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Djed Spence was visibly unhappy after being brought off by Thomas Frank in Spurs' 3-0 loss away to Nottingham Forest, the second time that he's shown dissent towards his manager this season

Thomas Frank will speak to Djed Spence after the Tottenham star reacted angrily to being substituted during Sunday's 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest. Spurs were thrashed at the City Ground to leave them with a record of just one win from their last nine Premier League games.

In November, 25-year-old Spence and team-mate Micky van de Ven were seen walking past Frank following their 1-0 loss at home to Chelsea, later apologising to their boss. Now the Tottenham full-back has found himself being accused of disrespecting Frank again.

After his number came up in the 59th minute, Spence was seen gesturing and shaking his head. Frank didn't see the moment but will speak to the England international.

"I didn't see it," the Spurs manager said post-match. "Of course I will look back to be aware of it. I think there can be three reasons.

"He can be disappointed with his own performance, the team's performance, he can be disappointed with being subbed off. I'll ask him about that."

Frank insists that he's the right man to turn Tottenham around, having only been in charge six months. Spurs are languishing 11th in the Premier League table approaching the halfway stage and they're already out of the Carabao Cup.

In the Champions League, however, one win from their final two league phase games will book them a place in the last 16. A calamitous first-half goal set the tone for Sunday's loss to Forest before Sean Dyche's side made it a rout.

"I think it's pretty evident that if no one gets the time, no one can turn this around," Frank said. "This is not a quick fix. Today was a very bad performance.

"No two ways about that, but also know that to change this, this will take some time. No one will want to hear about that, it's just reality."

Should Djed Spence be punished? Have your say in the comments section.

Frank didn't want to lay the blame on Guglielmo Vicario for the Tottenham goalkeeper's role in the opening goal. "No… I think you see that every week in the Premier League and from every team all over the world," the former Brentford boss explained.

"So there's no problem with that. Mistakes like that happen. When things are going against us we need to keep doing the right thing and keep our cool heads."

Spurs host Liverpool on Saturday in their final home game of 2025.

Tottenham struggled under Ange Postecoglou, but at least it was fun and entertaining. Under his predecessor Thomas Frank, Spurs have become turgid and inconsistent

Thomas Frank admitted that his calm personality hid a “hurricane inside.”

Sometimes it is probably better to show the people how much you care and how much it is hurting. Maybe he should have let his guard down at the City Ground.

At the moment, it should hurt for Tottenham. Three steps forward (a battling draw at Newcastle and back-to-back home wins against Brentford and Slavia Prague) followed by an almighty leap backwards with a shocking defeat at Nottingham Forest.

Shocking? The performance was. You have to admire Spurs for laying out free scarves for the travelling fans. That sort of thing is a nice touch. But it quickly gets forgotten amid the chants of “you’re getting sacked in the morning” from the Forest fans.

And there is no doubt how much Frank cares. The Tottenham fans are - and perhaps this is being generous - divided on Frank. The football is not very good, the home results have been woefully inconsistent. And the players are hardly helping either.

Tottenham keeper Guglielmo Vicario has such poor body language. Throwing his arms in the air in frustration as if it is always someone else's fault but his own.

That was why Spurs fans were so upset with him and booed him after a howler against Fulham. Vicario was at the centre of two big moments at Forest, the second of which he is throwing his arms up in the air after being beaten by Callum Hudson-Odoi’s long range cross shot.

But the first one is just woeful. This is not about playing out from the back. This is about a straight pass from the keeper. That is what Vicario did and he played Archie Gray into trouble.

It was on Vicario. Not Gray. Vicario should be playing a pass at an angle. It is basic. There should be a law against a straight pass from the keeper. The keeper has landed his teammate in a right old mess. It was shocking.

Djed Spence threw a tantrum when he came off (hurling a jacket to the ground when he was substituted). These moments undermine the manager - and it is the last thing he needs.

