Spurs Web

Michael Dawson has sent a message to the Tottenham fans about Thomas Frank after the angry reaction to the club’s loss against Fulham.

Tottenham’s struggles at home continued on Saturday, with the Cottagers becoming the fourth Premier League side to walk away with all three points from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

What will be an even bigger cause for concern at Hotspur Way is the worsening relationship between the Spurs players and the supporters.

The Tottenham fans are now starting to turn on Thomas Frank, who is now under serious pressure just a few months into his stint at N17.

Michael Dawson urges Tottenham fans to give time to Thomas Frank

Former Tottenham captain Michael Dawson has now suggested that the situation is not as dire as it seems, pointing out that the Lilywhites are not far away from the top six points-wise.

He urged the supporters and the club to give Thomas Frank time to build something at the club.

Dawson told Sky Sports after Tottenham’s loss to Fulham: “It was always going to improve from last season [in the Premier League]. They are 10th now but only four points off the top four, so that’s where you have to be realistic. Did I expect them to finish in the top four this season? I didn’t. I thought top six was realistic with Frank going in.

MORE SPURS STORIES

“With what he did over the last four or five years at Brentford, we can’t now just say Frank isn’t a good coach. The performances have been well below par at home. It is that creativity. It is hard for Thomas, but he has only been in the building for a blink of an eye. You have to give him a chance but you have to see an improvement.

“They are only four points off top four. Top six was a realistic aim. Thomas Frank is a good coach because we have seen it for years, but a big club brings expectation and scrutiny. This group of players aren’t playing to the levels I expect them to be.”

The Spurs board’s hands could be forced regarding Frank

Reports over recent days have indicated that the Tottenham board see Frank’s project as a long-term one and will not make any knee-jerk decisions.

In fact, some sources have even said that Spurs are ready to back Frank the way Mikel Arteta was at Arsenal during his early struggles at the Emirates.

Thomas Frank has reflected on whether there is a growing disconnect between the Tottenham players and the fans.

Tottenham continue to struggle to create chances and pick up wins at home, and the anger of the fan base is now boiling over regularly at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Pedro Porro was angered by Lucas Bergvall when he went to applaud the fans following the team’s 2-1 loss to Fulham, with the right-back clearly not happy with the crowd.

Meanwhile, Thomas Frank has blasted the Spurs fans who booed Guglielmo Vicario after his error against Fulham, with Dane stating that it is ‘unacceptable’ to boo your players during the game.

Thomas Frank tells Tottenham fans that the players do not lack commitment

The Tottenham boss has now remarked that the team’s losses are not down to a lack of commitment or effort from any of his players.

He asserted that the players are more desperate than anyone else to turn around their predicament and win matches at home.

When asked if there is a huge disconnect between his players and Spurs fans, Frank told Football.London: “I think there’s nothing that the players, I, everyone want to get the win here. Nothing we want more. And I hope the fans can see that they were running out there today, giving everything. But football is so beautiful and complex.

MORE SPURS STORIES

“It’s 11 players that need to be in sync and play and run at the same time. And there are small setbacks during games, you need to get through it and stick to the plan, stick to the bits. And sometimes it’s just more tough.

“And sometimes you’re in a spell where it’s difficult, which it is right now. But there’s only one way, it’s going forward and do everything you can to get out of it together. So there’s only one thing, we keep going and do everything we can to win the next home game.”

Frank is between a rock and a hard place at Spurs

Many Tottenham fans are now calling for Frank to be sacked, and an increasing number of them are turning on him.

In this context, the worst thing the 52-year-old could have done is to criticise the supporters, but perhaps he felt he had to defend his players, which is why he spoke out in favour of Vicario.

The former Brentford boss is between a rock and a hard place as he will lose the dressing room if he does not stand up for his players, but at the same time, he will not stay in the job for long if the supporters completely turn against him.

Pedro Porro has come out with fighting words following his antics after Tottenham vs Fulham on Saturday, which has created much controversy.

Just when you thought the relationship between the Tottenham players and the fans could not get any more strained, we saw scenes that we had never witnessed before on Saturday.

