Spurs sack Thomas Frank

0:00This is the Football Daily Podcast with Aaron Paul. Hello and welcome to an emergency edition of the Football Daily from Five Live Sport. Tottenham Hotspur have sacked Thomas Frank as head coach after only eight months at the football club. He leaves Spurs 16th in the Premier League, five points above the relegation zone and without a league win in 2026. Joining us to react to this news is the former Tottenham goalkeeper Paul Robinson and the BBC senior football correspondent Sammy Mockbell. Paul will get your reaction in a moment or so. But first, Sammy, give us the nuts and bolts of it. The home loss to Newcastle last night was the final straw.

0:39Yeah, inevitable, I think, is the word that sums this all up. I think ever since they lost at home to West Ham three or four weeks ago, it was always a matter of when and not if. I think the machinations towards what occurred this morning with the decision and the announcement that Thomas Frank had left were underway after that loss. Yes, he had a couple of decent results, didn't he, in the Champions League, but he's been merely treading water since then. And I think there was a decision made probably earlier this week that if the game against Newcastle on Tuesday night didn't go according to plan, that they had this 12-day window now to make a decision to end his reign as Tottenham manager.

1:35And that was made this morning. And now I think what will happen is a new interim head coach will be named in the next three to four days ahead of the players' return to training on Monday. Just to sort of fill everybody in, Frank was appointed on June 12th on a three-year deal, succeeding Ange Postacoglu. Spurs qualify for the Champions League. They're still in the Champions League, but are out of both domestic cups. They finish fourth in the league stage. And Europe really was a bit of a saving grace. A lot of people saying that maybe they didn't play the strongest of opposition, but it's about playing who's in front of you and they were able to win those games.

2:17But it's the Premier League, really, Sammy, where they've really just faltered continuously. So the two wins in 17, is it? Is that right in the Premier League? The winless in eight, they are careering towards a relegation fight. And I know a lot of people in the football industry just can't see them getting relegated. I'm probably one of those who, when push comes to shove, I cannot see Tottenham going down. But I do also understand that there is a sense of realism amongst the fan base who go and watch Tottenham home and away week in, week out, who see the team every week. And they are fearful that Tottenham are actually genuine relegation contenders.

3:06And I think that's where maybe the club have had to move to try and prevent a further slip towards the bottom three. It seems inconceivable really that Tottenham are in this position. but I think the decision has been made with a view to well look the Premier League season is over for us for all intents and purposes let's just try and get a bounce so we can get two or three wins under our belts to stay up that's a sad indictment on Tottenham's season but that's simply just where they are Paul Robinson played 175 games for Spurs Paul just tell me how we've got here A run of turgid performances and results in all honesty I remember covering their game at Brentford on New Year's Day and that was the first time I really looked at the team and the way that they were set up and I thought this isn't good and the Tottenham fans are extremely knowledgeable fans and they've not liked what they've been seeing for a long long time and the big thing for Thomas Frank is that the home support is where the nucleus of your support is they're the amount of supporters that see you week in and week out and they've not been happy for a long time.

4:20They've won four of 27 at home and they've certainly made their feelings clear. And it's not necessarily just results, it's the way that results have come about. It's playing six at the back last night against Newcastle. They were playing with a back four, but when they're out of possession, the two wingers dropped back and they almost made a line of six at the back at home. And it just couldn't continue. I mean, the genuine slide down the Premier League table and the worrying thing for me is I think why the board reacted how they have is because when you look at the teams in and around Tottenham, you look at the likes of Leeds, Nottingham Forest, West Ham, they've been in this situation before.

4:52They've got fighters in that team. They've got players in the team who know, who have been there before. I look at that Tottenham dressing room. They haven't got those type of players. They've maybe got three or four of those type of players and the manager isn't getting the best out of those type of players. And in the weeks coming, somebody is going to have to get better performances. As we always say, isn't it? Minimum requirement is maximum effort. That hasn't been there. I don't for one minute think Thomas Frank goes out there and says, I don't want you to run at your best, I don't want you to play passes here, I don't want you to play so poorly.

