• 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
I have seen the term 'Gargoyle' mentioned once or twice
Okay I'll admit it, I've been a bad person and likened him to Charles Hawtrey

ch.JPG
 
Took the, more or less, same(*) group of players just weeks to implement Anges style of play?

Keep reading things of this nature; but it's pretty obvious to me that it "clicked" because of how basic and 'non-tactical' it was..... There was nothing to learn.

(* "Same" players being minus Son, Madison, Kulu, Solanke..... 4 key players.)

And whatever the view is on Anges style of play, it was very clear to see what our brand of football was, and it clicked almost from the go.

Equally so; oppo managers had it sussed out within a 3rd of season.




However; pls don't see this as some form of counter-argument in Frank's favour; it's not. Concerns about him are legitimate.
 
Insulting, really? I think that’s a stretch. He’s not offered any of them out for a fight or cupped his ear to them or accused us of wanting to lose matches (then going on to admit he wasn’t trying as hard as he could to win them).

Until he does anything like that I’m pretty far from being insulted by him. He’s said in a round about way that the atmosphere at the ground is shit. Well, I’ve seen loads of people line up on here to slag us off who go to games that we aren’t real fans when we’ve booed, because we are the only ones demanding more from the players, managers and owners. He’s not wrong, it is shit. But maybe if the players played better it wouldn’t be. That’s on them to not be such soft cocks and actually man up and perform and live up to million that we pay them to play the game to a better standard. There’s some absolute fucking pussies associated with this football club and I include a section of our fanbase in that.
Yeah with Frank he lost me after the NLD , maybe I should have said “digging out the fans” think it was after the booing of Vicario where he said real fans wouldn’t boo.
I don’t actually agree with booing our players , it does no good but it doesn’t make them any less spurs , I get though he is also in a hard place as he needs to show he is looking out for the players , but like you say the team is full of pussys , I’d have had a lot more respect and faith in him and even accepted being bottom half had he dropped all the wet wipes and started playing more young lads from the academy , I just think as a new Manager at a club you need to be very careful talking about the fans as things can be interpreted the wrong way.
 
Home from the Boxing Day test and watched the extended highlights of the festive games I missed and...

I don't see any signs the players are dropping heads or "downing tools" or whatever you want to call it when there's a massive disconnect between squad and coaching team. The football isn't great but I, unlike many, never thought it was going to be easy for any manager coming in. We knew what we were getting with Frank. It has been a bit painful for sure but it's not worst slitting time by any means.

A win tonight and on Sunday and things would definitely feel much better around here. COYS
 

View: https://x.com/i/status/2006501419789201469
Think he really needs to speak less about the fans, honestly. It's getting worse the more he tries.

He's really not doing himself any favours. You can get away with these types of comments when you're in a position of strength and have credit in the bank. Not when the team is underperforming and more fans want you out than in.

He's happy dodging any question on gossip or transfers - he should just do the same when the journos bring up fan-related stuff too.
 
Well, this is awkward



But seriously (as I know that was sarcastic), if you search for "floppy" you'll see plenty of posts about his hair, general appearance.





"skinny" isn't typically an insult, so of course that isn't brought up, but "teach" can't seem to help himself and no one's taken exception to it that I've seen








though, for balance
I hadn’t searched the word “floppy”. Has fearsome connotations for a 53 year old man.

I did search “hair like a late middle aged lesbian” and got no hits. Hence my assumption.

People will always have a pop at the way others look if they are trying to be derogatory. Maybe Ange had more “wrong” with him in standard eyes? And his comparative longevity here meant there were more posts about that? Fuck knows.

Tough to play the ball, not the man, in my dislike for Frank, as I believe his failings to be partly due to his personality. His public one anyway. Not sure I can only play the ball on this one.
 
Last edited:
I hadn’t searched the word “floppy”. Has fearsome connotations for a 4
53 year old man.

I did search “hair like a late middle aged lesbian” and got no hits. Hence my assumption.

People will always have a pop at the way others look if they are trying to be derogatory. Maybe Ange had more “wrong” with him in standard eyes? And his comparative longevity here meant there were more posts about that? Fuck knows.

Tough to play the ball, not the man, in my dislike for Frank, as I believe his failings to be partly due to his personality. His public one anyway. Not sure I can only play the ball on this one.

I have to admit that although I didn't rate Ange, as a manager or a coach, by the October of 2024, I found his disdain for the journalists at press conferences and willingness to front up angry supporters, as he did away at Bournemouth and Fulham, very entertaining and regard the passion he showed on these occassions as a redeeming quality.

The fact he was angry enough to give a shit about the criticism meant something.

Frank isn't at all brave or convincing in his approach to demeaning the THFC fanbase.

He just appears weak and snide.

Has showed a total lack of awareness regarding his continual digs.

At least he will be warmly received this evening where he is loved for being shit.
 
The thing about Frank saying the fans not being brave enough to come up to him and only hide behind keyboards pissed me. Ffs. He's probably the last person on earth entitled to talk about being brave, when his set up and lineup in games was the total opposite of that.
 
