• The Fighting Cock is a forum for fans of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. Here you can discuss Spurs latest matches, our squad, tactics and any transfer news surrounding the club. Registration gives you access to all our forums (including 'Off Topic' discussion) and removes most of the adverts (you can remove them all via an account upgrade). You're here now, you might as well...

    Get involved!

Manager Thomas Frank

Latest Spurs videos from Sky Sports

Are you Frank Out or In?

  • Total voters
    623
He has done well enough to get to the end of the season, barring some worsening form from now on. But he needs time.

However, he needs to show he is learning. The benta/palinha combo has failed every time he's used it against a team we should be more attacking against. Villa is not Woolwich or psg (as good as they are), particularly this season.

If he doesn't use sarr/berg who did very well as 8s early on in the season, next to palinha, at home, against teams that are technically inferior to us, and continues to prefer defensively solid but technically lacking squads, he may not be the answer.

Time will tell.
 
And also, is bringing Ferguson's early stuggles at United up to negotiate at least x amount of years and y amount of transfer windows for a given manager, regardless of his merits as an individual, the footballing equivalent of Godwin's law?

Looks like we're already there.
 
Distaste for scouse said:
The people in the stadium are called "supporters" to parrot Al Murray, "the clue is in the name ffs"

The concept of a supporter vs the concept of a consumer/customer is an interesting debate in modern football.

Are there any true supporters left?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I don’t necessarily disagree. But people gladly clapping and singing regardless of what’s happening are more akin to cheerleaders.

We are customers. That for whatever reason, have tribally connected ourselves to a sporting venture which is now a corporate entity. We are customers to the club, regardless of how any of us see it.

When I go to matches I’m primarily going hoping that we will win and I’ll be entertained for the money I’ve given over.

More often than not, at home, that’s not been the case for some time.
 
Pzabbythethird said:
He has done well enough to get to the end of the season, barring some worsening form from now on. But he needs time.

However, he needs to show he is learning. The benta/palinha combo has failed every time he's used it against a team we should be more attacking against. Villa is not Woolwich or psg (as good as they are), particularly this season.

If he doesn't use sarr/berg who did very well as 8s early on in the season, next to palinha, at home, against teams that are technically inferior to us, and continues to prefer defensively solid but technically lacking squads, he may not be the answer.

Time will tell.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Palhinha/Bentancur shouldn’t be used for home games when we’ll have the majority of the possession. It’s worked away in some games, but that’s when we know we won’t have the ball.

Home games should be on the front foot with Sarr or Bergvall partnering Palhinha.
 
Gatsby said:
Palhinha/Bentancur shouldn’t be used for home games when we’ll have the majority of the possession. It’s worked away in some games, but that’s when we know we won’t have the ball.

Home games should be on the front foot with Sarr or Bergvall partnering Palhinha.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Said times and again by so many others, even journalists have brought this up to Frank. I think he's adamant on making this work.
 
The home form is a big concern and the current style of football isn't going to help make the stadium noisy. Hard to get excited when every 2 mins we are watching Danso jog over for every throw in so that he can launch it as far as possible.

I'd like tho think that at home we can play a bit more expansive and maybe just save the long throw ins and this "slow the game down" approach for away games only. Otherwise I'm not sure our home form is going to improve and I think we'll continue to hear groans from the crowd and unfortunately followed by boos at the full time whistle. I'm not a fan of the booing personally but can understand the groans and why the atmostphere feels flat.
 
Murphy said:
I don’t necessarily disagree. But people gladly clapping and singing regardless of what’s happening are more akin to cheerleaders.

We are customers. That for whatever reason, have tribally connected ourselves to a sporting venture which is now a corporate entity. We are customers to the club, regardless of how any of us see it.

When I go to matches I’m primarily going hoping that we will win and I’ll be entertained for the money I’ve given over.

More often than not, at home, that’s not been the case for some time.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Maybe we shouldn't call ourselves fans or supporters then and call ourselves customers?

I totally get where you are coming from and its not just our fanbase.

I just think the fans that wait to be entertained before making noise make our ground an easier touch for the Oppo and officials. It really got my goat the other day that the loudest we got was to boo at the end and the performance didn't even deserve that....