Yet still Frank keeps his calm. Maybe he needs to lose his temper in a public show for the fans. You can file the Forest defeat under the really bad performances against Arsenal, Chelsea, Fulham and Bournemouth. Wolves even. And that was a draw.

Frank desperately needs to find some consistency. Even if is just in terms of level of performance. You cannot go from battling 2-2 draw at Newcastle to lame, meek woeful surrender at Forest in such quick succession.

Equally, the club must back Frank in the next transfer window. The squad is not good enough. They are crying out for a new keeper. They have got an assortment of nearly men forwards who look as if three should be traded in for one decent striker.

They desperately need Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski back. That will make such a difference. But we are into Ange Postecoglou territory there: bemoaning injuries and missing players.

At least Ange Ball was fun and entertaining. Plus it delivered a trophy. Going from that to inconsistent turgid football is a big ask.

But Frank must be given time to show if he is up to the job. It is a big ask to step up from Brentford to Tottenham. And at the moment, the gap looks too big. It is Frank’s job to prove otherwise.

Tottenham Hotspur are struggling and former part-owner Alan Sugar wants the club to sack Thomas Frank and bring in former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp to replace him

Former Tottenham Hotspur part-owner, Alan Sugar, has urged the club to sack Thomas Frank and bring in ex-Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp. The Spurs boss is facing mounting scrutiny following Sunday's 3-0 thrashing at Nottingham Forest, which extended Frank's disappointing run in north London.

The Dane arrived at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium from Brentford over the summer, but fans have grown increasingly frustrated with the team's playing style and dismal home record. Tottenham have managed just two league victories at home this season and languish in 11th place in the Premier League table after Ibrahim Sangare and a Callum Hudson-Odoi double secured victory for Forest at the City Ground.

The pressure is intensifying on Frank, whose side trails the top four by six points - the position that guarantees automatic Champions League football next term. Sugar, who served as Spurs chairman for nine years in the 1990s, has called for the club to consider a managerial shake-up.

The 78-year-old has advocated for Tottenham to appoint Klopp in place of Frank. He said: "With the massive fortune of the Lewis family, it would be a win-win situation if they hired Jurgen Klopp in January.

"Loads of money for players and a great manager. Who agrees?"

Sugar's hopes of seeing Klopp at the Spurs helm may prove futile, though. The German departed Liverpool at the conclusion of the 2023/24 campaign after almost nine years in charge - stating he no longer had the energy for such a demanding role.

The ex-Dortmund and Mainz gaffer has made it abundantly clear that he has no plans to return to the dugout. He's also adamant that managing another English team apart from Liverpool is a non-starter, even if he were to reconsider his decision to retire from management.

"I said I will never coach a different team in England. So that means if [he returns] it's Liverpool," Klopp revealed on the Diary of a CEO podcast.

"So yeah, theoretically it's possible. I love what I do right now, I don't miss coaching. I don't. I mean I do coach, just different, not players. And I don't miss it.

"I don't miss standing in the rain two-and-a-half, three hours. I don't miss going to a press conference three times a week, having 10-12 interviews a week. I don't miss that.

"I don't miss being in the dressing room in the sense that I don't have it often enough. I coached 1,080 something games. So, I was in the dressing room very, very often.

"I'm 58, that's from your perspective, old from the other side, it's not that old. That means I could make the decision in a few years. I don't know. [If] I had to make the decision today, I won't coach again, but thank God I don't have to do that. I can just see what the future brings."

Thomas Frank and Djed Spence haven't always seen eye to eye this season and there was another flashpoint involving the pair in Sunday's defeat at Nottingham Forest

It was another day to forget for Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank on Sunday. The London side lost heavily at Nottingham Forest to increase the pressure on the Dane, whose relationship with defender Djed Spence came into focus once more.

Spence and fellow defender Micky van de Ven appeared to snub Frank after a defeat to Chelsea earlier in the campaign. Both men apologised personally to the boss, but there was another flashpoint involving Spence at the City Ground.

