Thomas Frank was sacked by Tottenham on Wednesday morning to end his disastrous tenure following reports that players became frustrated with his constant praise of Arsenal
Thomas Frank reportedly angered the Tottenham Hotspur dressing room by continually bringing up Arsenal before his sacking. The ex-Brentford boss was sacked on Wednesday following Spurs’ 2-1 home loss to Newcastle United.
This marked the end of a disastrous tenure that saw the north London outfit clinch a mere seven wins from their 26 Premier League matches. They also failed to secure a victory in their last eight league games under Frank’s stewardship.
Currently languishing in 16th place, Spurs are staring down the barrel of another relegation battle following their 17th-placed finish last season. Despite their woeful domestic form, they’ve managed to advance to the Champions League knockout stages after finishing fourth in the group stage.
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However, their European exploits weren’t enough to save Frank from the axe. Following his dismissal, it emerged that some Spurs players were reportedly unhappy by his constant praise for their arch-rivals.
The Telegraph reports that the Danish manager was ‘constantly going on about Arsenal’, particularly highlighting their prowess after Spurs’ crushing 4-1 defeat at the Emirates Stadium in November. It’s suggested that several players grew tired of this approach, with the general feeling being ‘just shut up about Arsenal’.
Some fans were left ‘dismayed’ when images emerged of Frank holding an Arsenal coffee cup while strolling around the Vitality Stadium prior to Tottenham’s defeat to Bournemouth. He later insisted that he hadn’t noticed the Arsenal logo on the cup he was holding, stating: “It’s fair to say that not winning every single football match, it would be absolutely stupid of me to take a cup with Arsenal on it.
“They’ve been in the changing room the game before us. It’s normal to say ‘give me a cup of espresso’ before every game. I think it’s a little bit sad in football that I need to be asked a question like that.”
“We are definitely going in the wrong direction if we are worrying about me having a cup of another club. Of course I wouldn’t do that, that would be really stupid.”
Following this embarrassing incident, memes depicting Frank as an ardent Arsenal fan reportedly made the rounds among Tottenham players and staff. Just last week, the recently sacked Spurs manager admitted that he felt some members of his team questioned his suitability for the job.
He expressed: “I am pretty sure there are also some players who don’t think I am the best bloke or whatever it is, but as long as they work hard and do everything they can on the pitch then I am happy. Is the feeling better if everyone is aligned and happy and likes each other? Probably, but it is all about the performances on the pitch.”