Thomas Frank Sacked

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2:42Alan Shearer:Hello and welcome to, well, an emergency episode of The Rest is Football. The news is broken this morning. We're recording this just before midday on Wednesday that Thomas Frank has been fired by Tottenham Hotspur. Obviously, they lost last night at home and I think there was a lot of noise in the stadium. Thomas was quite curt and quite brief in his press conference after saying that he wasn't going to get fired, but it turns out he did. So Alan, Shearer and myself, Karolini Kov, decided to pop on to give our views on the subject, perhaps see who we think could be the best replacement for Thomas.

3:28Alan Shearer:But God, I'm glad I opted out of the world of management. I know it probably pays quite well, but I mean, there are very few jobs that you go into and are almost guaranteed to get in the sack at some point.

3:45Gary Lineker:Yeah, I guess, I mean, you know the rules when you go into coaching or managing, don't you? It's pretty simple, I guess, that you win games or you get sacked. And unfortunately for Thomas, he's a really nice guy. He's really engaging. Everyone got on really well with him, didn't we? And we worked with him. Yeah. But that's the rules, guys. And I didn't think Tottenham would be involved in a relegation battle. Even last weekend, I was asked the question. I said, no, I don't think they will be. But that all changed last night when I saw them in the first half, particularly against Newcastle. And I thought, goodness me, is this the best you can deliver?

4:25Gary Lineker:I mean, they were awful. There was a little improvement in the second half from them. But the first half was as bad as I've seen any team this season. And after that, I thought, and then the result, Newcastle beat them. And you see what other teams are doing in and around Spurs. Particularly West Ham probably rallying.

4:45Alan Shearer:I know they conceded a late equaliser against Manchester United, but they certainly seem to be making some kind of progress. And Tottenham are not even treading water, actually. They've probably started to drown. Yeah, they are. And I guess something had to be done. And it's usually the coach, the manager. I mean, ultimately, you can look back in the recent history of Tottenham and their long list of managers. Some of the biggest managerial names in the business, I think. you listen to someone like Jose Mourinho and he was saying there's the problems are at the top of the club I think suggest it other managers have said the same Antonio Conte pretty much said the same sort of thing now obviously Daniel Levy left yeah or was was fired himself in which is quite an unusual move for a football club because it nearly always is the coach that takes the hit as is the case with with Thomas Frank but you're quite right when you say that we know how the rules are with football managers and if you don't get the results you get fine but what is it seven months?

5:47Alan Shearer:I mean I don't know how you're supposed to turn a football club and let's be fair here for Thomas Frank and obviously we know him but taking that aside I think he's been incredibly unlucky just before the start of the season he loses Madison for basically the whole season. Kulusevsky has not played at all under Thomas Frank Obviously, Solanke was out for most of the season. He's lost Kudus for the second half of the season. I mean, there are a lot of injuries, a lot. And we know that clubs have to cope with injuries. But I think in his defence, in his defence, and I'm not playing devil's advocate or anything, it's just factually correct that I think they've had the worst injury of all the clubs that I can think of in the top flight at present.

6:36Gary Lineker:Yeah, I get that. I understand that and that's been a big factor. but the black and white of it is they're no better in fact they're worse off than they were last season when under Ange and that in terms of league place was very very poor for them so they are they're in danger of being relegated and I guess that's why the board have had to act now because they've got a what have they got three ten days before their next game which is against Arsenal

7:04Alan Shearer:they couldn't get any whoever comes in whoever yeah If they get someone in in that time, because it's, I mean, you wonder whether they've probably got someone lined up. They usually have, haven't they, football clubs when this sort of thing happens? Not always, but, you know, this was not just about one game. This was about a series of, I mean, they have been underperforming and surprisingly, so I would say, given how well he's done. I mean, it's the first time he's probably been fired. I've said on this podcast recently, when I talked to Ancelotti, he was saying the first one is the one that hurts.

7:38Alan Shearer:The second one, you think, oh, it's a bit upsetting. He said, and after that, you just know it's part and parcel of what is, I suppose, a very well-paid but also impossible job for most. I mean, how many managers can you think of that you could go back probably someone like Ferguson Pep Guardiola Jurgen Klopp that don't actually get fired I mean there's not many they're just a handful it's an incredibly difficult job

8:13Gary Lineker:but they've got a decision to make now haven't they Tottenham whether they go for an interim or whether they feel as if there's someone out there that can do them do the job in the long term De Zerbe's just been or just left Marseille So he would be one name, I guess.

8:30Alan Shearer:People talk about he's the style of manager that perhaps the Spurs fans would accept and enjoy. A lot of the criticism of Thomas Frank was that he's not, he was a little bit more of a defensive-minded coach than perhaps someone like Andrew Postacoglu from previously. But they say he fits the Tottenham Dine. My point would be the most important thing is winning. And that's what you need. So obviously De Zerbe, I think he's favourite, along with Johnny Heitinger, who obviously was the coach. So he'd probably jump in if they don't get a manager immediately. Those two are the favourites. Interestingly for me, someone like Mareska, well, 20 to one with the bookies.

9:18Alan Shearer:I mean, if I were Tottenham, I'd very much look at him, even though he's former Chelsea and they don't like that kind of stuff for Tottenham fans possibly. But having said that, I think the Tottenham fans would really, really like a former Chelsea coach as well, but mainly a former Tottenham coach, and that will be Pochettino. But he's got a job to do in the summer, so he's not going to be free until after that, if he decides to leave the USA team. I suspect they won't do that well in the World Cup because they haven't really got the players, but home advantage can drive you through if he gets to the knockout.