As has become the norm at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this season, the players were booed incessantly by the fans, both during the game as well as at half-time and the full-time whistle.

Clearly upset by the supporters’ behaviour, Pedro Porro was angered when Lucas Bergvall decided to applaud the fans, with the Spaniard shouting at his teammate before heading straight down the tunnel.

Pedro Porro says he will not tolerate Tottenham fans who disrespect his teammates

Thomas Frank played down the Porro incident, and one would have expected the Spaniard to apologise.

Instead, he has now taken to social media to state that his behaviour was down to the fact that he and his teammates felt disrespected.

The 26-year-old reminded supporters that just like last season, it is not about how the campaign begins, but rather about how it finishes.

MORE SPURS STORIES

Porro wrote on Instagram stories: “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 teammates, hence my frustration at the end of the game.

“And we will get up, we remind you six months ago, everything was so bad, and in the end, it is not how it begins but how it ends. To the true Spurs fan, I love you.”

Spurs fans need to do better

The supporters have every right to be frustrated and angry, and booing after the game is understandable, given how poor the results have been at home.

However, what happened to Vicario is extremely unfortunate, and one can understand why the players and Thomas Frank have reacted so angrily to the incident.

Booing your own players in the middle of the game when they have just made a mistake is only going to destroy their confidence.

The excuses from some Spurs fans of paying high ticket prices or being angered by the performances completely miss the point.

The question they have to ask themselves is simple: Do they want to make it harder for their own team by booing them during a game?

Tottenham supporters are trying to process Thomas Frank’s pointed comments after the Fulham defeat, and the manager’s choice of words has stirred a sharp reaction across the fanbase.

It all unravelled quickly in the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium when Tottenham faced Fulham at the weekend, as the Cottagers defeated Spurs 2-1.

Guglielmo Vicario’s mistake early in the game proved costly and led Fulham to take a two-goal lead, leaving Spurs with a mountain to climb early on in the game.

Tottenham Hotspur fans were not best pleased with the Italian’s performance, leading to boos during the match.

Spurs boss Thomas Frank did not hold back in his assessment of his own supporters, labelling sections of the fanbase as fake for the boos during the game.

Tottenham supporters have now reacted to the manager’s words on social media. One fan said: “Says a not real Spurs manager – how long until we can get Poch back?”

Another added: “And when I see a manager on millions a year try to lecture working class fans who spend £60 to see their team lose, I think ‘That is not a true manager’.”

MORE SPURS STORIES

One Tottenham fan was not pleased with Vicario: “Vicario is a mistake waiting to happen. As a manager, you have to sometimes back players but also make necessary changes. This is a problem with Vicario being part of the so-called leadership group.”

Another added: “You mean to tell me the guy that has been there for a couple of months is making statements about who is a true Spurs fan? My guy do not let the door hit you on the way out.”

However, one supporter accepted parts of Frank’s view, saying: “Not happy with Frank whatsoever but he is right… was shameful from our fans today, embarrassing. I was angry with Vicario but booing thereafter…. Grow the f**k up.”

Spurs focus must shift to performances after Frank remarks

Thomas Frank needs to tread carefully with his dealings with fans, as picking a fight with the fanbase could unravel quickly.

Focus needs to be on getting things right on the pitch, and if the Tottenham boss fails to do so, then the boos will simply continue to ring loud.

Tottenham Hotspur’s awful home form has been ongoing for 12 months, and some of the numbers behind their struggles make for shocking reading.

Following their loss against Fulham, Tottenham Hotspur have now lost four and drawn one of their six home games in the Premier League this season.

Only bottom-of-the-table Wolves have accumulated fewer points at home than Thomas Frank’s men have this term.

However, North London clubs’ home malaise stretches back a lot further than this season, with the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium being an extremely happy hunting ground for visiting sides over the last 12 months.

Numbers show Tottenham’s home form is hitting record-level lows

Sky Sports have now provided six stats that show just how poor the Lilywhites have been in front of their home fans over the last 12 months.

Spurs’ home form is on a downward trend

What will worry Tottenham fans is that rather than improving, their side is getting worse and worse at home.

There may be several factors behind that, and one of those that cannot be ignored is the growing disconnect between Spurs fans and the team.

