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Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank insisted his job is not under threat despite the 2-1 defeat at home to Newcastle United, leaving them in 16th, just five points above the relegation zone. Boos rang around the Tottenham Hotspur stadium following the latest defeat, while supporters were calling for their manager to be sacked. But Frank said he was given assurances from the owners on Monday.

Thomas Frank insisted his position is not under threat after Tottenham Hotspur’s 2-1 defeat at home to Newcastle United, live on TNT Sports and discovery+, extended their winless run in the Premier League to eight games.

The north London side have now lost 11 league games this season and find themselves sitting 16th in the table, just five points above the relegation zone.

Their home form is particularly concerning, having picked up just 10 points from 13 league games at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this season, with only Wolverhampton Wanderers picking up fewer points on home soil.

There were empty seats seen around the stadium before kick-off, while Frank faced chants of "sacked in the morning" from the home support, who greeted the full-time whistle with a chorus of boos.

Despite Spurs’ perilous position and poor form, Frank insisted he continues to have the backing of the club’s hierarchy.

Asked by TNT Sports following the Newcastle loss if his job is under threat, Frank said: "I spoke to them [the owners] yesterday, so no."

He continued: "I understand the frustration, and the easiest thing is to point at me. That's part of the job, unfortunately.

"I will work day and night to turn this around, but it is not just one person. There is no doubt we need to improve, and I need to be part of that."

Spurs started strongly under Frank, taking 14 points from their opening seven games this season, leaving them third in the league.

But they have endured a dramatic decline since, taking 15 points from their next 19 games.

Pushed in his post-match press conference on whether he believes he is the right man for the job, Frank said he is "1,000% sure", while suggesting Spurs’ mounting injury crisis provides a degree of mitigation for their drop-off.

The Dane said: "I am also 1,000% sure that I never expected us to be in a situation like this with 11 or 12 injuries on the back end of this and what we’ve been facing.

"But I know when you need to build something and need to get through things, you need to show unbelievable strong resilience.

"I understand the mechanism in football, no doubt about that, but there are a lot of studies that it is not the right thing to do.

"We, of course, understand we’re not in a good situation, but with everything in life you need to stay calm, keep doing it and keep going."

Spurs’ struggles in the league come despite their success in Europe this season, automatically qualifying for the UEFA Champions League round of 16 after finishing the league phase in fourth.

Frank said the fans’ frustration has "been building up" since last season, when the side also struggled in the league, finishing 17th, despite winning the UEFA Europa League under Ange Postecoglou.

"I think it is a situation now the club has been in, it’s fair to say, for almost two years, and at the end of last season as well, clearly a pattern that we struggle to manage Europe and the Premier League," the 52-year-old said.

"It’s something me, the team, the club, the players, we need to learn to do even better physically and mentally to deal with that."

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Spurs now have a 12-day break ahead of them, with the FA Cup fourth round this weekend, but they will then have the task of hosting league leaders and rivals Arsenal as they look to move away from the drop zone.

Spurs legend Glenn Hoddle admitted on TNT Sports that the club "are in a relegation fight".

"The players have to understand that and the fans have to understand that," Hoddle said. "It is the reality, and you have to scrap for every single point."

Former Spurs striker Les Ferdinand added: "You heard the groans at the end of the game. The boos were very loud, and they have been all season.

"A lot of the supporters have lost faith in what Frank is doing here."

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Tottenham Hotspur head coach Thomas Frank admits he is "desperate" to beat Newcastle United in the Premier League on Tuesday after another disappointing result and performance at Manchester United. Spurs are in the midst of a another selection crisis after Cristian Romero's suspension was compounded by an injury to Destiny Udogie. Dejan Kulusevski could miss the rest of the season.

Thomas Frank admits his Tottenham Hotspur side are "desperate" to end their slide down the Premier League table with victory over Newcastle United on Tuesday night, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.

Spurs' 2-0 reverse against Manchester United last Saturday means there are just six points between themselves and 18th-placed West Ham United in the relegation zone.

Eddie Howe's Newcastle are themselves in the midst of a long winter of domestic discontent, with The Magpies struggling to replicate the success of their UEFA Champions League campaign on home soil.

Newcastle were beaten 3-2 against Brentford at St James' Park in their latest outing, so with the spotlight as much on Eddie Howe as it is on Frank, the Spurs boss knows the encounter at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will be a high-stakes affair.

"There's no doubt we are desperate to win games, desperate," said Frank, whose side last won a league game at home in early December.

"There should be that feeling when we haven't won enough. The way I work - we're all different - is that if you haven't won enough, you do everything you can, and you actually do a little bit more, and you work a little bit harder. You just know that's the way to get out of tough moments.

"That's what I expect from players, and I actually think that's what I see from the players. They run very hard and that's why I'm so annoyed we couldn't get anything out of the Manchester United game.

"I'm convinced, if it had been 11 v 11, we would have got something out of it.

"We haven't won enough. You need to be desperate, because if you're not desperate, you don't understand the situation you are in.

"That's what we want for the fans. That's what we want for the team, the club."

With Newcastle also struggling, Frank knows the importance of having supporters onside from the first whistle in what promises to be a tense atmosphere.

"I can say we desperately need them," Frank said of the spectators planning to attend the match.

"Of course, when you're a little bit down to the bare bone, not that many players, it's not that straightforward, it's maybe not as confident the team and all that, then we need to push together."

Frank refused to be drawn into a debate over whether his side were now embroiled in a relegation battle, after former Manchester United and England striker Wayne Rooney made the declaration in his latest podcast for the BBC.

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A spate of injuries derailed Tottenham under Ange Postecoglou last season, and something similar is starting to afflict the Dane's own team selection, with Destiny Udogie suffering a hamstring injury against Man Utd which is likely to rule him out for "four or five weeks".

James Maddison has already been ruled out for the rest of the season, while Cristian Romero begins a four-match suspension following his sending off at Old Trafford.

It means that Frank will have to find solutions in defence, while he is unsure whether winger Dejan Kulusevski will feature again this season following his lengthy lay-off.

Asked if the Sweden international will be able to feature this campaign, Frank conceded: "I don't know.

"Deki has got another appointment at the end of this week where we will know more, but of course, if he's out of the Champions League squad, it's a sign it is not tomorrow.

"I'm focusing on Newcastle. That's a great opportunity ahead of us against a good team. That's the main thing. Can we go out there and get three points tomorrow?

"That will be very good and then climb from there. Look forward. That's what we need to do. That's the main focus.

"I think we have [the quality to get out of this situation]. There are a lot of players out and that, of course, never helps.

"But I think I actually put a very competitive team out against Manchester United, and we looked good for the first 30 minutes.

"We lost two players for tomorrow [Romero and Udogie], but Djed Spence is back and [Radu] Dragusin looked good when he came back in.

"I know we'll put a very competitive team out tomorrow as well and then there should be hopefully a few more coming back after that, but let's see."

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