As reported by BBC Sport, the latest episode came when Spence was substituted by Frank around an hour into Spurs' defeat. He is claimed to have appeared to question the decision when leaving the field after his number came up.

Spurs were 2-0 down at the time thanks to a brace from Forest winger Callum Hudson-Odoi. Ben Davies took Spence's place in a triple change, with Joao Palhinha and Lucas Bergvall also entering the fray, but it mattered little as Ibrahim Sangare added a third for the hosts.

Defeat leaves Frank's team in the bottom half with just 22 points from 11 games. Forest, meanwhile, moved five points clear of the relegation zone with their victory.

Spurs winger Mohammed Kudus delivered a brutally honest assessment after the defeat. "Not good enough. A very disappointing result," the Ghanaian said. "We didn't create enough today, including myself. We need more effort in our all-round game.

"To win a game in the Premier League is very difficult. We need the same input every single day. We lacked that. We needed to do more. The final quality, including myself, some of the decisions we took today was a bit in a rush. We need to pick it up and focus on the next game."

Next up for Spurs is a league meeting with Liverpool on Saturday. They follow that with London derbies either side of the turn of the year, away at Crystal Palace and then Brentford.

Fans on social media voiced their frustration at Frank's substitution during and after the Forest reverse. "Davies coming on for Spence has been an awful call by Thomas Frank," wrote one, while another said: "Frank is seeing this diabolical [Pedro] Porro performance and decides to take Spence off instead" and a third said "I can't wait to hear Frank explain how [Davies] for Spence and [Palhinha] for Bentancur were gonna help us at 0-2 down!"

While some have called for a change of manager, others have been less trigger-happy, with one writing: "I still think Frank should be given time. Build and use our best players when they are back fit. But Frank needs to be a little serious!"

Tottenham head coach Thomas Frank is looking to rectify Spurs' home Premier League struggles when the Europa League winners host his former employers Brentford on Saturday afternoon

Thomas Frank admits he's felt the weight of extra pressure since swapping Brentford for Tottenham. The Dane, who spent nine years bossing the Bees, knows only victory will do today against his former employers.

After almost six months in his new role in N17, he concedes the period of adaptation has not come without stress. Frank said: "Definitely, definitely I’ve felt that.

"It hasn’t surprised me because I knew that was the difference when I walked into it. But like anything else, you don’t know it before you’re standing in it. Like really know it. So now I know it's ‘okay, it’s like this,' and then we deal with it."

The 52-year-old tactician has now won just eight of his opening 22 matches in the Tottenham hot-seat. Additionally, his side have picked up just one sole victory - on the first day of the season against Burnley - from seven Premier League home encounters.

Frank actually boasted a better points-per-game ratio at both Brentford and Brondby and he's now acknowledged that he's still yet to determine his strongest Spurs XI.

When quizzed on whether that was the case, he replied: "Yes, I think it’s fair. I’ve got an idea of quite a few positions but I also think there’s competition so it's not that easy all the time to say 'okay, it's just those 11' because you need more than 11 players.

"Normally you see most teams find their strongest team and it will usually be those nine players all the time and then maybe change two, sometimes it's 10."

At Brentford, Frank was used to playing just once per week, occasionally twice but he would regularly oversee a full week of training.

Saturday's contest will represent Tottenham's fourth game in just 11 days and the gruelling festive schedule only gets tougher from here on in.

In his view, the fixture pile-up is the toughest challenge he's had to navigate since moving across the capital.

He continued: "I think the biggest difference obviously now is the amount of games, I think that’s the biggest thing, the short turnaround.

"Of course I experienced it during Covid, we had 21 games in a row, that was Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, Wednesday and so on. With a lot of travelling, that’s heavy.

"Nailing the message, nailing the team and all that bit, how you create a side that should be more and more in sync when you also need to rotate, that's the challenge."