The atmosphere at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is only going to keep getting progressively more toxic unless the Lilywhites are able to reverse this slide very fast.

Thomas Frank has spoken about the lobsided Tottenham formation that he used against Fulham and why it failed to work.

The Dane has been throwing several surprises with his selections over the last few weeks, and he did so again on Saturday.

While it was not a surprise to see Randal Kolo Muani and Richarlison starting together after they scored three goals between them against PSG, the midfield left many confused.

Lucas Bergvall was operating in the inside spaces, and as a number 10 on occasions, with Mohammed Kudus on the right, but the Lilywhites did not line up with a left-winger.

Thomas Frank reveals why Tottenham played a lopsided formation against Fulham

The Spurs head coach has now admitted that the lobsided formation was by design as he wanted to play with two strikers.

He confessed that his players were rushing things too much in the first half and did not make the right decisions in possession.

When asked about the formation being overloaded on the right, Frank said (via Football.London): “That’s true. I wanted two strikers in and around each other, which looked good at times, but of course, the game plan was definitely way more difficult after the 2-0.”

MORE SPURS STORIES

When asked if the formation made Tottenham too predictable as everything was going down their right, the 52-year-old responded: “Yeah, I think for me the first half was clearly we were rushing things too much. We were going in behind when we shouldn’t go in behind, we were playing in the middle when we shouldn’t play in the middle and all those bits because we were rushing too much.

“I think it is difficult to judge the first half. Of course, it is a part of everything, and it looked much better in the second-half and also before I made three changes.”

Frank accused of sending mixed messages to Spurs players

The Tottenham boss has been chopping and changing his formation and his team over recent weeks, and that has seen him garner criticism for being reactionary.

Ahead of the Fulham game, Ramon Vega accused Frank of sending mixed messages to the Tottenham players on how he wants to play.

The Swiss defender suggested that the Dane lacks the courage to play on the front foot and claimed that he is losing the Spurs dressing room.

Thomas Frank has defended Pedro Porro after the Spaniard’s behaviour drew criticism from Tottenham Hotspur fans following the 2-1 defeat to Fulham.

Despite Tottenham’s continued poor performances at home, a lot of the focus has been on the drama unfolding after the full-time whistle.

Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence famously ignored Thomas Frank after Tottenham’s last home defeat to Chelsea, and it is now another Spurs defender’s behaviour that was under the scanner on Saturday.

Boos were ringing around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after Spurs fell to their fourth home defeat of the season against Fulham, and one Tottenham star’s frustrations boiled over.

Thomas Frank reacts to Pedro Porro’s angry gesture to Tottenham teammate

Porro was seen screaming at Lucas Bergvall after the full-time whistle against Fulham when the Swede went over to applaud the supporters.

Needless to say, the Spaniard’s behaviour has not been well received by the fans, but Thomas Frank insisted that he did not see the incident and put it down to frustration on the right-back’s part.

When asked about Porro’s reaction, the Tottenham boss said (via Sky Sports): “I didn’t see the incident, so I don’t know exactly. We are in a tough spell right now, and for my players it is about being as calm as possible and doing everything we can to work through it.”

MORE SPURS STORIES

Frank criticises Spurs fans for booing during the game

The Tottenham head coach has also made a controversial declaration after seeing his side lose again at home. Frank blasted Spurs fans for booing Guglielmo Vicario during the game, insisting that it is ‘unacceptable’ to jeer your own players in the middle of a match.

The Spurs boss even suggested that those who booed Vicario “cannot be true Tottenham fans”, claiming that any boos should be restricted to after the full-time whistle.

He said: “I didn’t like that our fans booed at him straight after and a few times after that. They can’t be true Tottenham fans because everyone supports each other when you’re on the pitch and we do everything we can to perform. I’m fine with them booing after the match, no problem, but not during. That is unacceptable in my opinion.”

Pedro Porro cut a frustrated figure after Tottenham Hotspur fell to another home defeat in the Premier League on Saturday.

The evening started off poorly for the home side, with a deflected Kenny Tete strike and a mistake by Guglielmo Vicario seeing Fulham race into a 2-0 lead within six minutes.

