Flexible Thomas Frank and Tottenham are the perfect match – Brentford boss will get to show how he REALLY wants to play

The Sun

3 days ago

ANGE-BALL is dead and buried, a cold-blooded decision that has divided the Tottenham fanbase.
The departure of Ange Postecoglou brought a mix of bewilderment and anger from some, with many feeling his axe was unnecessary.
6
6
Plenty of Spurs supporters are unsure about what lead candidate Thomas Frank will bring if he is the next man through the revolving door.
The club's fans always want their team to reflect the attacking principles — the 'Glory, Glory' 'To Dare is to Do' football — articulated by their 1960-61 Double-winning icons, captain Danny Blanchflower and boss Bill Nicholson.
That is why defensively-minded Nuno Espirito Santo, Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte never quite fitted in.
And it is why Dane Frank — currently at Brentford — actually ticks more boxes than any alternative.
His Bees were promoted to the Premier League in 2021 playing free-flowing, attractive football.
But Frank realised he could not play that way in the top flight with the squad and resources at his disposal.
Not until they established themselves. It meant Frank had to get his recruitment and his tactics right — also showing a willingness to adapt alongside solid analysis and smart thinking.
He showed the same passion and desire as Bees fans, who loved watching his side evolve.
But the Gtech hierarchy knew this moment would come.
That a big club would knock on the door and Frank would be ready to walk through, seeking a stage that lets him play the football he REALLY wants to play.
Football that comes straight off the N17 wish-list.
Quizzed by SunSport recently Frank, 51, said: 'For many, years, I've been most attracted to more offensive football.
'I always looked a little bit at the Ajax team, the total football idea.
'Then it was Barcelona, the first Dream Team under Johan Cruyff, which of course also had Michael Laudrup, another Danish player, at the heart of it.
'So I watched all those games, incredible — and then of course Pep Guardiola took them to another level.
'I was also inspired by watching what Jurgen Klopp did at Liverpool.
'They were the most difficult team to play against from a defensive side because they attacked from all angles.
'FANTASTIC FOOTBALL'
'Arsene Wenger's Arsenal as well. I liked that, with Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry, Freddie Ljungberg, Robert Pires. That was some fantastic football as well.
'I got that inspiration and tried to merge it into my own blueprint.
'Hopefully, you can be a great entertainer and a great winner at the same time.
'Ultimately it is all about winning, no doubt. But you can't achieve anything big without being solid at the back.'
Frank has the intelligence and depth to deal with pressure and crises — and would not blow up a club like Spurs in the way Conte did in 2023 — nor turn on the fans as Postecoglou did too frequently.
Proof of that came with Frank's brilliant handling of the Ivan Toney gambling case.
After the striker was charged with betting offences in November 2022 he scored ten goals in 19 Prem games before the striker's eight-month FA ban was confirmed.
6
6
Frank knew his job was to be a counsellor as well as a manager.
Not just before the ban, but during and after.
He said at the time: 'He's made mistakes, but we need to be there and help him.
'We all make mistakes. Who are we to judge, especially in football?
'Ivan is a footballer, but he's also a human being. We need to do everything we can to support him.'
Yet in Toney's absence Frank unleashed Yoanne Wissa alongside Mbeumo — they scored 39 Prem goals between them last term.
Ange's legacy is a first Spurs trophy in 17 years.
It provides a platform that Frank is ready to build on.
It is the role he has waited for all his career. And it gives him the chance to turn his ambitions into reality.
6
6