Tottenham have no fresh injury concerns ahead of hosting Keith Andrews' side after Destiny Udogie and Brennan Johnson both came through unscathed following small fitness worries at Newcastle.

Spurs are looking for their first win in six in all competitions. Only Wolves (one) have claimed fewer home points in the Premier League this term.

Destiny Udogie has spoken for the first time since allegedly being threatened with a gun in London in September, thanking the Premier League club for their response

Tottenham Hotspur defender Destiny Udogie has thanked the club for their support after he was allegedly threatened with a gun by a football agent. The Italy international is alleged to have been threatened on September 6, with police called at 11.14pm.

"We have been providing support for Destiny and his family since the incident and will continue to do so," a Spurs spokesperson said in November. The club indicated not much more could be said at the time as it was an ongoing legal matter, but Udogie himself has spoken about the way the club have helped him through the ordeal.

“The club showed me good support and was next to me every day,” Udogie told The Athletic. “I’m really grateful to them for what they have done and for keeping me and my family safe. It’s really good for me.

“Obviously, it was important (to feel that support). Because it’s a new city for me. It’s my third year (at Spurs) but obviously London is a big city. So to be here with my family and my daughter, it’s good to have the club around me.

"It was not something I’d wish on anyone," the former Udinese star added. "It was a shock. But it’s OK, now we look forward.”

Udogie, who was part of Spurs' Europa League winning squad last season, has played 15 times for the North London club this term. He has missed part of the season through injury but started the last three league games under Thomas Frank.

"It is a terrible situation to have been in and I can't speak too much about it as it's a legal case, as we know, but the club and we have done everything we can to support him," Frank said when asked about the defender in early November. "We'll do that and he's clearly doing well on the pitch, which is good and we'll keep supporting him."

Frank gave Udogie the full 90 minutes on Tuesday as Spurs twice came from behind to draw with Newcastle United. Next up is a London derby against Brentford, with their under-pressure manager chasing a first league win in six.

"It's nice timing to get the three points on Saturday. The one way to win is to put in the good performance in there," the Danish boss said ahead of the game against his former club.

"Work on the things we're constantly working on, phase two, phase three, making it quicker. Be sharper, quicker and more penetration when we need to have that. Play with intensity, brave, and we're looking forward to it."

Newcastle were awarded a 'harsh' penalty after an intervention by the video assistant referee against Tottenham. Rodrigo Bentancur was judged to have fouled Dan Burn in the area as he stopped his run, while not looking at the ball.

Thomas Bramall pointed to the spot after being handed a second look by VAR, having initially not blown his whistle over the incident. Anthony Gordon then converted the resultant spotkick to hand Newcastle a late lead at St James' Park.

Premier League match centre explained: "After VAR review, the referee overturned the original decision of no penalty to Newcastle United. Referee announcement: 'After review, Tottenham number 30 makes a holding offence at the back post and clearly does not look at the ball. My final decision is penalty kick.'"

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher felt it was a cruel decision. "I do feel the penalty award was really harsh," he said on commentary.

"I do understand he wasn't looking at the ball, but at the end it was the sheer power of Dan Burn, who is so much bigger and stronger than him...Burn was almost putting him on the floor."

Despite the incident occurring in the 86th minute, Spurs found a way back into the game. Cristian Romero scored a dramatic overhead kick to earn a point for Thomas Frank in the 95th minute.

The Argentine defender had already scored earlier in the evening to level the scores after 78 minutes. Bruno Guimaraes had come off the bench to initially hand Newcastle the lead after Spurs failed to record a shot on target in the opening 45 minutes.

"Newcastle will be furious," said Carragher following Newcastle's equaliser. "Tottenham have had two shots on target and two goals."

"Wow! It isn't the greatest connection, it has come off his shin!" he added on Romero's strike. "How has that gone in? Newcastle will be kicking themselves."