5:24He would be as frustrated as anybody. The players have got to carry a certain amount of the can for this, but actually the manager is the one who sends them out with the tactics and it simply just couldn't carry on any longer. To both of you, and I'll come to you first, Sammy, is this the culmination of years of decline, years of mismanagement, years of sort of frugal operations by the Tottenham owners? In short, yeah. I think that is a fair assessment to the point where I think part of the reason Thomas Frank lasted as long as he did was because I think there was an acknowledgement from the Tottenham hierarchy that he'd been dealt a rough hand with regards to the squad.

6:04Obviously, the injuries that the team has suffered this season has been a key part of why they've been so poor. And it does offer some mitigation for Thomas Frank. But I think there is also an acknowledgement behind the scenes at Tottenham that this is a Tottenham squad that needs repair. They've lost their two main goal scorers over the past two or three years in Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son. It's a... Sam, Sam, they've sold their last three... The last three seasons, they've sold their top goal scorer every season. Brendan Johnson was the third. well there we go exactly with Brennan Johnson it's a great point three in three seasons it's a squad that has been allowed for whatever reason to decay and they haven't replaced like for like and now look a lot of people will say how do you replace Harry Kane how do you replace a human song and I think there is gravitas to those claims but having said that I, because the squad is in the way it is, I think that actually did buy Thomas Frank some time.

7:16But, you know, you can only use that as an excuse for so long. The players are good enough, are far better than where they are in the league table at the moment. It bought him time, but it didn't buy him replacements and additions in January. And I think the feeling from the supporter base and, I mean, from sort of voices in and around the club was that the January window was a shambles. Well, when you're sliding down the table and looking where you are and you can clearly see the manager needs reinforcements and replacements, the backing that both him and Ange have had, the recruitment has been really poor in certain areas.

7:55They've brought players not at the level that they want to be at, if you like. and I think when you criticise the board and you look what they've done they bring in a manager like Ange Postacoglu and yes they give him a certain amount of a transfer budget they bring in players, they spend money to reinforce his squad they give him players that he wants but it was a grossly overweighted squad with attacking midfielders, attacking players and play a certain way that Ange Postacoglu wants to play so then that doesn't work out the board then must have a contingency plan and go okay, what's our next manager going to look like?

8:27How is our next manager going to get the best out of this squad that we've got? Oh, no, let's not bother with that. Let's just get a completely different manager in Thomas Frank, a completely pragmatic manager who won't want this group of players, who will take time to overhaul the squad, to have to bring players in that he wants. And that's another criticism of the board, because the type of squad starting XI that Ange Postacoglu wants is completely different to what Thomas Frank wants. Let's hear it from Thomas Frank in his final interview as Tottenham boss alongside Mike Mane. Thomas, how are you feeling right now?

9:00It's been better, of course. It hurts massively that we couldn't get the win today. No doubt about that. I see a team running and fighting out there with everything they have. They give everything in a tricky and difficult situation against a good team that make it difficult for us, especially the first half. I think we came back in second half and equalised. And then it's symbolic for our season that we have a transition going one way and they go the other way. And then we just defended badly in that moment. And then we concede the second goal, which we shouldn't do. I know basically you've got a full team, first team out with injuries and suspensions at the moment.

9:42You've alluded to it in your answer there. Are you getting enough out of the players that are fit and available to you? You know, I think it's, as you say, it's a two-sided question. I think definitely 10 players with injuries and a suspension for Federer's band and another injury after 30 minutes 100 % doesn't help. I am absolutely sure any coach would like to have more available players because it's easier to get more out of everything. But I have never complained. It's what I have available and we do everything we can to put a competitive team out there. It can't escape you. I don't think it escaped anybody.

