Tottenham boss facing the same reality as Ange Postecoglou as axe sharpens

There is no hiding that Tottenham Hotspur has become a graveyard for managers. Ange Postecoglou, Jose Mourinho and Nuno Espirito Santo have all fallen victim to the job.

Now, it looks as though the axe is sharpening for Thomas Frank.

It was never going to be easy taking on the top job at a club that sacked their manager days after he won a trophy, but Frank took on the challenge with open arms.

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His plans to take the team back to the top, however, have not come to fruition.

After 32 games in charge, Frank has won just 34 per cent of his matches with Spurs - an average that is far worse than any of his predecessors.

The likes of Antonio Conte, Santo, Mourinho and Pochettino all sat just over the 50 per cent mark, while Australia's Ange Postecoglou had a win rate of 47 per cent.

Out of the managers listed above, Postecoglou was the only to bring a trophy back to Tottenham, all while recording the worst win rate of any manager at the club since 2008.

Those statistics have only intensified the pressure that is mounting on Frank to deliver, with a growing number of Spurs fans seemingly changing their tone on the manager.

Chants of 'you're being sacked in the morning' echoed around Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after the side's 2-1 loss to West Ham, with those words coming from home fans.

A similar tone is used by some Spurs fans on X, who have declared that Frank has "destroyed a winning dressing room" and should be headed out the door.

However, Sky Sports journalists Danyal Khan and Kevin Hatchard hinted that more leniency should be given to Frank, given the lengthy list of players he has sidelined.

"It hasn't worked out so far ... I think he has walked into a difficult situation. The injuries, you just look at them, it is unbelievable," Hatchard said.

"The number of key players like (Dejan) Kulusevski - I genuinely believe that had he been available, it wouldn't be such a difficult situation. He is exactly what they need."

Khan added: "It is easy to talk about the cliches, like yes, they are missing these big players, but you also have to think about the impact on the changing room.

"James Maddison, Ben Davis - he is undoubtedly a leader in that changing room. To lose someone of that ilk in a squad that is quite young is going to be difficult for Frank."

However, many were quick to point out that the leniency the two pundits were giving Frank, due to the club's injury ward, is vastly different from the narrative fans heard last year.

One of the primary factors cited in discussions about Postecoglou's future at the helm of Spurs related to his ability to adapt to the club's injury ward.

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At the time, Postecoglou had 12 experienced stars absent due to injury. Now, those same discussions are unfolding under a different manager, with nine out of action.

The likes of experienced leaders James Maddison (ACL), Ben Davis (broken ankle), Richarlison (hamstring) and Kulusevski (knee) are all set to be out for an extended period, which will be damaging for Tottenham.

But fans are no longer accepting injuries as the primary reason for the club's decline.

While Frank is not bothered by external noise around his success, English media has reported that Tottenham's board discussed what his future may look like.

According to the BBC, one member of the club's executive team has actively raised the option of parting ways with Frank over the past few weeks.

It is also rarely a good sign when a manager begins to openly talk about their conversations with the board, especially when things are going downhill.

Frank did exactly that ahead of Tottenham's Champions League match against Borussia Dortmund - scheduled to kick off at 7am AEDT on Wednesday - and insisted that there was nothing unusual in his talks with board members.

"We had a good conversation about life, football and the future of the club. Everything was normal, just like you do," he said.

"Of course, there is a little bit of stormy weather out there. But it is an extremely good sign because normally people run away if there is bad news or bad weather coming; they are normally not coming in and being friendly for lunch.

"As long as we win football matches and make sure we win enough of them, everyone will support us."

Liverpool great Jamie Carragher can't see Frank keeping his job much longer.

"They've still got a couple of games, and you think they'd have to go really well for the manager [to be able to stay on]," he said on Sky Sports.

"You don't like to see any manager lose their job, but it hasn't just felt like the right fit for both parties so far.

"I hope it turns round for him, I hope it does for any manager. It's not nice to see anyone struggling in football, but it doesn't quite seem like it's working for anybody."

Former manager Pochettino has been floated as a contender to take over the reins at Tottenham once again if the club is to part ways with Frank. Xavi has also been named.

But in the meantime, Frank has called for Spurs fans to continue supporting their team.

"It is not about me. It is about supporting the team, the players," he said.

"We have 11 players available and we have maybe three players who need to push massively to get through the 90 minutes physically. That is why we need everyone to support us.

"I need everyone to support us from minute one. Even if it is not going well, we need supporters. If we do get that support, magic can happen."