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Manager Thomas Frank

Latest Spurs videos from Sky Sports

Are you Frank Out or In?


  • Total voters
    623
These midfielders are not good enough, enough here being defined as being at the level of a top 5 or even a top 7-8 team. Some of Frank's eccentricities bring out the worst in them; but he hasn't turned a bunch of peak Dembeles and Modrics into players who do these:

8qssJl.gif


You saw at the weekend how a 33 year old Xhaka was busting a gut to find himself openings right? Now look at the sharp contrast between that and this

-------​

GjOyr5.gif


What happened there?

--------

QoFGHe.gif






Yeah I know, Bentancur in the second screenshot is looking at the opposite direction of Bergvall's ; just pointing out the passing opportunity that he missed by not scanning his environment properly.

----------
YsFhll.gif






The same as above, although in this instance Frank's preference for direct play might also be coming into the picture considering how decisive and purposeful Palhinha appears to be with that long ball

--------​
dTftX3.gif


Can't shake off a defender, has to go back. If you think I'm being unreasonable by expecting him [and midfielders in general] to do better in such situations, see the next gif.

---------​
Gb5cmc.gif


See, it's not that difficult

-------​
So, to recap, midfielders ;
  • are not totally immune to butchering even the simplest of passes​
  • are often showing little enthusiasm for making themselves available when defenders are searching for a forward pass in vain​
  • very rarely manage to escape pressure through dribbling​
  • sometimes fail to spot, let alone actually make, those aforementioned simple passes​
I could go on with even more footage; but don't see the point of boring you even more than I probably already have. You could try watching the next game of someone like Wharton, just an example whose game I'm more familiar with, to see yourself the magnitude of the contrast between proper midfield play and the stuff above.
 
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These midfielders are not good enough, enough here being defined as being at the level of a top 5 or even a top 7-8 team. Some of Frank's eccentricities bring out the worst in them; but he hasn't turned a bunch of peak Dembeles and Modrics into players who do these:

8qssJl.gif


You saw at the weekend how a 33 year old Xhaka was busting a gut to find himself openings right? Now look at the sharp contrast between that and this

-------​

GjOyr5.gif


What happened there?

--------

QoFGHe.gif






Yeah I know, Bentancur in the second screenshot is looking at the opposite direction of Bergvall's ; just pointing out the passing opportunity that he missed by not scanning his environment properly.

----------
YsFhll.gif






The same as above, although in this instance Frank's preference for direct play might also be coming into the picture considering how decisive and purposeful Palhinha appears to be with that long ball

--------​
dTftX3.gif


Can't shake off a defender, has to go back. If you think I'm being unreasonable by expecting him [and midfielders in general] to do better in such situations, see the next gif.

---------​
Gb5cmc.gif


See, it's not that difficult

-------​
So, to recap, midfielders ;
  • are not totally immune to butchering even the simplest of passes​
  • are often showing little enthusiasm and urgency in making themselves available when defenders are searching for a forward pass in vain​
  • very rarely manage to escape pressure through dribbling​
  • sometimes fail to spot, let alone actually make, those aforementioned simple passes​
I could go on with even more footage; but don't see the point of boring you even more than I probably already have. You could try watching the next game of someone like Wharton, just an example whose game I'm more familiar with, to see yourself the magnitude of the contrast between proper midfield play and the stuff above.

NUTSHELL
 
These midfielders are not good enough, enough here being defined as being at the level of a top 5 or even a top 7-8 team. Some of Frank's eccentricities bring out the worst in them; but he hasn't turned a bunch of peak Dembeles and Modrics into players who do these:

8qssJl.gif


You saw at the weekend how a 33 year old Xhaka was busting a gut to find himself openings right? Now look at the sharp contrast between that and this

-------​

GjOyr5.gif


What happened there?

--------

QoFGHe.gif






Yeah I know, Bentancur in the second screenshot is looking at the opposite direction of Bergvall's ; just pointing out the passing opportunity that he missed by not scanning his environment properly.

