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1 week ago
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David Hytner
Thomas Frank has insisted the Tottenham hierarchy are standing with him in the face of the storm gripping the club.
The manager’s job is in the balance, his situation precarious after the home defeat against West Ham on Saturday. The Spurs support were so incensed by the result and the continuation of the team’s terrible Premier League form – they have won twice in their past 13 league matches – that they demanded Frank be “sacked in the morning”.
Frank has survived, for now, and will be in the dugout for the Champions League tie at home against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday. It remains to be seen whether it proves to be merely a stay of execution. Frank has a selection crisis for the Dortmund clash, with only 11 available outfield players – three of whom he said would struggle to complete the 90 minutes. His back is firmly against the wall.
Preamble
Spurs’ Champions League campaign is going swimmingly. They’ve picked up 11 points from six games and are on course for a playoff place, perhaps even an automatic passage to the last 16. Alas, as Ange Postecoglou found out, progress in Europe does not keep the wolf from the door, or the boos from the shell-like, and there is widespread expectation that Thomas Frank will be the next Premier League manager to lose his job.
Frank has been forced to carry the entirely imaginary Dead Man Walking Stick™ after a run of two wins in 15 domestic matches. At the weekend Spurs were beaten by West Ham, extending an unfathomably poor home record – at least in the Premier League.
In the Champions League, Spurs’ home form has been perfect: three games, three wins, eight goals scored, none conceded. Tonight’s opponents, Borussia Dortmund, are a step up from Villarreal, FC Copenhagen and Slavia Prague. Spurs could do with a good performance, but all that really matters is the result.
Kick off 8pm.