I don't think its a coincidence that take Liverpool for example (I know I'm obsessed by my loathing of them) historically have had a very vociferous and vocal fanbase. And when they turn it up at Anfield it lifts their players, it intimidates our players and importantly the officials fall into it, they are only human and get caught up in it.

There is also a North/South element to this discussion.

Traditionally your Northern teams have louder and more fanatical fans I've always found. Though gentrification and pricing controls have changed the face of football across the board.

Broadly speaking the louder the stadium the better for our players think we can all agree on that.
 

View: https://x.com/georgeachillea/status/1980567030081417575?s=46&t=fbqxNuG9CT4qTaiJx8mBjg

Excellent analysis imo

Clearly there has been some analytics or analysis done on the chances we concede if we get turned over making brave passes in the final 3rd or through the middle in build up. And tbh I get that because last season both caused issues.

But instead of getting better at timing the pass and run, we are shying away from making them and ignoring runs like the ones Xavi made all game.

This will take Frank some time to fix but he won’t get that time if we keep dropping points at home playing scared.
 
glacierSpurs said:
Said times and again by so many others, even journalists have brought this up to Frank. I think he's adamant on making this work.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Just because a lot of sheep baa a lot doesn't mean they are right and the manager is wrong.

There's a reason Frank's playing a very defensive double pivot - it's because our Front 4 can't hold the ball up AT ALL - so if we try and play through the middle with midfield runners marauding forward we will get done on the break and it will be the same chaos we often saw last season which everyone moaned about - and which is EXACTLY what happened the moment Bentancur went off on Sunday.

We already know Frank is a pragmatic coach so moaning about it or expecting him to change is utterly pointless and ridiculous - especially until he has some players back who can A) hold the ball and dish off or B) pass the fucking thing with vision and accuracy.

I expect Solanke back will solve much of this as he will bring Simons into the game as a 10 much more effectively.
 
dudu said:
No there wasnt after 8 games.

You, once again, are talking about you own PERSONAL opinion and dressing it up as FACT as you do constantly on here.

We were boo'd off the pitch after losing to Stoke - 11 games in - after losing 4 out of 5 home games

www.theguardian.com

Emmanuel Adebayor: Tottenham fans’ booing means we’d rather play away

Emmanuel Adebayor has admitted that Tottenham’s players are struggling with the pressure of a negative atmosphere at White Hart Lane
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com

Tottenham offered nothing in response, and the half-time whistle prompted boos from the home crowd as the players left the field.

They barely improved after the break but Pochettino's side, who scored twice in the second half to beat Aston Villa last week, pulled a goal back when Chadli thumped in a volley from a tight angle as the game entered the closing stages.

I think you need to, for once, just admit that you are wrong and leave it mate.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
If I remember that incorrectly, fine. I don't remember it ever being as bad as this. You were the one that brought up Poch anyway.

Fact of the matter, is what we're seeing now is aimless, cautious, crap. Even with poor forwards, there's no excuses for how one dimensional we are and how we are going forward. This isn't any better than what Nuno served up, and everyone knew that was a poor appointment that was going nowhere. This feels like the same thing. And until we go out and control one whole game, I'm going to keep criticising him. We're not Brentford, we're not Stoke, this is just bad. I'm entitled to my opinion, which is backed up statistics, which say we're overachieving at both ends of the pitch, had a very handy run and that results will inevitably match performances. Like I fear that they will over the next two months.
 
Last edited:
BJK said:
And also, is bringing Ferguson's early stuggles at United up to negotiate at least x amount of years and y amount of transfer windows for a given manager, regardless of his merits as an individual, the footballing equivalent of Godwin's law?

Looks like we're already there.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
No.

The point is he has materially improved the team, which was utterly shite. He needs to keep improving it, and if he stagnates for long enough, should be sacked.

But if we come top 8 (which we will) and are heading in the right direction then he absolutely deserves to be backed and another season.
 