----------
YsFhll.gif






The same as above, although in this instance Frank's preference for direct play might also be coming into the picture considering how decisive and purposeful Palhinha appears to be with that long ball

--------​
dTftX3.gif


Can't shake off a defender, has to go back. If you think I'm being unreasonable by expecting him [and midfielders in general] to do better in such situations, see the next gif.

---------​
Gb5cmc.gif


See, it's not that difficult

-------​
So, to recap, midfielders ;
  • are not totally immune to butchering even the simplest of passes​
  • are often showing little enthusiasm and urgency in making themselves available when defenders are searching for a forward pass in vain​
  • very rarely manage to escape pressure through dribbling​
  • sometimes fail to spot, let alone actually make, those aforementioned simple passes​
I could go on with even more footage; but don't see the point of boring you even more than I probably already have. You could try watching the next game of someone like Wharton, just an example whose game I'm more familiar with, to see yourself the magnitude of the contrast between proper midfield play and the stuff above.
Very good post that explains what my eyes have been seeing better than I ever could.
 

View: https://x.com/sufferingspurs/status/2009268307770196021?s=46

This sums my thoughts up fairly well. I was never a fan of the hire, was entirely unimpressed with his resume, and it’s clear he is not the man for the job.

Move on. Let him rock up with Charlton or some other Champ club that is looking for a spark back into the first division. That is his level.

Yup. He's just turned us into a Brentford but somehow with a less attractive style of play. All the results and performances this season are about par for the course for a club of Brentford's size and budget.

The hope was he'd raise himself to our level and instead he's brought us down to his.
 
These midfielders are not good enough, enough here being defined as being at the level of a top 5 or even a top 7-8 team. Some of Frank's eccentricities bring out the worst in them; but he hasn't turned a bunch of peak Dembeles and Modrics into players who do these:

8qssJl.gif


You saw at the weekend how a 33 year old Xhaka was busting a gut to find himself openings right? Now look at the sharp contrast between that and this

-------​

GjOyr5.gif


What happened there?

--------

QoFGHe.gif






Yeah I know, Bentancur in the second screenshot is looking at the opposite direction of Bergvall's ; just pointing out the passing opportunity that he missed by not scanning his environment properly.

----------
YsFhll.gif






The same as above, although in this instance Frank's preference for direct play might also be coming into the picture considering how decisive and purposeful Palhinha appears to be with that long ball

--------​
dTftX3.gif


Can't shake off a defender, has to go back. If you think I'm being unreasonable by expecting him [and midfielders in general] to do better in such situations, see the next gif.

---------​
Gb5cmc.gif


See, it's not that difficult

-------​
So, to recap, midfielders ;
  • are not totally immune to butchering even the simplest of passes​
  • are often showing little enthusiasm for making themselves available when defenders are searching for a forward pass in vain​
  • very rarely manage to escape pressure through dribbling​
  • sometimes fail to spot, let alone actually make, those aforementioned simple passes​
I could go on with even more footage; but don't see the point of boring you even more than I probably already have. You could try watching the next game of someone like Wharton, just an example whose game I'm more familiar with, to see yourself the magnitude of the contrast between proper midfield play and the stuff above.

This HAS to be directional right?

Right???
 
These midfielders are not good enough, enough here being defined as being at the level of a top 5 or even a top 7-8 team. Some of Frank's eccentricities bring out the worst in them; but he hasn't turned a bunch of peak Dembeles and Modrics into players who do these:

8qssJl.gif


You saw at the weekend how a 33 year old Xhaka was busting a gut to find himself openings right? Now look at the sharp contrast between that and this

-------​

GjOyr5.gif


What happened there?

--------

QoFGHe.gif






Yeah I know, Bentancur in the second screenshot is looking at the opposite direction of Bergvall's ; just pointing out the passing opportunity that he missed by not scanning his environment properly.

