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Manager Thomas Frank

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Are you Frank Out or In?


  • Total voters
    623
Heitinga is from the Ajax school of football. That is high press and a high line, move the ball quickly between players in constant movement. He can't work with Frank, he must be a replacement. What else could explain appointing him?
Well, they need to hurry up. After yesterday,

Was reading some ITK on another site and Vivian and Charlie want Poch back.

As always, take things with a pinch of salt.
 
Well apparently he was Frank's choice and he personally interviewed him in December. We did need a coach to replace Matt Wells so makes sense to bring someone in.

I think the timing is a coincidence tbh. The board probably thought with these easy fixtures Frank would get us to around 35 pts and could ride out the season.

Honestly don't think this board are smart or calculating enough to purposefully bring in someone like Heitinga as a preemptive interim.

Also by the sounds of it Heitinga was meant to be our defensive coach anyway (he's a CB after all) so I'm not sure his personal footballing philosophy counts for much, not that I can claim to have ever watched his Ajax sides. Plus Frank keeps claiming his long term goal is to play more attractive football anyway so maybe he felt Heitinga could help with that.
I think all Ajax teams look basically the same don’t they? It’s just the quality of the players that varies. They train and play the same way from 10 years old right up to the first team.
 
I hate this sympathy bollocks.

Mans about to walk away with more money than any of us will make in our lifetimes after doing the job of our dreams for a few months!

Was underwhelmed at the time, got excited after the first month, thought he was bob on - and then slowly faded back into that absolute nothing feeling of ‘here we go again’

I thought a month ago we’d seen all we needed. I don’t get what keeping him any longer than that did.

Convinced this is the end. I suspect they are trying to put a succession plan in place now.

I know it divides everyone, but just announce that Poch will be back for the 2026/27 season and give it to Mason or someone as caretaker.


View: https://www.instagram.com/p/DTmurCCDPr1/
 
My feeling is that what we were sold with Frank (or did we sell ourselves in hope?!!) was that:

1. He was a sound (or even good) tactician with tactical flexibility
2. He could create a team that was more than the sum of it's parts
3. He had a coaching team that could improve individual players, I remember speculating that BJ could morph into Mbeumo with the right coaching.

I think what we have is instead is a team and (largely a league this year) where we are playing percentages, hence the focus on crosses and long throws which is only fun if you win. The league generally as unpredictable as I can remember it, but also maybe the least enjoyable.....
 
My feeling is that what we were sold with Frank (or did we sell ourselves in hope?!!) was that:

1. He was a sound (or even good) tactician with tactical flexibility
2. He could create a team that was more than the sum of it's parts
3. He had a coaching team that could improve individual players, I remember speculating that BJ could morph into Mbeumo with the right coaching.

I think what we have is instead is a team and (largely a league this year) where we are playing percentages, hence the focus on crosses and long throws which is only fun if you win. The league generally as unpredictable as I can remember it, but also maybe the least enjoyable.....

We were sold Harry Redknapp and given Nuno.
 
I think all Ajax teams look basically the same don’t they? It’s just the quality of the players that varies. They train and play the same way from 10 years old right up to the first team.
Yeah but even if that is Heitinga's approach, that doesn't preclude him from being the defensive coach at Spurs.

As I said, maybe Frank felt like he could add a different voice to the coaching team, help us evolve into something less stodgy.

Even though it's his doing, I don't think Frank is happy with our style of play. I think he's doing it out of desperation as he thinks it's our best chance of getting results in the short term. A kind of footballing cowardice in a way. But that doesn't mean he doesn't at least intend to make us play better football down the line.

Not that he's gonna get the chance now of course.
 
From what I read its likely to be Poch, dunno if that's a good or bad thing, what I do know is it isn't Frank and that'll do for a while.
I was talking to my Old man about this yesterday, once he'd got the rant out of his system!

When Poch returning was first brought up, I was a bit suss on it, as it's rare that a manager returns to a club and does as well as previously, but what got me rethinking was his time at Chelsea. He inherited a bloated and dysfunctional squad that was in the dumps after Potter. It took him a little while, but he managed to get them looking like a proper team in the latter part of the season. Most of us were ecstatic that Chelsea were stupid enough to sack him off.

This is what is making me think that his return might be just what we actually need. He's shown repeatedly that, once he's gotten to grips with a squad, he can get them playing better Football than the sum of their parts, something we're crying out for right now. He did it with us, with Chelsea and now he looks to be doing it with the USA squad.

Bringing him in would immediately bring a feel good factor with it as well. It would lift the fans, which would translate to the players. He's identify those players who aren't good for squad morale and bin them off and, most importantly, he'd reinstate the front foot Football we all crave.

I'm actually at the point where I think it would be a "perfect storm" appointment. He has a decent nucleus of players to start with and, if ENIC are to be believed, a club prepared to bring in the right players whatever the cost.

Just don't let him make the choices!

He wouldn't be my first choice, Klopp would, but it's highly unlikely he'd come to us. So Poch to return? I do think there's a logical reason for that.
 
I said a few weeks that we need to have one philosophy throughout the club... And some people said I was talking stupid...
Agree with you completely. Need to copy ajax and Barcelona on that approach. Barcelona had cruyff and stuck to his principles ever since. Ajax their academy play same philosophy whole way from academy through to first team. When ajax won in 95 BBC did a documentary with Lineker and van gaal on their academy. Incredible to see. That was 30 years ago as well. We definitely need to copy ajax and Barcelona. No pragmatic managers shit.
 
Yeah but even if that is Heitinga's approach, that doesn't preclude him from being the defensive coach at Spurs.

As I said, maybe Frank felt like he could add a different voice to the coaching team, help us evolve into something less stodgy.

Even though it's his doing, I don't think Frank is happy with our style of play. I think he's doing it out of desperation as he thinks it's our best chance of getting results in the short term. A kind of footballing cowardice in a way. But that doesn't mean he doesn't at least intend to make us play better football down the line.

Not that he's gonna get the chance now of course.
Today should be the end of the line. There should be no more line for him to go down.
 
I said a few weeks that we need to have one philosophy throughout the club... And some people said I was talking stupid...
I think you are 100% right, a single philosophy 👍

But that after 144 years we are thinking we need to copy the philosophy of anyone else is the bit I would question. The levy era crap of trying to be Brighton or trying to be, whomever, really wound me up. How about we try to be Tottenham Hotspur ?
 
Ali Gold says Vinai is at the stadium today with Vivienne Lewis are at the stadium today when they wouldn't normally be...

Stick a fork in it.
 
Agree with you completely. Need to copy ajax and Barcelona on that approach. Barcelona had cruyff and stuck to his principles ever since. Ajax their academy play same philosophy whole way from academy through to first team. When ajax won in 95 BBC did a documentary with Lineker and van gaal on their academy. Incredible to see. That was 30 years ago as well. We definitely need to copy ajax and Barcelona. No pragmatic managers shit.
I think Poch's way should have been the system we employed, but Levy just flip flopped every time something went wrong.
 
Even though it's his doing, I don't think Frank is happy with our style of play. I think he's doing it out of desperation as he thinks it's our best chance of getting results in the short term. A kind of footballing cowardice in a way. But that doesn't mean he doesn't at least intend to make us play better football down the line.

I think this is exactly what he wants

Theres been no sign at all, zero, of anything else
 
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