Richard Arlison said:

View: https://x.com/georgeachillea/status/1980567030081417575?s=46&t=fbqxNuG9CT4qTaiJx8mBjg

Excellent analysis imo

Clearly there has been some analytics or analysis done on the chances we concede if we get turned over making brave passes in the final 3rd or through the middle in build up. And tbh I get that because last season both caused issues.

But instead of getting better at timing the pass and run, we are shying away from making them and ignoring runs like the ones Xavi made all game.

This will take Frank some time to fix but he won’t get that time if we keep dropping points at home playing scared.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

This analysis makes perfect sense and is exactly what i felt all game without being 100%what was going wrong. This midfield just isn't working. If we are playing Xavi Simons in the 10 then we have to play like the attacking team and find him in central areas as much as possible. Yet we seem to be ignoring him as a central option in open play out of fear of being turned over. So Simons ended up drifting deep or wide to get on the ball! Which defeats the whole purpose of playing him in the 10 to create chances from open play.

If we are too scared to play through the middle to find Simons in central zones then we'd be way better off with a midfielder like Bergval or Sarr playing there as atleast they are central midfielders who can drop deep and make us more compact out of possession. They are nowhere near as creative or dangerous as Simons but if we aren't utilizing him in that way then whats the point playing him.

Hopefully Frank finds the right balance or can make this midfield 3 work. I think the away games give Frank more leeway as he can justify playing Simons on the left or else going with Sarr or Bergval instead. At home he probably feels like he needs to use simons in the 10 (As this is why the club signed him!) but so far he hasn't got the balance right when doing it.
 
Papafeels said:
If I remember that incorrectly, fine. I don't remember it ever being as bad as this. You were the one that brought up Poch anyway.

Fact of the matter, is what we're seeing now is aimless, cautious, crap. Even with poor forwards, there's no excuses for how one dimensional we are and how we are going forward. This isn't any better than what Nuno served up, and everyone knew that was a poor appointment that was going nowhere. This feels like the same thing. And until we go out and control one whole game, I'm going to keep criticising him. We're not Brentford, we're not Stoke, this is just bad. I'm entitled to my opinion, which is backed up statistics, which say we're overaching at both ends of the pitch, had a very handy run and that results will inevitably match performances. Like I fear that they will over the next two months.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Fear, fear fear. In two months we will be in the top 8.

More than happy to take that bet with you.

Frank inherited an absolute shambles. So far he has improved things. And needs to keep improving.

Your hero has gone.
 
Pzabbythethird said:
He has done well enough to get to the end of the season, barring some worsening form from now on. But he needs time.

However, he needs to show he is learning. The benta/palinha combo has failed every time he's used it against a team we should be more attacking against. Villa is not Woolwich or psg (as good as they are), particularly this season.

If he doesn't use sarr/berg who did very well as 8s early on in the season, next to palinha, at home, against teams that are technically inferior to us, and continues to prefer defensively solid but technically lacking squads, he may not be the answer.

Time will tell.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
think the worry is that he can't trust the front 4 not to keep losing the ball (when you have a front 4 from this lot Tel, Odobert, Richy, Johnson, Xavi) Kudus is ok but the others "Oh my dear"
 
Spurs finish 17th, defensive clownshow every game (+abysmal at set pieces), lose 22 league games (10 of them at home).

*Frank appointed to piece us back together again*

Frank: 'The first thing I'm going to do is build a strong foundation,we will win some games and lose some games, but the first level of work is the foundation and then we build towards the final third [him having to deal with a striker injury crisis, mind].'

*begins to do just that and works a minor miracle in short order to transform our structure, solidity and resilience*

Some fans: "Sack him!!!!"

lol

Not a serious fanbase.
 
Last edited:
Should stop playing Bentancur and Palhinha together, Bentancur is just a shite Palhinha and they occupy the same area of thee ground. Anyone that played football know how unproductive it is to play alongside a player that uses the same space as you. Also Bentancur is shite with the ball at his feet, can fucking progress the ball and that is killing our attacking. We should try Xavi there, or Bergvall, someone that can progress the ball, but we won't create shite when we have two players doing the service of one and none can pass the ball forward and that becomes even worse when we don't have Romero.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top