Thomas Frank has told Tottenham’s board it would be a mistake to sack him now, despite falling closer to the bottom three after a 2-1 home defeat by Newcastle.
The Dane and his players were booed at half-time and full-time after an eighth Premier League game without victory.
Tottenham’s fans mocked Frank when they sang, ‘You’re getting sacked in the morning’, and his position is now under serious threat with 12 days before they host Arsenal in the North London derby. Spurs are now 16th and five points above the relegation zone.
But when asked if still believed he was the right man for the job, Frank said: ‘I am 1,000 per cent sure. But I’m also 1,000 per cent sure I never expected us to be in a situation like this with 11 or 12 injuries.
'I know when you need to build something and get through something you need to show unbelievably strong resilience. It’s fair to say there’s sat a few before me up here, not only for Tottenham but many clubs, who have lost their head.
'You need to have a calm head and carry on, keep fighting and make sure we stick together. You can only get through this together - that’s the board, the leaders, the players, the staff, that’s me, the fans.
‘I understand the mechanism in football (that a manager is the easiest thing to change). But there are also a lot of studies that it’s not the right thing to do. The only thing I focus on is fighting to do the right thing with everyone else. Of course, we are not in good situation, but with everything in life you need to stay calm and keep going.’
Would he still be in charge for the visit of Arsenal?
‘Yes, I am convinced I will be,’ he said. ‘I understand the question. It’s easy to point on me. But it’s never only the head coach or ownership or staff or players or directors, it’s everyone. Everyone knows the position we’re in and what we need to improve.
‘I understand the fans’ frustration. But this situation the club has been in for two years. There is clearly a pattern where we struggle to manage Europe and the Premier League. We need to learn to deal with that better.
'Injuries and suspension do not help. Then we face a Newcastle team struggling lately, but if you look at the team they put on the pitch, it’s quite different to us.
'Injuries need to be massively taken into consideration. I haven’t said it too much, everyone can see it’s impacting things.’