Spurs hardly created any opportunities for the remainder of the half and were booed off by their supporters at the interval.

Things did improve after the half-time break, with Mohammed Kudus pulling one back on 59 minutes, but that proved to be a mere consolation for Tottenham, who fell to their fourth home loss of the season in six league games.

Video: Pedro Porro screams at Lucas Bergvall after Tottenham’s loss to Fulham

The boos were deafening at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after the full-time whistle as Porro and his teammates cut dejected figures.

Lucas Bergvall decided to applaud the home fans, but that appeared to anger the Spaniard.

The Tottenham right-back screamed ‘Lucas’ on several occasions, seemingly in an effort to stop Bergvall as the teenager walked around the pitch to show his appreciation to the fans.

MORE SPURS STORIES

Pape Sarr then attempted to calm Porro down before the right-back stormed straight down the tunnel.

Spurs players are not enjoying home atmosphere

At the start of the season, Thomas Frank called for Tottenham to make their stadium a fortress, but it has proven to be the exact opposite.

The supporters are making their displeasure clear, and that is seemingly putting even more pressure on the Spurs players.

It is a vicious cycle, with the atmosphere becoming more toxic with each passing game, and it is clear that the Tottenham players are not enjoying playing in front of their own fans.

Amid frustration and booing from Tottenham Hotspur fans, Pape Matar Sarr has now taken to social media to send a clear message.

Tottenham Hotspur fans will have been hoping for much better performances from their side this season, following their abysmal league campaign last term, where they finished 17th.

Spurs started this season in really good fashion, but results in the last few weeks have been poor, with Spurs managing just one win in their last five league games.

Recent results have left Tottenham fans frustrated, with boos ringing loud around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium three times already this season after poor displays from Thomas Frank’s side.

Pape Matar Sarr sends message to Tottenham fans

It was more of the same on Saturday night when Fulham faced off against Spurs, with the Cottagers beating the Lilywhites 2-1 to take all three points.

Boos were once more a theme across the stadium, with fans far from satisfied with the performances of their players.

Spurs midfielder Pape Matar Sarr has now sent a message to Tottenham fans in a post on Instagram, where he acknowledged the frustration in the stands and urged supporters to stay united.

MORE SPURS STORIES

As shared on his Instagram page, he said: “In this time we have to stick together and keep pushing forward. The frustration is shared, and we know we have to be better. Thank you for staying with us, we never take your support for granted.”

Messages about support from Spurs players are not new

Such messages are not entirely new to Spurs supporters, who were met with these sorts of social media comments last season after defeats.

They are now back, and it is not just Sarr who has sent a message to fans, with Guglielmo Vicario also taking to social media to galvanise the support.

Tottenham have slipped from their early-season rhythm under Thomas Frank, and Jamie O’Hara has now shared a blunt verdict on the club’s worrying downturn.

Tottenham Hotspur’s high start under Thomas Frank has quickly gone downhill, as results have been poor in recent weeks.

Spurs were in the top five in August, but at the moment, they are edging closer to the bottom half of the table under the new boss, Thomas Frank.

Their 2-1 defeat against the London side Fulham has only compounded Frank’s pressure with boos echoing around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and it is not the first time.

Jamie O’Hara questions Tottenham form under Thomas Frank

Jamie O’Hara has now delivered a strong verdict on Tottenham’s slump and suggested that both the manager and squad are falling short.

He hinted that the scale of the job is exposing Frank, the 52-year-old who is only managing a top six side for the first time in his career.

O’Hara said: “I am starting to think the job is too big for Thomas Frank, but our recruitment has been so bad, these players just are not good enough, most of them are way off it, big problems.”

MORE SPURS STORIES

Spurs transfer plans heading into January

The January transfer window is edging closer, and Tottenham has some big decisions to make going into the window.

Reports claim that Tottenham are keen to strengthen several areas of their squad, including at the striker position and out wide.

Semenyo has been heavily linked with a move to Spurs, while at the back, there have been talks of a new goalkeeper being signed.

Tottenham will now have to sign top-quality players, not youngsters finding their feet if they are to turn things around and compete with the very best.