a day ago
'Football clever' Frank can do 'big things' at Spurs
Former Brentford defender Andreas Bjelland believes Tottenham's players must "buy in to the project" to help Thomas Frank deliver "big things".Bjelland, who is now the assistant coach of Danish club Ljungby Boldklub, twice played for Frank, when the new Spurs boss was a coach at Ljungby, and then assistant at 36-year-old won 36 caps for Denmark during his career, and told BBC Sport about Frank's qualities: "The environment he tries to create, the culture he tries to create around him and the dialogue between you and him as a player as individuals but also as a team is massive."Coming from Denmark into Brentford, [he was] trying to adapt a little bit in how he wants to see football - but also knowing that it's not something that can be done in one day so it's taking it step by step."He's a good guy but he's also a really football-clever guy who can see the game in a really fast and clever way."Frank was confirmed as Tottenham's new manager on Thursday, following the sacking of Ange Postecoglou after their worst Premier League lost 22 league matches in the last campaign, but Bjelland feels Frank is the right man to turn things around: "The main thing for the players is to buy in and trust the process because I think he can create some big things there."Embrace the person he is that really cares about you and take that in. You can learn a lot from him on and off the pitch."Frank's former teaching colleague, Trine Ladekarl Nelleman, believes his ability to form relationships has benefited his coaching career."I think you can compare the two things [coaching and teaching] - to make people do their best and motivate them," she said."I don't know if in English you use the expression: carrot and the stick. Pressure and care at the same time and balancing that so you can not just do whatever you like, you have to do your best to succeed."
