Thomas Frank comes out 'fighting' for Spurs job ahead of crucial Burnley clash
Thomas Frank has faced the media in a week where Tottenham face Dortmund and Burnley with his job on the line.
Burnley will be hoping to take advantage of the volatile situation at Tottenham when they welcome the North Londoners to Turf Moor on Saturday, but Thomas Frank is yet to throw in the towel.
Spurs have won just one of their last eight across all competitions, while Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to struggling West Ham United was their third in a row. The Lilywhites have slumped to 14th in the Premier League table and are almost equidistant from the Champions League and relegation places. Frank is now fighting for his job, and defeat to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Tuesday could see him axed before he even gets the chance to travel to Turf Moor. But how has the Dane reacted to the speculation around his future?
Thomas Frank ‘fighting’ for his Tottenham job
Simply put, Frank is coming out fighting for his job, refusing to wave the white flag.
"If your back is against the wall, you fight. I am energetic and I fight. It is not about me, we need to win football matches and we need to do that together,” the former Brentford boss told reporters at his press conference ahead of Tuesday’s clash at home to Dortmund. "We are ready and focused on the game together and the players look good."
Frank is also confident he can win back the support of the Tottenham fanbase with results, despite facing chants of ‘sacked in the morning’ from his very own supporters at the weekend. "Yes, I am not in doubt of that. In this game, you always need resilience,” he responded when asked if he can get the supporters back onside. "The three biggest things in showing resilience is having good values and I believe I am a guy that has good values. Second is you know reality and the reality is that one in five people don't like you no matter what you do and one in five love you no matter what you do - both sides are probably biased, no matter what you do.
"And then there is the three and five, if you behave well, are respectful and show integrity then you are sweet." The reality is not everyone will like you."
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Frank happy to take the blame for poor Spurs run
As is often the case in football, when things go wrong, it’s the manager who takes the brunt of the blame rather than the players. As harsh as that may be, Frank is happy to accept that reality, as long as it means the supporters stay behind the players to help them pick up crucial results - especially with Liverpool still only being nine points ahead in fourth and everything still to play for.
"Football is very simple but also a little bit complex. There are many moving parts,” said Frank. "I think it is about keeping the noise out, staying calm, carrying on, looking at the performances. Are the players still running? They are running hard. I think the last three games, how they have come out from half-time and responded - it has been fantastic.
"Sometimes it is just football when you are going through that spell. Are you still running hard, still trying, still believing? Which I see signs of clearly in every game. "Even the best manager in the world, Pep Guardiola, says 'I am nothing without my players' and it is fair to say they haven't been available enough the whole time. But hey, no problem. I am happy to take the blame as long as everyone supports the players."
Whatever happens in North London, Scott Parker will be hoping his players can take advantage of Tottenham’s frailties on Saturday to pick up Burnley’s first league win since October as they battle against relegation.