Thomas Frank: Tottenham manager defiant despite being sacked and his fans chanting ‘he’s fired’ | Football news

Under-pressure Tottenham manager Thomas Frank remained defiant despite fans chanting, ‘He’ll be sacked tomorrow’ following Saturday’s 2-1 home defeat to West Ham.

Callum Wilson’s last-gasp winner sparked angry scenes at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as the South Stand demanded the Danes leave after eight defeats in 14 games.

Frank said about the chants of boos and sacks in his press conference after the game: “Yes, maybe I had better moments. I understand – I’m the man in charge, so the blame will go to me. That’s right, there’s no problem in that sense.

“As long as they support the players, do everything possible to support them and push them forward, we will continue to move forward.”

Frank expressed confidence in his post-match press conference, likening his job to turning around a “super tanker” with Spurs sitting 14th in the table, 10 points above the relegation zone.

The Dane is delighted with the man backed by Spurs officials in a week that saw him hand over a new midfielder in Conor Gallagher and a new assistant first-team coach, John Heitinga.

But there was no result they wanted on Saturday as Spurs were humiliated by their London rivals who are in danger of relegation.

Ahead of kick-off, Tottenham chief executive Vinai Venkatesham released an open letter on the match day program which addressed a number of issues, including the relationship between the club and fans and player trading.

“I saw the book,” said Frank, “and I took six to eight good things out of the book, not the bad things.”

“What I take from that letter is that the club, the senior team with Vinai at the top, who are aligned and who know that this is a big phase of change and a tank wagon, are turning in the right direction.

“And there are many good signs behind the scenes, and in other games.

“However, when you lose in the last minute to one of your rivals, it is emotional in football, and there will be noise.

“And we need to keep that noise there and look down and keep going, keep doing the right thing.”

Frank also faced questions about the team’s leak before kick-off, but insisted he was not concerned about the issue.

Frank: We’re on the verge of something great

West Ham ended their 10-game winless run, becoming the second Premier League side this month to return to winning ways against Spurs after Bournemouth won 3-2 to end their 11-game winless run.

Last Saturday’s FA Cup third round home defeat against Aston Villa means that it is now three defeats in a row for Frank.

But Frank believes his are “closer to something great” despite a winless start to 2026.

Asked why he deserved more time, Frank replied: “If you don’t win enough, we know you don’t get enough support from the fans.”

“But once we win, it will change when we start winning again, which we will do.

“Let’s say Bournemouth and Villa and this game here, if the players stop running or stop doing anything or don’t work hard, and we weren’t a team that was close to winning, you can say, okay. But I think the team is working hard.

“And I still think, and I know it sounds crazy, that we’re closer to something better than far away.

He added: “I can promise that I’m sitting here and I’m giving it my all every day.

“I feel the trust from everyone and there is only one way, and that is to continue.”

That trust will now be tested to its limit.

Sherwood points out the one thing that saves Frank

Sky Sports’ Tim Sherwood called the game between Spurs and West Ham ‘El Sackico’, but the former Spurs midfielder believes the only thing saving Frank is the lack of replacements.

He told Soccer on Saturday after the defeat: “It doesn’t look good.

“Spurs cannot win a game at home, and they have lost to their home rivals, who seem to have been relegated to the Premier League.

“The pressure is on Frank. But the thing that might save his career is who can come in?

“They won the cup last year and finished in 17th place, they will not win a single cup this year.

“They are still in the Champions League, but they are unlikely to win that. Where do Spurs go from here?”

Romero: ‘This is a tragedy for us’

Another home game awaits Frank next as Spurs host Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Tuesday before a must-win Premier League trip to struggling Burnley.

If Spurs lose at Turf Moor and West Ham win, then Tottenham will be seven points above the drop – and bells will be ringing if they aren’t already.

Spurs captain Cristian Romero, who scored the equalizer against West Ham, admits that the situation is bad as Tottenham have won only two of their 11 home league games this season.

He told Sky Sports: “We need to stay together, work hard, come back to the training ground tomorrow. It’s a disaster at this moment for us.

“Tomorrow we will train quietly, we will work hard again, during the week we will have another big game.

“At the moment, this is a disaster for us. Sometimes we played well, sometimes badly. We have to work hard and go again.

“It’s a tough time for us. We’re not the best on the field.”