10:22There were boos at full time. What is your message right now to the Tottenham Hotspur supporters tonight? Yeah, but I understand the frustration. 100%. It's not a good position we're in. And also, how can you say, it's been building up a little bit. Last season, it was a bit similar playing Europe and Premier League. This season, it's a bit similar to Europe and Premier League. So there's something in the squad we need to build that resilience physically and mentally to do that. And I also understand it's, how can you say, directed against me. That's the easiest way to do it. But I'm also 100 % sure about it's a team effort.

11:05It's not only one person. We're all aligned and know what needs to be done. and the next thing I can promise is that I will work very hard every single day to do everything I can to turn around with a lot of other good people. Paul, you can't help but like him. He's an upbeat, really lovely guy. Do you feel sorry for him at all? Do you have any sympathy for Thomas Frank and the way the past seven months has played out? Aaron, I like you. The limited time I've spent in his company, I found him a real gentleman and everything that you heard about him at Brentford and the way that he man-managed the players and took care of these players off the field with the family and the interest that he paid and the way that he managed addressing them, I wanted everything to go well for him.

11:49I was a big advocate of him being brought into the club and I thought he'd more than earned his stripes for the next step, if you like. It just hasn't worked for him. There's only so much you can leave a man out there that the results are going like that. You can't do it. There comes a point where you go, lovely bloke, great man, really enjoyed his company, but not up to that job at the moment. There's a lot of mitigating factors, a lot of subplots, the board, the recruitment, etc. But eventually it's him that will pay the price for the poor results. And I think it was a job for him that he probably felt was at the right time.

12:25You look at the job he did at Brentford, everything suggested that the recruitment with him was right but it just hasn't worked for him. How have we gone from a man who in the past 12 to 18 months has been interviewed by Manchester United, interviewed by Chelsea, excelled at Brentford, gone to Spurs and been chewed up and spat out. Is it Spurs? Is it a Spurs thing? Is it a Thomas Frank thing? And what's it done for his stock? What I glean from all of what you just said there, and you're absolutely right about the trajectories of Frank's career and how well he did at Brentford, just underlines to me what a brilliant operation Brentford are, in my opinion, in terms of their recruitment.

13:07And I think that the job that, or the season that Brentford have had this season, again, you know, without Thomas Frank, just underlines that it's the model that was maybe a success at Brentford. And I'm not saying that Thomas Frank wasn't a success, because he led that team brilliantly up from the championship, and they're now a fully-fledged, settled Premier League side. so Frank coming into a different environment where we know the model hasn't been successful and the recruitment hasn't been what it should be for a club the size of Tottenham it's no surprise to me that he has struggled he has to take a portion of blame for that of course he does but I think ultimately the problems that Tottenham have faced this season don't just lay at the feet of Thomas Frank It's a situation that the club needs to look at as a whole and resolve.

14:10And it stems from recruitment. You're only as good as your players, as Paul has rightly said. And until they get that part right, we will just be in this forever-ending cycle of Tottenham being mediocre. From a small village on the banks of the River Nile... Everybody call me Mohamed, but, you know, short name or nickname, they call me Mo. To the biggest stages of world football. Goes for the corner! Mo Salah! Salah is more than just a player. He's an icon, a symbol, a king. It's 6-0! And Salah rips off his shirt! Mohamed Salah represents a dream. For Egyptians, for Muslims, for Africans. More than just a football player, he gave us hope.

14:59I'm Kelly Cates. This is Sporting Giants, Mo Salah. Listen on BBC Sounds. This is the Football Daily Podcast with Aaron Paul. Since that Mauricio Pochettino side that went oh so close in the Premier League, there's not been a Tottenham team where you say, yeah, you know what, they've recruited well, they look like a solid outfit. And it kind of leads us on to our next point, which is about the runners and the riders. Because Tottenham have been through every form of head coach. They've gone for the serial winners in Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte. They've brought someone in in Ange Postacoglu, who maybe was unfancy, but ultimately won them a trophy.

