Joe Cole has slammed Tottenham Hotspur stars and insisted the dressing room's behaviour towards Thomas Frank needs to be looked at amid increasing pressure on the boss.
The Dane has failed to turn the tide at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium since being appointed as Ange Postecoglou's successor in the summer, with Spurs currently sitting 14th in the Premier League standings after seven wins, as many draws and nine losses to show for the season.
As a result, Frank has seen fans turn on him recently, with chants of "you're getting sacked in the morning" ringing out from Tottenham supporters home and away this month. However, former West Ham and Chelsea star Cole has urged fans to take a look at the wider state of play, instead of pointing the finger at the squad for a disastrous run of form.
Speaking ahead of Spurs' Champions League clash with Eintracht Frankfurt at Deutsche Bank Park on Wednesday evening, Cole said: "We were talking off air there, and I really feel for Thomas Frank. Daniel Levy's left, who knew everything at that club, everything went through him; he chose the spoons in the kitchen.
"So it's a real mess at the moment, and the fans are still calling for change, but where do you want to change it to? They won't win trophies, think it's one or two in 30, 40 years.
"They want to play like this, then they don't want to play like that, and Thomas Frank is just the front man. Just give him time, let him do his thing; he did it at Brentford.
"He did it at his previous club, where he built something, and he's in the middle of a firestorm at the moment. Everything is coming on Thomas Frank, but I think the dressing room at Spurs really needs addressing.
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"Some of the behaviour from the players towards Thomas Frank and their own fans and some of the stuff online and all that nonsense, I just think that's the problem at Tottenham, it's not Thomas Frank."
Ally McCoist concurred with Cole's thesis on matters in north London at present, explaining how the club look a little lost domestically at present despite a good European run. He explained: "I do agree. I was at that Dortmund match, and for the first 45, they were excellent.
"[Pedro] Porro on the right-hand side, [Dominic] Solanke gets his goal, and they were firing on all cylinders. The sending off helped them, but they were really excellent.
"As a club, I think they look lost. You can even discuss the rights and the wrongs of it, but they got rid of a manager who won them a European trophy.
"If you take it like that and think about that, it's madness. I know the league position is nowhere near good enough, but you could see he [Postecoglou] was not giving up points, but his main aim was to win that European trophy, and he did it.
"But the club for whatever reason decided to get rid of him and then the new manager comes in and it's all great but now suddenly he's getting it. They have had quality, they've had Nuno [Espirito Santo], [Mauricio] Pochettino, Jose [Mourinho]."
Cole then replied: "In the modern area as well. When players, when some players recognise how easy it is to get a manager sacked at the club," before McCoist interrupted to say: "Correct."
TNT Sports pundit Cole then added: "It's a different thing for them (players). I just think not shaking the manager's hand, the stuff online. All of that needs ironing out before they start looking at Thomas Frank."