----------
YsFhll.gif






The same as above, although in this instance Frank's preference for direct play might also be coming into the picture considering how decisive and purposeful Palhinha appears to be with that long ball

--------​
dTftX3.gif


Can't shake off a defender, has to go back. If you think I'm being unreasonable by expecting him [and midfielders in general] to do better in such situations, see the next gif.

---------​
Gb5cmc.gif


See, it's not that difficult

-------​
So, to recap, midfielders ;
  • are not totally immune to butchering even the simplest of passes​
  • are often showing little enthusiasm for making themselves available when defenders are searching for a forward pass in vain​
  • very rarely manage to escape pressure through dribbling​
  • sometimes fail to spot, let alone actually make, those aforementioned simple passes​
I could go on with even more footage; but don't see the point of boring you even more than I probably already have. You could try watching the next game of someone like Wharton, just an example whose game I'm more familiar with, to see yourself the magnitude of the contrast between proper midfield play and the stuff above.
Brilliant stuff BJK…
Love your work,good to see you pinpointing it
like this.

What indeed do they actually work on at The Resort?
Simple these players that are not capable ,get them out the door asap ,and get proper ballers who are.
 
You seem to have an unconquerable faith in any manager and any player we ever have, and your opinion seems constant that it is never those who are paid to produce results on the pitch who are responsible for the results on the pitch.

That managers like Ange are good enough and that players like the current donkeys (minus the two thoroughbreds) are good enough, but all are being hamstrung by a nefarious board room or some sort of ancient curse that's attached itself to our club is bonkers... it's a conspiracy theory.

The squad is built the way it is because of Daniel Levy's skinflintism. Doing a Levy and replacing the manager alone will not change anything, even if he is thumbless

Nearly all these stinkers need to be flushed but there hasn't been a window yet. Nothing can change until the players change

The squad of course isn't perfect, and does lack that exceptional player that trophy winning teams often need to give them that extra spark. However, Spurs has built a squad of very capable players and it's unfair to suggest they are all rubbish.

5th is about the level of this squad - and it would take an exceptional coach to get them further in the league, and something special to win a trophy.

Mourinho, Conte, Poch all were quite clear when they said that the leadership of the club were the barrier to success; with Conte going as far as to say they didn't want to do what it takes to win and were happy with 4th. Ange stuck two fingers up to them and proved that Tottenham CAN win trophies; but cannot do it on multiple fronts unless properly backed.

Frank seems to be frustrated and at odds with the club already. Hinting that they need to lower expectations. The mess at Spurs isn't just the squad and coaching staff.
 
The squad of course isn't perfect, and does lack that exceptional player that trophy winning teams often need to give them that extra spark. However, Spurs has built a squad of very capable players and it's unfair to suggest they are all rubbish.

5th is about the level of this squad - and it would take an exceptional coach to get them further in the league, and something special to win a trophy.

Mourinho, Conte, Poch all were quite clear when they said that the leadership of the club were the barrier to success; with Conte going as far as to say they didn't want to do what it takes to win and were happy with 4th. Ange stuck two fingers up to them and proved that Tottenham CAN win trophies; but cannot do it on multiple fronts unless properly backed.

Frank seems to be frustrated and at odds with the club already. Hinting that they need to lower expectations. The mess at Spurs isn't just the squad and coaching staff.
Not sure if it's really a 5th place squad anymore tbh. 2 years ago we still had Son playing at a pretty decent level and a player in Bissouma who, while inconsistent, meant we had a midfielder who could actually receive the ball from the defence under pressure. The league was also a bit weaker 2 years ago with teams like Palace, Bournemouth, Everton, Forest and Brentford not as strong and United and Chelsea having (relative) down years. And even then we only realistically got 5th cos we played like 40 games in all comps.

Atm the squad is severely lacking in top class goalscorers and technical/passing ability in midfield. Chelsea and United are both stronger than they were 2 years ago and Villa/Newcastle have better managers and more balanced first 11s than we do.

If everyone's fit and we buy 2-3 really good players to fill the holes in the squad, we could have a 5th place-level squad again, but at the moment I think our first 11 is about 8th-9th best in the league. We have a deeper squad than the rest of the mid-table sides but our first team is severely lacking in some important profiles.