Despite the result, Jonathan Woodgate believes Frank will be unhappy with Tottenham's performance. The ex-Newcastle and Tottenham defender did give credit to the Lilywhites, however.

"I just didn't think Tottenham were good in all parts of the game, whether offensively or defensively. They didn't really want to pass," said Woodgate on BBC Radio 5 Live.

"Newcastle seemed to drive the game much more than Spurs. When Bruno Guimaraes came on and scored I thought they were going to go on win.

"Then you have to give Spurs credit, they didn't give up, they kept on going and the captain comes up with two goals.

"It's a really strange game from a Spurs points of view and Thomas Frank won't have been happy with that display."

Jamie Carragher believes Marco Silva deserves a chance at managing at a bigger club and has mentioned Tottenham as a potential destination amid the pressure on Thomas Frank

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher believes Fulham boss Marco Silva would be ideal for a club like Tottenham Hotspur amid ongoing uncertainty around Thomas Frank's future. The Danish head coach replaced Ange Postecoglou in the dugout earlier this summer, but his side have struggled in recent weeks.

The 2-1 defeat at home to Fulham at the weekend means only Wolves have a worse home record than Frank's side in the Premier League this season. Spurs were two down after just six minutes when Harry Wilson capitalised on a mistake from Guglielmo Vicario.

The Italian goalkeeper lost the ball on the edge of his box and Wilson curled the ball into the back of the net. The next time the Spurs goalkeeper touched the ball, there were boos from the home crowd, which left Frank and Pedro Porro furious.

"I didn't like that our fans booed at him [Vicario] straight after and a few times he touched the ball," Frank said in his post-match press conference. "They can't be true Tottenham fans because everyone supports each other when you are on the pitch.

"And we do everything we can to perform. After, fair enough, boo, no problem. But not during. That's unacceptable in my opinion."

Reports from The Telegraph claim Spurs held an emergency meeting to discuss the disconnect with fans last month, and ahead of the trip to Newcastle, Frank said: "I completely understand the frustration.

"If we don't win there will always be a frustration. We have not won much at home this season - and also last -so the frustration can grow. It's my job to do what we can to have calm.

"We are nothing without fans. Tottenham Hotspur is nothing without the fans. My point was that during matches we need each other. Afterwards the booing can be fair. During, then we need to make it a fortress and, to do that, we all need to be together."

A fresh report from The Sun says some Spurs stars are frustrated with Frank's tactics with players confused over their roles due to changes in plans at short notice. However, Frank claims to have the full backing of the Spurs' hierarchy, but there is growing speculation about his future.

Speaking on The Overlap, Carragher said: "I’ve always been a fan of Marco Silva, even when he first came to the Premier League with Hull. I think he’s the one manager Everton should’ve stuck with, when they kept changing manager under [Farhad] Moshiri and the owner, he was the one I liked.

"I’ve always seen Marco Silva [as the level of] Tottenham – not quite to go from a [club like] Fulham to Liverpool or Manchester City, or a team that can compete for the league, but a level just below where they are trying for Champions League = maybe a club like Aston Villa.

"That will be the next step for him in the Premier League, and I think he deserves one of those jobs when they next come up."

Thomas Frank makes feelings clear after Tottenham players' crisis talks - 'We are nothing'

Thomas Frank was vocal about Tottenham's supporters' actions over the weekend, but the Spurs boss has insisted that his squad need the fan-base on side.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank has admitted he understands the frustrations of his side's supporters due to their poor home form so far this season. Spurs have won just one of their seven Premier League games this term - with that coming against Burnley.

Saturday's 2-1 defeat to Fulham means only Wolves have a worse home record than Frank's squad this campaign. The north Londoners currently find themselves 12th in the table, six points off the top four places.

Spurs conceded twice inside six minutes against London rivals Fulham at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium -compounding a miserable week after defeats to Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain. It was also their 10th home defeat of 2025 in the Premier League alone.

