderous 80th-minute equaliser from Brian Brobbey.

The Black Cats punished Spurs for going into increasing retreat in the second half, inviting the sort of pressure that eventually cost them the chance of improving an embarrassing home record in the league this season.

It sparked a reaction at the end that reflected the mood that hovers over Spurs like a rain cloud. This stadium is not a happy place – and Frank is failing to provide the style or substance to change things.

Denied the relief of victory, Frank's Spurs have now played 10 league games at home, winning only two, losing five and drawing three.

Spurs were not bad. They were dull, uninspired, lacking spark, wasteful.

And therein lies Frank's problem in forging any sort of bond with Spurs fans. In the modern parlance, the majority are simply not having him. Once supporters decide this, it is often an impossible job to turn those feelings around.

In Frank's defence, he hardly inherited a winning machine from the sacked Ange Postecoglou, in the Premier League context at least. Spurs won the Europa League, but 22 defeats and a Premier League placing of 17th was the more realistic measure.

Frank's initial task was to win over supporters sceptical that he had arrived from the more low-key environment of Brentford, but he has been unable to provide any sort of consistency, identity and – far more significantly – excitement and wins.

He has been without injured key creators Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison this season. Dominic Solanke has barely figured, while he lost Mohammed Kudus after only 19 minutes here.

And Brennan Johnson, of course, has been sold to Crystal Palace for £35m. Frank was willing to lose the Wales forward, but he may well have cursed the decision as Kudus limped disconsolately away with what looked like a muscle injury.

The dour nature of the fare offered up by Spurs under Frank is illustrated by the fact they have drawn six of their 20 Premier League matches this season, as many stalemates as in the final 53 league games under Postecoglou.

However, those who still support the manager would point out that only Arsenal have a better away record than Spurs, while Frank's 27 points from 20 games measures up well against his predecessor's 38 from 38 last term.

How does Frank transform what seems to be a largely loveless relationship with Spurs fans?

At the moment, this looks an impossible task as many seem to have made up their mind that Frank is not the man for them. Harsh so soon into a head coach's reign, but already it is only a sequence of wins, preferably achieved with panache, that will shift hearts and minds in this part of north London.

The Spurs fans did not turn on their team or head coach during this game, a fact acknowledged by Frank, but the reaction at the final whistle was one of loud dissatisfaction.

Frank, however, told BBC Match Of The Day: "First and foremost throughout the game the fans were very good and backing us and that is all we are asking for. I am sure the fans will acknowledge the first half - and the players tried throughout the game, but sometimes it doesn't go your way."

He added: "There were a lot of positives in the performance. The first half was much more like we want to do. I liked our intensity with and without the ball. We created a lot of good situations, but we lacked the decisiveness to finish the game off.

"The second half was a little more back and forth but we were slightly on top, and still got into those attacking situations where we needed to kill the game off. The positive is the intensity. The negative is we didn't score a second goal.

"When you are working very hard, sometimes you get into that momentum where everything clicks and goes your way. Sometimes you have to work very, very hard to get the margins on your side.

"That is all you can ask for and then we're all a little disappointed that we couldn't get the three points."

Disappointment, worryingly for Frank, is becoming the byword for Spurs and his tenure so far.

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Tottenham 1-1 Sunderland: Post-match analysis

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Tottenham 1-1 Sunderland: Post-match analysis - BBC
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Spurs were comfortable as they dominated Sunderland in the first half of a largely undistinguished encounter, but they failed to fully capitalise on their superiority.

Ben Davies' goal was a deserved reward, and it looked like Spurs would enjoy the luxury of a rare home victory to ease some of the ill-feeling towards Thomas Frank in the aftermath of the Brentford stalemate.

Instead, their slender lead became a burden as tension increased around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Sunderland sensing the chance to exploit the nerves.

Spurs created opportunities after the break but were wasteful, leaving the door open for Sunderland to record another fine result in their excellent return to the Premier League.

Joao Palhinha's late header flew agonisingly wide for Spurs, leading to more loud jeers at the final whistle, the sound of frustration.

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