A better manager could do more with this squad than Frank has done, but it still desperately needs some smart recruitment.
 
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Honestly, if we had 2 quality wingers how many more points could we have gotten so far? 4? 6?
Maybe two or three of our draws would have been wins.
Then I wonder what this thread would look like if that was the case and we were in 5th instead of 14th.
But I’m sure it’s still all Frank’s fault.
 
I think he’s been shit here, but this is crap. He helped make them a PL club when they’d not been in the top flight for years. That’s not a small feat.

He also didn't have the leagues 2nd top scorer last season in Tiago.



View: https://x.com/sufferingspurs/status/2009268307770196021?s=46

This sums my thoughts up fairly well. I was never a fan of the hire, was entirely unimpressed with his resume, and it’s clear he is not the man for the job.

Move on. Let him rock up with Charlton or some other Champ club that is looking for a spark back into the first division. That is his level.


Thing is, what were we last season? For 2/3rds of last season we played like relegation fodder. So the transformation to Brentenham is, scarily,an improvement.

Yup. He's just turned us into a Brentford but somehow with a less attractive style of play. All the results and performances this season are about par for the course for a club of Brentford's size and budget.

The hope was he'd raise himself to our level and instead he's brought us down to his.
The fanbase is now watching Spurs and only chosing to see the worst parts.
The overall performance against Bournemouth was much better, especially considering it featured Bentancur and Palinha.
One of ours scores that winner instead of them and most fans would have been happy.
We weren't at all bad for 50-60 minutes against Sunderland and wayward passes cost us more goals.
We took the fight to Liverpool and were unlucky even with 10 men.

I genuinely do believe a few extra players with a little bit more quality in the pass would have helped us get more than 1 point from those 9.
 
Honestly, if we had 2 quality wingers how many more points could we have gotten so far? 4? 6?
Maybe two or three of our draws would have been wins.
Then I wonder what this thread would look like if that was the case and we were in 5th instead of 14th.
But I’m sure it’s still all Frank’s fault.

We played Bournemouth. Our winger scored outside the box, so did theirs. Our winger created the most chances in the game as well.

How many points did we get?
 
These midfielders are not good enough, enough here being defined as being at the level of a top 5 or even a top 7-8 team. Some of Frank's eccentricities bring out the worst in them; but he hasn't turned a bunch of peak Dembeles and Modrics into players who do these:

8qssJl.gif


You saw at the weekend how a 33 year old Xhaka was busting a gut to find himself openings right? Now look at the sharp contrast between that and this

-------​

GjOyr5.gif


What happened there?

--------

QoFGHe.gif






Yeah I know, Bentancur in the second screenshot is looking at the opposite direction of Bergvall's ; just pointing out the passing opportunity that he missed by not scanning his environment properly.

----------
YsFhll.gif






The same as above, although in this instance Frank's preference for direct play might also be coming into the picture considering how decisive and purposeful Palhinha appears to be with that long ball

--------​
dTftX3.gif


Can't shake off a defender, has to go back. If you think I'm being unreasonable by expecting him [and midfielders in general] to do better in such situations, see the next gif.

---------​
Gb5cmc.gif


See, it's not that difficult

-------​
So, to recap, midfielders ;
  • are not totally immune to butchering even the simplest of passes​
  • are often showing little enthusiasm for making themselves available when defenders are searching for a forward pass in vain​
  • very rarely manage to escape pressure through dribbling​
  • sometimes fail to spot, let alone actually make, those aforementioned simple passes​
I could go on with even more footage; but don't see the point of boring you even more than I probably already have. You could try watching the next game of someone like Wharton, just an example whose game I'm more familiar with, to see yourself the magnitude of the contrast between proper midfield play and the stuff above.
I've said it about our players for a few years now, we lack players that can trn with the ball , and worst we don't have players that can see a pass before its there, kane could, Eriksen could,
 
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