After three wins from their opening four league games, Tottenham have since won just two of their last 10, leaving them 11th in the table.
“Definitely, definitely I’ve felt that,” Frank said. “It hasn’t surprised me because I knew that was the difference when I walked into it. But like anything else, you don’t know it before you’re standing in it. Like, really know it.
“So now I know it, so ‘OK, it’s like this, hmm’. Then we deal with it.”
Slow starts in his two previous head coach roles, at Brondby and Brentford, have taught him to stick to his principles. His Bees tenure started with a run of one win from his opening 10 games in charge. But patience paid off.
He continued: “I think both experiences showed me [that] you can stick to your principles, processes, structure, to what you believe in. Constantly try to add the layers you want to add to the squad in terms of culture, behaviour, the way you want to play, finding the right formula, all that. You just need to keep doing that.”
Frank is realistic enough to know he may not be afforded that time at Tottenham. Results need to change and quickly.
A “freak” opening to Spurs’ last home game saw Tottenham go 2-0 down to Fulham inside six minutes, as goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario was booed by his own fans after failing to clear his lines in the lead-up to Fulham’s second goal.
A spirited second-half performance against Newcastle on Tuesday has provided hope, though, and Frank has stressed the importance of remaining calm as the noise intensifies around him and his players.
“I still think it was a freak six minutes, but that, of course, happens when things are not perfect,” Frank, who is looking for just his second home league win as Tottenham boss, continued.
“I think it's about talking about it. You can't run away from it. Can't do that. So, of course, speak about it.
“No matter what happens, stick to the plan. No matter what happens, be calm. No matter what happens, keep doing what we should do.
“And then encourage each other. And then, like with everything, it's one step at a time. Keep doing the right thing. Keep working your way into the game.
“And then we know every game, you will have a bit of momentum. And then it's about taking that momentum you have.”