There is a limit to what fans will put up with, and no one knows precisely what that limit is until it is reached.
On Thursday night at Brentford, that breaking point was hit. One thousand, seven hundred and 23 Tottenham Hotspur fans had travelled out to west London in the bitter cold. And they had watched Tottenham yet again do absolutely nothing, create nothing, threaten nothing, imagine nothing, score nothing, and achieve nothing but a clean sheet and a point that moves them up to 12th.
Speaking afterwards, head coach Thomas Frank hailed a “very, very strong defensive performance”.
This was not the first Tottenham attacking no-show under Frank. There have been far too many already, given he is only halfway through his first season. And so when he went over to the away fans to applaud them at the end, they could not hide their feelings about him. This was not just booing this result or this performance. It was specifically directed at Frank himself.
You could sense that a reaction like this was coming. All game, the mood of the away end had been bubbling, rising towards that invisible limit of patience. The fans had sung ‘Boring, boring Tottenham’ and ‘We want our money back’. They had pointedly sung the names of plenty of former players — including Brennan Johnson — warming themselves up around the glow of memories of happier times.
In the final miserable minutes of this appalling game, the end of their tether had been reached. They were increasingly aghast at every missed opportunity to make something happen, whether Richarlison bungling a simple pass or Guglielmo Vicario taking his time before launching it. And then Frank walked over and bore the brunt of it.
This was not the first time that Spurs fans booed this season. But it felt like the most pointedly personal booing so far. Nor can this be taken in isolation. This was not disappointment at a mistake, or frustration over another bad day at the office. There was nothing random or unfortunate about Spurs’ badness here. Because Spurs were bad in precisely the ways that you would expect them to be bad, the ways in which you have seen them be bad too many times this season already. This was some of the worst football you will ever see. But you could never call it a surprise.
The problem was that Spurs were set up with no capacity to move the ball forward. Frank reunited Joao Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur in the middle, but with the added twist of Archie Gray playing at 10. Spurs’ options for ball progression included Pedro Porro hitting the ball down the line and Spurs’ centre-backs going back to Vicario, who hurriedly hacked the ball downfield. That was essentially it. Their best moments were Gray having a shot blocked from the edge of the box and Richarlison swinging wildly at a volley from a difficult angle. After that, there was little.
Brentford shaded the second half and had chances to win it. But in truth, it would have been a travesty if either team had scored here or left with three points. Frankly, it feels a bit much that both teams went home with one point. This was a game to make you wonder what you are doing with your life, how many mistakes have led you up to this point. We must all hope that this is the worst game of football played in 2026. Anything worse than this would suggest that something, somewhere, has gone seriously wrong.
The highlight, the one moment that will stay with those who saw it, came when Vicario was booked for time-wasting with more than 20 minutes left of normal time. He had been taking so much time over a goal-kick, it was as if he thought it was added time in a cup final and his team was 1-0 up. Keith Andrews said afterwards that it was a sign of respect from Frank to his old team, because he was so desperate to stop their momentum.
Maybe that is right. When Frank gave his own post-match press conference, he explained how good Brentford have been at home, how they have already beaten Aston Villa, Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United here this season. Which is true. But probably not what Spurs fans want to. Fans prefer it when their team takes the initiative.
There is no question that Frank has tightened Spurs up, moving them away from the era of 22 league defeats, 17th place and all that. With 18 points from 10 games, they still have the best away record in the league this season. It was only on Sunday that Spurs went to Selhurst Park, kept it tight, scored from a corner and won 1-0. That did not feel like a classic at the time, but compared to this game, it was the 2022 World Cup final. That is the problem with playing this football, offering nothing in terms of entertainment. Your only option is to win. Fail to do that, and there is nothing for fans to invest in or get behind.
Frank admitted afterwards that Spurs still need to improve on the ball. “We need to add the next layers,” as he routinely puts it. And with Dominic Solanke, Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison injured, and Xavi Simons suspended, this is a group short on attacking quality. There is more pressure on the January window than ever before.
The problem is that for this to work, fans have to believe in the direction of travel. They must want to be on the journey with Frank and the players. And that means aiming for some lofty goals, sharing the aspirations, if not the records, of great Spurs teams of the past. Tightening the defence, restricting Brentford’s shooting opportunities, and maximising set pieces — these alone will not cut it.
At some point, Frank has to offer something grander than efficiencies and marginal gains. Or else there will be more games like this. And more fan reactions like this, too.