I think this is right , you also make a great point about the Youth team and it’s something that’s bothered me for a while now, as a club I’d like to see us stop the punts on Players like Tel ( no disrespect to him personally) however I use him as an example of blocking the pathway for MM.
Also seeing players like Scarlett Rot on the bench , I think this far into the season if you are having a player on the bench then at least reward them with a little cameo now and again.
As a club of course I’d love to see us playing “the Tottenham” way - for me this is Poch last season at the lane , but I’d also like us to be a club that has a clear pathway for academy players , I’d actually be a lot more forgiving and patient with TF is he was using the academy better , let’s get some players in the squad that playing for Tottenham is everything to them and not just a pay cheque.
Thank you for your nice feedback!

i have worked in football for more than a decade with youth teams and academy in a Norwegian top side, and after years with chipping and chopping, a new sports director came in and did exactly this. Same formations, and same basic philosophies, for all teams inside the club (age 12+ - senior).

The result was more homegrown players taking the cut, and a much more solid and stabile senior team.

So yes, I absolutely support the idea of having a Tottenham style, and that all through our club as our dna
 
It's funny how the people pissing their pants about personal abuse of Ange, even as he had to be restrained as he gave our own away fans verbals, are more than happy to indulge when it's someone else.

Yeah he's not doing well, yeah he's probably in above his head, yeah we should probably sack him but the vitriol and personal abuse stinks.
I liked Ange and thought the personal abuse he got, was wrong and over the top. Why call our own manager fat cxxt etc?

I have big doubts over Thomas Frank, but same rule apply - no reason for abuse! He seems like a good bloke, and he gives his best for us to success.
 
Keep reading things of this nature; but it's pretty obvious to me that it "clicked" because of how basic and 'non-tactical' it was..... There was nothing to learn.

(* "Same" players being minus Son, Madison, Kulu, Solanke..... 4 key players.)



Equally so; oppo managers had it sussed out within a 3rd of season.




However; pls don't see this as some form of counter-argument in Frank's favour; it's not. Concerns about him are legitimate.
Thanks, and agree on second part, Ange was found out early doors. Do not agree that he was non-tactical, and "nothing to learn" though . We had a clear and effective brand of football, and it was not just gong ho!

Anges biggest problem was that he was not tactically flexible enough, and when he at last adapted to this (see EL) it was to late.

Think a lot of people underestimate Anges tactics and setups, and in general his manager skills. His players was aboard all the way till the end, and he was able to fight down most top managers over single games, incl Pep repeatedly
 
I have never made personal remarks about any manager we have had. I have no opinion about the character of any of them. I don't know them well enough to form an objective opinion.

What I can do, and have done, is form a view of their jobs as manager. In every case, with the exception of Mourinho, I was on board with them from the day of their appointment. My views of them as manager evolved as their ability to manage this club revealed itself.

In the case of Ange, I was with him until midway through his second season. He lost me due to the horrendous league performance in 2024/2025. He will always have my thanks for the Europa League.

In Frank's case, my faith in him dissipated fairly quickly, and disappeared after the Fulham match. I have no opinion of the man. My opinion of the manager is that, in that role, he is timid, mediocre, and completely unsuited to be manager of this club.

Nothing personal.
 
Last edited:
Thanks, and agree on second part, Ange was found out early doors. Do not agree that he was non-tactical, and "nothing to learn" though . We had a clear and effective brand of football, and it was not just gong ho!

Perhaps "little to learn" would have been fairer; but... What was it then?

Flooding the final 3rd with players; encroaching on each other's natural space, no triangular relationships being formed or discernible patterns of attacking play. Supported by an over-stretched singular DM (who's not allowed to focus on that remit) and CBs required to break the 50meter dash record whenever the oppo turned the ball over. Players individually regressing to the collective low.

I bow to your professional acumen; so by all means break down what I'm not seeing.

"We had a clear and effective brand of football"

That alone is a highly contentious claim.

Anges biggest problem was that he was not tactically flexible enough, and when he at last adapted to this (see EL) it was to late.

Think a lot of people underestimate Anges tactics and setups, and in general his manager skills. His players was aboard all the way till the end, and he was able to fight down most top managers over single games, incl Pep repeatedly

The vast majority of players are gonna be easy to get 'on board' with fun, low-tactic football...... But to say they players were onboard with the tactics til the end; when players have publicly said otherwise, well, it's simply untrue.

Let's also not forget that Maddison and Ange were visibly at odds for a significant chunk of last season.
 
I have never made personal remarks about any manager we have had. I have no opinion about any of the character of any of them. I don't know them well enough to form an objective opinion.

What I can do, and have done, is form a view of their jobs as manager. In every case, with the exception of Mourinho, I was on board with them from the day of their appointment. My views if them as manager evolved as their ability to manage this club revealed itself.

In the case of Ange, I was with him until midway through his second season. He lost me due to the horrendous league performance in 2024/2025. He will always have my thanks for the Europa League.

In Frank's case, my faith in him dissipated fairly quickly and disappeared after the Fulham match. I have no opinion of the man. My opinion of the manager is that, in that role, he is timid, mediocre, and completely unsuited to be manager of this club.

Nothing personal.
I've posted that Frank look like BFG.

newFile-7.jpg
 
Back
Top