Thomas Frank sacked by Tottenham after eight months as head coach

Thomas Frank has been sacked by Tottenham, the final straw for the head coach coming on Tuesday when his team lost at home to Newcastle, leaving Spurs 16th in the Premier League, five points above the relegation zone.

The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium crowd again rebelled against Frank, booing him and chanting that he would be sacked in the morning.

The Dane, appointed on 12 June on a three-year contract to succeed Ange Postecoglou, leaves after eight games without a win in the league. The team are on a run of two victories in 17 in the competition. They also endured early exits in both domestic cups.

The club’s form in the Champions League has been positive, a fourth-place finish in the league phase securing automatic passage to the last 16, but the mood towards Frank among supporters has been overwhelmingly negative.

It was as much the stodginess of Frank’s football that drove a wedge between him and the fans and spelled the end. His team routinely lacked creativity and cutting edge, options on the ball. They struggled with their buildup work, to play through-balls and get runners in behind. Tottenham often fell back on predictable crosses and the supporters came to question the direction of travel under Frank: what they were evolving towards.

Frank did not get the productivity from his attackers. Richarlison scored seven times in the league but Mohammed Kudus, Xavi Simons, Wilson Odobert, Mathys Tel and Randal Kolo Muani managed only six between them in the competition. Dominic Solanke has missed most of the season because of an ankle injury. Since his return, he has contributed two league goals.

The Spurs board did not want to sack Frank. They were mindful of the problems he faced. The sheer number of injuries: Frank departs with 11 players out. The overall level of the squad. The draining demands of the Champions League. How the season was always likely to be one of transition, partly because of the unprecedented number of leadership position changes across the club.

The chief executive, Vinai Venkatesham, wrote an open letter to supporters before the West Ham game in mid-January, its tone calm and reassuring, the overriding message being a call for patience. Yet the atmosphere that day was toxic, the fans booing at various points of a game the team lost, including for when Frank substituted Tel, whom they had wanted to stay on. It bubbled over at the end, sustained jeering greeting the final whistle. Then too they chanted about him being sacked in the morning.

With hindsight, the beginning of the rot can be traced to the 1-0 home defeat by Chelsea on 1 November. It was an empty display from Frank’s team, damned by their 0.05 expected goals number and the crowd raged.

The disconnect between fans and the team would become increasingly evident. Even Venkatesham referenced “a distance between the club and our supporters” in his open letter. There were clashes between the players and the fans. When Pedro Porro set up Cristian Romero’s goal against West Ham, his first reaction was to turn to the West Stand and cup an ear.

The home form was a glaring problem. Frank’s team won twice in the league on their own turf. Only Burnley and Wolves have worse home records.

Frank earned a few smiles after his move from Brentford when he considered how Spurs had sacked five managers in the time that he spent at his previous club. “Only five?” he said. “I like to challenge myself. I have the privilege that I have never been sacked before. That is one of the reasons why I took the job. I get a little bit more risk in my daily life.”

Frank has become the latest Spurs statistic. “We have been determined to give him the time and support needed to build for the future together,” a club statement said. “However, results and performances have led the board to conclude that a change at this point in the season is necessary.”

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