Thomas Frank is SACKED by Tottenham: Defeat by Newcastle is the ultimate straw for sorry boss as Dane leaves Premier League membership in relegation struggle

Tottenham Hotspur have sacked Thomas Frank just eight months after appointing him. 

The Dane had come under increasing pressure in recent weeks amid a run which has seen Spurs slip to 16th in the Premier League table, with Tuesday’s loss at home to Newcastle United coming as the final straw for his superiors.

The writing seemed to be on the wall for the former Brentford manager over recent months and now his dismal spell is over. 

Frank won just seven of his 26 league games and lost 11 of them to leave his side only five points clear of the relegation zone. 

His team were unable to convert their promising Champions League form into the Premier League, a competition in which Spurs haven’t won since December 28.

They have picked up just two points in their past six league games and Frank and the players were heavily booed during and after the 2-1 defeat by Newcastle, while Frank was again subjected to chants of ‘sacked in the morning’ by his own fans. 

Tottenham Hotspur have sacked Thomas Frank just eight months after appointing him

Nevertheless, the Dane came out fighting after the game and told Tottenham’s board it would be a mistake to sack him now, before adding that he expected to be in charge for next Sunday’s North London derby against Arsenal.   

When asked if still believed he was the right man for the job, Frank said: ‘I am 1,000 per cent sure. But I’m also 1,000 per cent sure I never expected us to be in a situation like this with 11 or 12 injuries.

‘I know when you need to build something and get through something you need to show unbelievably strong resilience. It’s fair to say there’s sat a few before me up here, not only for Tottenham but many clubs, who have lost their head. 

‘You need to have a calm head and carry on, keep fighting and make sure we stick together. You can only get through this together – that’s the board, the leaders, the players, the staff, that’s me, the fans.

‘I understand the mechanism in football (that a manager is the easiest thing to change). But there are also a lot of studies that it’s not the right thing to do. 

‘The only thing I focus on is fighting to do the right thing with everyone else. Of course, we are not in good situation, but with everything in life you need to stay calm and keep going.’

When pressed on whether he would still be in charge for the visit of Arsenal, Frank added: ‘Yes, I am convinced I will be. I understand the question. It’s easy to point on me. But it’s never only the head coach or ownership or staff or players or directors, it’s everyone. Everyone knows the position we’re in and what we need to improve.

‘I understand the fans’ frustration. But this situation the club has been in for two years. There is clearly a pattern where we struggle to manage Europe and the Premier League. We need to learn to deal with that better. 

‘Injuries and suspension do not help. Then we face a Newcastle team struggling lately, but if you look at the team they put on the pitch, it’s quite different to us. 

‘Injuries need to be massively taken into consideration. I haven’t said it too much, everyone can see it’s impacting things.’

In the build-up to the Newcastle game, Frank had danced around the ‘R’ word and did his utmost to avoid saying it. Only once did he utter ‘relegation’ during a 30-minute press conference dominated by questions on the subject. 

That moment came in response to a parallel drawn to Tuesday night’s opponents Newcastle and their team featuring Michael Owen, Shay Given and Damien Duff, relegated in 2009 after being dubbed too good to go down.

Frank’s point was that if Spurs were ‘a little bit higher’ the questions would be about reaching the ‘top four’, but because they were ‘not as high’ the questions were about ‘relegation’ and either way, his answer would be the same, that he was only focused on the next game.

‘There’s no doubt we are desperate to win games,’ Frank said and reinforced it for effect. ‘Desperate.’

‘When you haven’t won enough, you need to be desperate, because if you’re not desperate, you don’t understand the situation you’re in. In terms of you don’t win enough. You need to turn it and win enough football games. That’s what we want for the fans, that’s what we want for the team, for the club.’

The uncomfortable truth, however, is that Spurs are deep in a trench of relegation form. And Frank has paid the price.