9:53Alan Shearer:if he got to the last 16, that wouldn't be a bad effort. So he could become available. So do they give it to us an interim to the end of the season?

10:01Gary Lineker:Or, yeah, I was just going to say, or do they go someone like, I don't know, we've seen Martin O 'Neill come back in at his age. Do they go someone like Harry Redknapp to get them to the end of the season? I don't know. I mean, that's, I guess, one of the options that they may look at and then they can weigh their options up in the summer and then get a permanent manager in maybe after the World Cup. I don't know. But I do feel sorry for Thomas Rank. Yeah, me too. I just think it's something... After last night's performance, they're in a relegation battle and I don't think the performances could go on.

10:39Gary Lineker:The Tottenham fans made their feelings known last night, both with their booing and also empty seats, which for an owner or for a chairman, that's not a good look. So I'm not surprised at all it happened this morning.

10:51Alan Shearer:Do you think, Alan, I mean, obviously the fans turned on not just Thomas Frank, but the team as well. And there were a few altercations, weren't they, with players and the crowd? Not necessarily last night, but in previous weeks. Do you think now it's a more toxic world and more difficult for coaches and managers given social media and the fans that obviously it's not all fans, and it's usually a small percentage that voice their frustrations, particularly on social media. But you get these, you know, you see things like on Arsenal TV when they lose a couple of games and everyone goes mad. Lots of the Liverpool fans were demanding slot was out, I saw on social media.

11:33Now, I don't think this is necessarily talking about all fans

11:39Alan Shearer:across the board, but those that scream the loudest are generally more heard nowadays because anyone can have a view. and these toxic fan accounts and all this sort of thing make I think it probably more difficult than it's ever been before.

11:56Gary Lineker:Well, the top and bottom of it is, Gary, that it hasn't changed in terms of the rules of a manager and a coach. You get results or the noise around you is going to get loud and it's louder now than it's ever been because of social media, because of podcasts, because of fan TVs, because of everything else. but ultimately that noise stays away if you win matches that's what it boils down to and Tottenham haven't and they're in a relegation fight and that's why ultimately he's lost his job not because of social media not because of the fans unrest it's because results have been nowhere near good enough for Tottenham and someone has to pay the price and the vast majority of time that's the head coach or the manager

12:40Alan Shearer:Who would you go for Alan?

12:41Gary Lineker:I think they need to buy a bit of time which means appointing an interim to try and somehow get them through to the end of the season and then they can weigh their options up then and if they decide that maybe Pochettino is the man then that would be I think one of the options that they would look at and I don't think that would be an option yeah

13:03Alan Shearer:then what happens is an interim an interim comes in and does really well then he keeps the job and then they've got another problem next night well that's fine

13:11Gary Lineker:that's not a bad problem to have if the interim whoever that may be comes in and does well fine that's what they want him to do and they want him to win games so that would be what they would want I would guess yeah yeah

13:24Alan Shearer:I think that's possible I mean it's early days the strong favourite is De Zerbi obviously he's available which makes

13:32Gary Lineker:if he were to come in he ain't taken any nonsense whatsoever he's doing the job and he also would not take an interim job he would that's for sure Yeah, he would insist on doing it his way or he wouldn't go in at all. So you know what you're going to get with him. And if anyone tries to mess with him or interfere, you know what's going to happen. And I don't think that's a bad thing as a manager.

13:53Alan Shearer:But if you want to do things your way at Tottenham in recent history, that's not necessarily been the case.

13:59Gary Lineker:Well, unless things have changed dramatically at the top. I know they have in terms of personnel, how it's run, et cetera, et cetera. We're not sure of the ins and outs. But I guess if he goes in, then he's not taking any nonsense at all. Spurs need to sort it out at the top, though.

14:16Alan Shearer:I mean, it's a very well-run... I mean, it's a strange one. It just shows you how football is not business. It's solely different to business because it's actually a well-run business. It does reasonably well compared with most others. They're never in the financial problems or anything like that. The fans would say, well, they've not really invested into the football. team and football's not a business it's it's too emotional um for a lot of it so you know the coach is always the one that suffers um but the fans will you know they want a bit more commitment i think from from the owners i mean levy before he got fired talked about we want to be challenging to win the champions league it's worth pointing out too that thomas thomas frank has got got them straight through into the knockout stage.

15:06Alan Shearer:Admittedly, I think they were slightly lucky with the draw. PSG were probably the only really top team they played and they lost to them, although they put on a decent performance. So, yeah, I just, you know, I think Tottenham fans will also not just, they'll be happy with the fact that Thomas Frank is out, a lot of them, because I don't think they really got behind him because of results, obviously. But at the same time, I think there's an element of frustration at the top of the club and the fact that they've not really supported the coaches with huge amounts of money. Well, Andy missed out on players as well, didn't he, guys?

15:47Gary Lineker:They missed out on players that they wanted. Well, there was the Ezzet thing, which was embarrassing.

15:50Alan Shearer:And Morgan Gibbs-White, they thought they'd got him and then they hadn't. So, yeah, there's... I mean, sometimes I think it suits the club just to have someone to blame, get the coach out, it's their fault, distract the attention away from what they're doing at the very top. But I think there is, I think there's a lot of unrest amongst certainly the Tottenham fans that I speak to in terms of not just whoever the coach is. And I think there'll be quite a lot of sympathy there was towards Bostacogli, gave them a trophy and also towards Thomas Frank who's obviously a really decent human being.