Tottenham is having yet another disastrous season. It was the same last campaign, but there was at least light at the end of the tunnel with that Europa League win in sight.
Unlike Ange Postecoglou, though, there is no silver lining for Thomas Frank. It feels like the Dane is coaching on borrowed time, and it would be a miracle if he made it far into the new year, let alone the end of the season.
Look, coaches should always be given time. That's simply the bare minimum. However, plenty of time has already been given to Thomas Frank, and the higher a club's ambitions, the less time new coaches are given before a decision needs to be made.
Arsenal legend throws a not-so-subtle dig at Thomas Frank
Speaking to Sky Sports, Paul Merson took a scathing jab at Thomas Frank, but it's seriously difficult to criticize the former Arsenal defender.
In his own words, Merson said: "Thomas Frank earned his strips at Brentford, heâs taken that step up but I donât think heâs read the script... For example, telling the Tottenham fans theyâre not real fans, you canât do that. Iâm not a Tottenham man but those fans are loyal, they turn up every week 60 thousand of them, they donât see great football every week, and they keep turning up."
"These fans pay a lot of money to see Spurs play, you take your 2 kids, get a drink, a burger and a program and youâre paying a lot of money. Theyâre allowed to voice their opinion if itâs not going well."
"All Tottenham fans ask is to be brave, work hard and be brave. Iâll give Maddison his due, heâs one of them, gives it away a lot but doesnât shy from the ball, and I think itâs bang out of order what Thomas Frank has been saying, so I can see why Spurs fans havenât taken to him."
Weirdly, Tottenham fans agree with Paul Merson
Look, you'll rarely find Paul Merson saying anything positive about Tottenham. That's important context to take into account whenever he voices a Spurs take.
However, that context aside, where's the lie?
Paul Merson is only voicing what every Tottenham fan already knows about Thomas Frank, and if anything, he's been lenient on the Tottenham gaffer. On a different day, he would have been justified to say 10x worse things. Tottenham fans already have.
Thomas Frank is like a bull in a China shop right now. Not only tactically speaking, but his mannerisms don't help at all. Tottenham fans might overlook the poor performances, but his collateral damage in post-match interviews is just not it.
He persistently throws players under the bus, takes the blame away from himself, and acts in manners that break every unspoken rule in the book. There is no way a manager should ever clap the home fans after a loss. Especially the fans that he called fake not so long ago.
It might be painful to hear a former Arsenal player voice Tottenham fans' concerns, but that's where the club is at right now.