Thomas Frank was pictured with an Arsenal coffee cup before Tottenham were beaten 3-2 by Bournemouth on Wednesday night - and with pressure mounting, it will be hard to shake off
Whether he likes it or not, Thomas Frank’s reign as Tottenham manager will be defined by a coffee cup. An Arsenal coffee cup.
There he is, the Tottenham manager pictured holding a cup with his team’s bitter rivals’ name and logo in all its glory. The picture is one of the all time great, silly football gaffes. Like an under-pressure manager standing underneath an exit sign.
How do we remember Steve McClaren? The England manager also known as the Wally With The Brolly from that rainy night at Wembley. Former Everton boss Ronald Koeman famously had to change his Christmas tree because it had red baubles on it.
Big Ron Atkinson going into the wrong dug out for his first game in charge of Nottingham Forest. Harry Kane, Tottenham legend, can never escape being pictured in an Arsenal shirt with his hair dyed red from his days on their books as a youngster.
Koeman, Atkinson and Kane have arguably put those pictures behind them. McClaren hasn’t. And I’m not sure Frank can either. Nothing is going right for Frank at the moment - either on the pitch or off it.
The Arsenal coffee cup was, of course, left behind after the Gunners won at Bournemouth last Saturday. Frank innocently picked it up and used it to drink his coffee. Frank said it would be “completely stupid” to suggest he had knowingly done it and admitted he was irritated even to be asked about it.
But the reality is now most football fans have seen all the mocked up pictures on social media to poke fun at the Spurs boss. Frank in his Arsenal pyjamas on an Arsenal bedspread. Frank in an Arsenal dressing gown, drinking from an Arsenal mug. Frank mocked up as Ty being interviewed by Robbie on Arsenal Fan TV.
While those AI generated pictures will go by the way side, the real coffee cup picture will remain and is yet another stick for the Spurs fans to beat him with.
Along with the dull football, too many set-pieces and a manager who has just not won the fans over. And that is the whole problem about this picture. It does not look like the players are fully on board going by performance levels.
And now the supporters have got to look at this coffee cup gaffe. Will Frank get the time to turn it around? That’s one thing. But does he have the support from the fans which he undoubtedly needs?
Does it really matter? Isn’t it just a bit of fun. Yes, probably. A bit like a great Spurs-supporting friend of mine who was once given a JVC stack system back in the 90s for Christmas. He took a pair of pliers to the stereo and managed to prise off the logos because they used to sponsor Arsenal. We still laugh about it.
There is nothing stranger than football fans. And, unfortunately, Frank does not seem to be getting that either.