Fulham's second goal came from Guglielmo Vicario losing possession outside his box, resulting in Harry Wilson curling the ball into an empty net. When the ball next went to the Italian, sections of the Spurs fans booed him, leaving Frank and Pedro Porro furious.

"I didn't like that our fans booed at him [Vicario] straight after and a few times he touched the ball," Frank said in his post-match press conference. "They can't be true Tottenham fans because everyone supports each other when you are on the pitch.

"And we do everything we can to perform. After, fair enough, boo, no problem. But not during. That's unacceptable in my opinion." In an Instagram post uploaded on Sunday afternoon, Porro said: "Football is emotions. In football, as in life, there can always be mistakes.

"What I will not tolerate is hearing disrespect from the fans to my team-mates, hence my frustration at the end of the game. And we will get up. We remind you, six months ago, everything was so bad. In the end, it is not how it begins but how it ends. To the true Spurs fans, I love you."

Ahead of Tuesday night's game against Newcastle, reports from The Telegraph stated Tottenham players had held an emergency meeting to discuss the disconnect with fans last month. It's said that the subject of Spurs supporters was the key theme in a players' meeting following the narrow loss to Chelsea on November 1.

The report also argues that the Spurs players have adopted a new convention where they gather together in the centre circle at the end of the first half and leave the pitch together. Speaking ahead of the trip to Newcastle, Frank talked about the relationship with supporters after previously admitting he didn't like the boos directed at Vicario.

"I completely understand the frustration," he said. "If we don't win there will always be a frustration. We have not won much at home this season - and also last -so the frustration can grow. It's my job to do what we can to have calm.

"We are nothing without fans. Tottenham Hotspur is nothing without the fans. My point was that during matches we need each other. Afterwards the booing can be fair. During, then we need to make it a fortress and, to do that, we all need to be together."

Tottenham conceded twice during six shambolic minutes on Saturday night as Fulham claimed a 2-1 victory with fans turning on goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario after his error

Everything you need to know about the Tottenham's squad emergency meeting amid Saturday's dismal defeat to Fulham

Player emergency meeting: Following a previous defeat to Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur players held an emergency meeting to address a "critical issue." The central theme of this discussion was the growing disconnect and poor relationship between the squad and the club's supporters.

Vicario booing incident: The controversy was reignited after the 2-1 loss to Fulham, specifically following goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario's error which led to the opposition's second goal. When Vicario next touched the ball, a section of the Spurs fanbase responded by booing him.

Thomas Frank's stance: Manager Thomas Frank was visibly upset by the fans' reaction, strongly condemning those who booed the goalkeeper during the game. He went on to state that supporters who act in this manner "can't be true Tottenham fans" and deemed the behaviour "unacceptable."

Pedro Porro's defence: Spurs defender Pedro Porro publicly defended Vicario and expressed his frustration with the booing fans in a subsequent Instagram post. He clarified that while mistakes are an inherent part of football and life, he will not tolerate disrespect being shown toward his teammates.

New solidarity convention: In response to the negative atmosphere, the Spurs players have adopted a new ritual to demonstrate team solidarity amongst themselves. They now gather together in the centre circle at the end of the first half and leave the pitch as one unit, regardless of the mood in the stadium.

Form and recent results: The loss to Fulham capped a miserable week for the team, which included recent defeats to strong opponents like Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain. This result also marked the team's fourth loss in six Premier League games and their tenth home league defeat of the current year.

Historical tension: The reported tension between the current crop of players and supporters is, unfortunately, not a new development at the club. According to the report, this strained relationship with the fan base has been a recurring concern for previous Tottenham squads over the years.

Call for unity and perspective: Porro's social media statement concluded with a call for perspective and greater unity amongst the "true Spurs fans." He reminded them that the team had overcome significant struggles in the past and urged them to focus on how the season ultimately ends.

Read the full story: Tottenham stars hold emergency meeting over 'critical issue' after Thomas Frank controversy

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