'Good signs' or just buying time? Spurs remain divided on Frank future

Speaking to Tottenham fans on their way to Tuesday's Champions League game with Borussia Dortmund, almost none retained any belief in Thomas Frank.

It felt as though a bad defeat against the German side - which would have been a fourth loss in a row in all competitions - would not only have led to more boos and more toxicity inside the stadium, but the end of his reign as manager.

Instead, a 2-0 win thanks to first-half goals from Christian Romero and Dominic Solanke is likely to buy Frank some time. An encouraging performance from his depleted team could even give him more than that.

Just a few days earlier, loud boos greeted the final whistle at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as West Ham snatched a last-minute winner.

Before kick-off on Tuesday there were some boos once again when Frank's name was read out, but they turned into cheers at full-time as Spurs secured a win that now puts them in a strong position to qualify automatically for the Champions League knockouts.

The question now is: was this a temporary reprieve for Frank or a platform to build on? And is it enough to win back the fans who had turned against him?

It was clear many fans had turned on Frank during the defeat by the Hammers, with large numbers singing "you're getting sacked in the morning" at him.

That feeling remained evident before Tuesday's match.

"I really do think 99% of this stadium are Frank out," said Spurs supporter Sarah Sturgeon-Scraggs, who has been attending home games with her dad Ronnie since she was nine.

"I have enjoyed coming to the matches because of the people we sit with and I get to spend time with my dad, but we get so little joy."

Ronnie added: "Barring some sort of miracle on player support, style and results instantly the fans have abandoned him and I feel personally that he must go."

This win and the much-improved first-half performance was still not enough to change their view, with a return to a more conservative and unadventurous display in the second half a cause for frustration.

"The first half was really enjoyable," said Sarah. “There was a lot more movement, a lot more forward passing and a press. However, the second-half performance shows why Frank is not the right person to be managing this team. We went to five at the back, the game ground to a halt. It sucked the joy out of it yet again.

"I am still Frank out."

Fellow Spurs supporter Ali Speechly held a similar view before kick-off.

"If we could see signs of what he is trying to achieve we might have more patience," she said.

"It looks like a bunch of players doing what they want."

Any change of heart after the game?

"Much better first half, where has that been? But second half we were dead again," she said. "They either play a good first half or second half. It feels Thomas Frank can't string the two together."

Some, however, did see enough to believe Frank can build on this.

Alfie said before the match that Tottenham were playing “like a Championship team”, but after he said: “The first half was brilliant. The second half wasn’t great but we didn’t concede.

“But I am really happy with the result and I think Frank might have a lot more up his sleeve than we think.”

Many of the fans may still need some convincing - but what the display did suggest is that Frank retains the support of the dressing room.

The players' work rate, intensity and desire was there to see in the first half and when the whistle went for half-time they all gathered before heading down the tunnel together.

"What I saw tonight was not a performance where the manager had lost the dressing room," former Tottenham goalkeeper Paul Robinson told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"There's been a lot of talk of a disjointed dressing room. That wasn't there [against Dortmund].

"It wasn't full here, the fans voted with their feet, but that was a group of players that played for their manager."

That is something Frank himself was keen to stress in the post-match press conference.

"The players are giving everything," he said.

"That is an extremely good sign about the culture. An extremely good sign they are together and we are together."

For Tottenham supporters, this season will be providing a sense of deja vu.

They were dreadful in the Premier League under Ange Postecoglu last term but it was a different story in Europe as they went on to win the Europa League.

It is a similar story under Frank, with Spurs languishing 14th in the league but in Europe they have lost just once in seven games and are likely just a win away from a place in the Champions League knockouts.

"There's two Tottenhams running about this season," former Scotland striker Ally McCoist said on TNT Sports.

"Fortunately it was the Tottenham that have been doing well in the Champions League who turned up tonight."

Robinson added: "When your back's against the wall, in adversity, you dig in and get a result.

"The thing that will frustrate Thomas Frank and these Tottenham fans is where was this in the Premier League? Where was this at the weekend?"

There is never long in football to sit back and enjoy a result, and the pressure will be on Frank once again when they take on struggling Burnley in the Premier League at the weekend.

Win that with another impressive performance and some might start to see green shoots of recovery.

Lose and the pressure on Frank will once again be immense, something he is all too aware of.

"The big thing is of course is to build on this with a performance and win against Burnley on Saturday," he said.

"What I would say is it is a big skill to be able to produce in the Premier League and Champions League every week.

"We just need to keep doing the same thing, keep believing and things will turn."

It has been a difficult few days for Frank, with the negative reaction after the West Ham loss, while news that the club's hierarchy are considering ending his seven-month reign broke on Monday.

After all of that, Frank welcomed the opportunity to be able to savour this win against Dortmund for now.

"Two big glasses of red will be necessary," he said. "I will enjoy them."