A 2-2 draw at Burnley on Saturday left Tottenham with two wins from their last 14 Premier League matches, and with a tricky run of games on the horizon, a decision needs to be made
The late equaliser was a thing of thunderous beauty - as good a header as the Premier League has seen. Seriously.
Ok, in terms of importance, it barely registers on an all-time list which is probably topped by the second of Steve Bruce’s double against Sheffield Wednesday in April, 1993, putting Manchester United back on track for their first Premier League title. But in terms of technique and power, Cristian Romero’s high-speed leveller at Turf Moor takes some beating.
In October, 2016, Luis Suarez headed a remarkable finish from the edge of the penalty area against West Brom and, at Stoke City in 2010, Javier Hernandez scored a ‘back-header’ for Manchester United that was all about improvisation. And the Romero header that earned Spurs a well-deserved point belongs in that sort of bracket.
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The Wilson Odobert cross was slightly behind Romero. It arrived at shoulder height. But somehow, Romero fashioned himself into a position to power his header past Martin Dubravka.
For a moment, the entire congregation was stunned. But as quickly as Spurs fans realised it was time to celebrate, they then realised this was still a result that gave weight to their contention that Thomas Frank should be dismissed.
They had serenaded him early in the game with a rendition of ‘Sideways and Backwards Everywhere We Go’ and sent him home with a throaty ‘Sacked In The Morning’. Which, on the stand-alone evidence of this football match, was a bit harsh.
For starters, Burnley are not as bad as their 15 points from 23 matches would suggest. Recently, they have merited the points they earned against Manchester United and against Liverpool at Anfield.
And secondly, Spurs came up against an inspired goalkeeper in Dubravka and were a touch profligate with their finishing, Dominic Solanke missing a sitter and Xavi Simons smashing one against the bar. It was a game they almost lost because of negligence in defence, Simons admitting: “We wanted to win and the two goals we conceded are not acceptable. It's a shame but we have to go on.
“We cannot concede this goal one minute before half-time and the second goal as well, I think we can avoid this. You have to win here - even if the keeper has a great match. We have to score those goals and we have to win. The only solution is to keep working. That's how we do it."
And there was no indication that Simons and every one of his team-mates was not prepared to put in the work for Frank. After Axel Tuanzebe had cancelled out Micky van de Ven’s opener and Lyle Foster had put Burnley ahead, Spurs rallied and could well have gone on to win after Romero’s header.
But results show Tottenham have won only two of their past 14 Premier League matches and the fixture list shows they have Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle United and Arsenal coming up. And more significantly, the reaction of the travelling fans after Romero’s violently beautiful intervention shows a basic truth.
A significant section of the Spurs support is not having Frank. Simple as that. They have made up their minds. So, now, it is over to the decision-makers. It was hard not to have a twinge of sympathy for Frank as he felt compelled to applaud those who wanted him sacked.
And as old school as it would be - archaic, in fact - perhaps it is time for the Spurs board to go public. The good old vote of confidence, or not. Perhaps it is time for Tottenham to back him or sack him.