Thomas Frank eased some of the pressure surrounding him after Tottenham beat Borussia Dortmund in midweek - but the Dane still needs to do plenty more to convince supporters
Tim Sherwood insists Thomas Frank must learn to play “the Tottenham way” if he wants to win over the fan base. But ex-Spurs boss Sherwood says bad recruitment is to blame for Tottenham’s current failings which are leaving the supporters feeling “short-changed.”
Under-pressure Frank earned himself a reprieve with Tottenham’s Champions League win over Borussia Dortmund and the club are trying to bolster his squad after the £34m signing of Conor Gallagher and Brazil teenager Souza.
But Frank only remains one defeat away from a crisis as they head to struggling Burnley on Saturday knowing the fans could easily turn on the manager.
Former Brentford boss Frank’s style of play has been the biggest issue and Sherwood admits that the current incumbent does not fit the mould.
Ex-Spurs midfielder Sherwood said: “Well, no, at the moment he doesn't. He hasn't proved that. He hasn't proved that in where he was at Brentford, but it was a different man. It was a different job.
“I think it's just about picking a playing style. I'm sure he's capable of finding a style. His teams at Brentford won games, scored a lot of goals.
“But a lot of them goals come from set pieces, come from long direct play, which is fine. If you're winning the games, then everything's correct. Everything's right in a manager's book and then the fans will accept it.
“But if you're not winning games on a consistent level and like Tottenham are at the moment, I think you're always going to come under pressure if your playing style is not what the fans expect.
“And like I say, what the fans expect there is not too much. They want everyone to try their hardest. They want to fight for the badge.
“But they also, when anyone gets the ball, they want them to look forward. They want to pass the ball forward. They want when the ball's in wide areas to get players in the box, you know, to create some pressure on the opposition.
“And at the moment they're coming up short in that regard. Now is he capable of doing that? I think given time, I think he is. He needs to understand the Tottenham way. And at the moment he's not playing the Tottenham way.”
Sherwood also believes the fans have every right to make their voices heard. It has been toxic at times when supporters have turned on Frank.
“They pay their money. You've got to entertain them. You've got to give them what they want. And what they want is the team to be playing on the front foot,” said Sherwood.
“They want to turn up and pay their money to see someone who's going to excite them. Someone's going to do something a little bit different. And I think at the moment they're being short-changed.”
Sherwood believes that at the heart of the issue is Tottenham’s recruitment. In fairness, they have spent big on transfer fees but generally they have signed “mid-range” stars and the wage bill is significantly lower than some of their rivals.
The ex-Blackburn title winner also says this season’s Premier League is wide open and Tottenham should be pushing for Europe - but they are coming up short.
Sherwood, who led the club to a sixth placed finish in 2014, said: “Well, I look at recruitment. I think it's all down to recruitment. You speak to any football man and say what are the problems with any clubs who not doing well.
“You look at the group of players and you look at you need a blend. Like I say, you need different players in different areas of the field. You've certainly got the numbers at Tottenham, but have they got different characteristics in different positions of the field? I don't think they have.
“I think it's quite similar. I think the wide players are quite similar. Like I talked about their midfield, I think they're all quite similar as well. So you need a playing style and you need the principles of what Tottenham fans expect.
“The Premier League is always competitive, but the quality is just not there at the moment. So you'd have to say, yes, wide open for them to finish in the top five, where I think it's going to be a Champions League spot.”
Sherwood also insists that it does not matter if Spurs fans do not like Frank - just as long as he gets results.
He added: “I would ask the question, is it important that everyone likes you? You know, I think some of the greatest managers we've seen in this country, certainly in the Premier League, what we're talking about, they're not necessarily liked.
“They're not necessarily liked by their players, but they're respected by their players. They're not necessarily liked by the fans. But when they win, the fans like them.”