Frank’s task in north London is looking increasingly difficult as the weeks go by. The former Brentford coach had made a decent start to life at Spurs, but a number of flat performances and defeats has turned up the heat under the Dane. The fractious atmosphere at Spurs was made clear after the defeat to the Blues, with a video of Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence snubbing Frank’s approach on their way to the dressing room circulating on social media soon after the full-time whistle.
The defenders appeared unhappy with their boss and did not hide their feelings towards Frank when they stormed off the pitch. Shocked by their response, Frank was left rooted to the spot as he watched in disbelief as the duo shunned him. The incident played out under a cacophony of boos raining down from the terraces.
Speaking after the game, Frank was keen to play down the incident. He said: “All the players are, of course, frustrated. They would like to do well, they would like to win, they would like to perform. I understand that.
“I think it’s difficult to be consistent in good times and bad times, that’s why I went around to the fans as I did, it’s more fun when we win, I can tell you that.”
When pressed for his opinion on Van de Ven and Spence, the Dane remained diplomatic and defended his players. “We have Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence doing everything they can,” he said. “They’ve performed very well so far this season. Everyone is frustrated. We do things in a different way, I don’t think it’s a big problem.”