15:38And in Thomas Frank, they had someone who was skilled in the Premier League and maybe a project manager and thought that could lead them forward. Right now, though, are they going to be going down the route of an interim? Or are they going to be looking at some of the candidates out there? Xabi Alonso is available. Ruben Amarim, of course, sat by Manchester United. a month ago. Xavi Hernandez is available. We know Maurizio Pochettino is fancied and I think they see it as a PR masterstroke to bring him back. But Roberto De Zerbi's name has been headed up and they talked to him in the summer and he's been let go of by Marseille today.

16:15Is time going to work in their favour? That's the decision that they have to make and it's one I'm told they haven't made yet. I think they're still exploring the contingency plans. Do they go into him or do they go and try and make a full-time appointment now? If they were to make a full-time appointment now, I think that, from what I understand, I think the club are quite keen to see how the managerial landscape develops over the summer. But you'll have all of the World Cup managers, won't you, who will be potentially available. And you mentioned, obviously, the apple of the Tottenham supporters either, Marisa Pochettino.

16:59He can't take the job ahead of the World Cup, but he could potentially take the job after the World Cup. And I think there is a certain synergy with the fan base and the board who need to try and potentially increase their popularity amongst the fan base for bringing in someone like Marisa Pochettino, who is revered and continues to be revered at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. But you're also right, there are some good managers who are available now. De Zerbe was one that, you mentioned it there, was one that was mentioned to me this morning. As you say, Alonso. Whether Alonso would want to take it, I don't know.

17:41Perhaps he'll have his sights elsewhere with potentially a bigger job around the corner for him. but it's a tissue they have to make do they go into him now and wait until the summer or do they try and lure one of the big name managers that are available now well the manager rotation and the lack of success over the years would suggest that the problem doesn't just lie with the manager you know it lies deeper within the club but I think when you look at the situation they're in now Sammy touched on it right at the start of this the Premier League season's done the most important thing is whoever comes in now whether it's permanent or interim delivers a Premier League team at the start of next season for whoever it is to pick up at that point.

18:22I mean, that's it. The European campaign, as you said, they're unbelievable in the Champions League. Fourth, okay, granted, you look at the opposition, they're ahead of Real Madrid, Barcelona and a PSG, Inter Milan and Juventus, yet the manager's been sacked this morning. It's almost unthinkable. But then when you look at where they are in the Premier League, something had to change. And I think the manager that comes in now has to deliver a Premier League team next season because that inevitably cost Ange Postacoglu his job at the end of last season. the poor results and the poor performances in the Premier League.

18:49Interim, I think it's very easy to get sucked into the Michael Carrick scenario because he's done such an incredible job at Manchester United. Come in, four wins and a draw. You know, they've had a great start to it. Tottenham fans might look at that through rose-tinted glasses and go, OK, we can do that, let's do that, we'll bring somebody in. I mean, who is there that would come in interim? You know, Ryan Mason's left West Brom. Do you go down that route again? Johnny Heiting is there, an experienced fledgling, very much in his coaching career. Robbie Keane's another name that's been talked about but why is he going to leave Ferenc Varysh a team that he's doing superbly well at for the promise of three or four months work, maybe longer if it goes well, Harry Redknapp's even been muted, I mean why not get them facing the right way get them running hard, get them closing down, get them chasing because what a manager has got to do between now and the end of the season is get the best out of that group of players who haven't been performing and like I said earlier in this pod West Ham, Nottingham Forest, Leeds, they've got those type of players.

19:43They've got fighters. They've got a manager that can get that from those players. I don't see that at Tottenham. They need a manager, whether it be permanent or temporary, interim, that can get something between now and the end of the season. And once again, it's, I'm sorry, but this season's done. We're going to have to go again next season. Paul, Sammy, thank you. That is all from this emergency edition of the Football Daily. You can follow the story as it develops on the BBC Sport website and of course on BBC Radio 5 Live on the next Football Daily. I'll be back with 72 plus the EFL pod see you then five live sports the six nations rugby's greatest championship what a day of the six nations it's been live commentary of every match on BBC sounds just a stunning score one of the all-time great tries the rugby uni weekly podcast will be daily throughout the tournament with all the best insight and analysis and the biggest names in The Six Nations.

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