Thomas Frank: Tottenham boss defiant despite being booed off and own fans chanting 'you're getting sacked'
Tottenham suffer 2-1 home defeat to relegation-threatened rivals West Ham; under-pressure Spurs boss Thomas Frank booed off with his own fans chanting 'You're getting sacked in the morning'; Spurs have lost eight of their last 14 games but Frank defiant in his post-match press conference
Saturday 17 January 2026 21:15, UK
Under-pressure Tottenham boss Thomas Frank remained defiant despite being loudly booed off by his own fans, who chanted 'you're getting sacked in the morning' at him following the 2-1 home defeat to West Ham.
Callum Wilson's last-gasp winner sparked toxic scenes at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as the South Stand called for the Dane to go after a run of eight defeats in 14 matches.
Frank said of the boos and sack chants at his post-match press conference: "Of course, I probably have had better times. I understand - I'm the man in charge, so the blame will go to me. That's fair, no problem in that sense.
"As long as they are backing the players, doing everything they can to support them and drive them forward, and we will keep going forward."
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Frank was surprisingly upbeat in his post-match press conference, likening his job to turning a "super tanker" around with Spurs sitting 14th in the table, 10 points above the drop zone.
The Dane exuded the confidence of a man who has the backing of the Spurs hierarchy in a week which saw him handed a new midfielder in Conor Gallagher and a new first-team assistant coach in John Heitinga.
But neither had the desired effect on Saturday as Spurs were embarrassed by their relegation-threatened London rivals.
Ahead of kick-off, Tottenham chief executive Vinai Venkatesham released an open letter in the matchday programme which addressed several issues, including the relationship with the fans and player trading.
"I've seen the letter," Frank said, "and I took six to eight positive things out of the letter, not the negative things.
"What I take out of that letter is that a club, an executive team with Vinai on top, that are aligned and know that this is a big transition phase and it's a super tanker, we're turning in the right direction.
"And there's a lot of good signs behind the scenes, also in some of the performances.
"But of course, when you lose last minute to one of your rivals, it's very emotional in football, and there'll be noise.
"And that noise we need to keep out there and get head down and keep walking, keep doing the right thing."
Frank also faced questions over team leaks on Friday, but he insisted he was not worried about the issue.
Frank: We're close to something very good
West Ham ended their 10-game winless run, becoming the second Premier League team this month to get back to winning ways thanks to Spurs, after Bournemouth had beaten them 3-2 to end their 11-game winless run.
Last Saturday's FA Cup third round home defeat to Aston Villa means it is now three straight losses.
But Frank believes his side are "close to something very good" despite a winless start to 2026.
Asked why he deserved more time, Frank replied: "If you're not winning enough, we know that you're not getting enough support from the fans.
"But when we're winning, it will change when we start winning again, which we will do. Not in doubt of that. I also think you can look a little bit at the performances.
"Let's say the Bournemouth and the Villa and this game here, if the players stop running or stop doing anything or not working hard, and we were not the team that was closest to winning, then you can say, okay. But I think the team is working very hard.
"And I still think, and I know it sounds a little bit crazy, that we're close to something very good than further away.
He added: "I can promise that I'm sitting here and giving everything every single day.
"I feel the trust from everyone and there's only one way, and it's to keep going."
That trust will now be tested to its limit.
Sherwood pinpoints one thing saving Frank
Sky Sports' Tim Sherwood had labelled the game between Spurs and West Ham as 'El Sackico', but the ex-Spurs midfielder believes the only thing saving Frank is the lack of candidates to replace him.
He told Soccer Saturday after the defeat: "It doesn't look good.
"Spurs cannot win a game at home, and they have lost to their local rivals, who appear doomed at the bottom of the Premier League.
"The pressure is on Frank. But the only thing that might save his job is who could come in?
"They won a trophy last year and finished 17th. They aren't going to win a trophy this year. They are out of both cups and towards the bottom of the league.
"They are still in the Champions League, but it is highly unlikely they win that. Where do Spurs go from here?"
Romero: 'This is a disaster for us'
Another home game awaits Frank next as Spurs host Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Tuesday before a must-win Premier League trip to relegation strugglers Burnley.
Should Spurs suffer defeat at Turf Moor and West Ham win, then Tottenham would be seven points above the drop - and the alarm bells will be ringing if they are somehow already not.
Spurs captain Cristian Romero, who scored the equaliser in the defeat to West Ham, admits the situation is disastrous with Tottenham having won just two of their 11 home league games this season.
He told Sky Sports: "We need to stay together, work hard, come back tomorrow to the training ground. It's a disaster in this moment for us.
"Tomorrow we will train in silence, work hard again, and midweek we have another big match.
"At this moment, this is a disaster for us. We played sometimes good, sometimes bad. We must work hard and go again.
"Its' a difficult moment for us. We are not the best on the pitch."
