Tottenham manager Thomas Frank has clarified his comments about what makes a “true Spurs fan” as pressure builds on his position ahead of the trip to Newcastle on Tuesday.
Frank drew attention after he criticised a section of Spurs supporters who booed goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario following an error that led to a goal in Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Fulham.
He said: “I heard some of our fans apparently booed the incident and booed after, which, in my opinion is completely unacceptable.
“[They] can’t be true Tottenham fans that do that. Fair enough booing after the game, no problem, but when we are playing, we are supporting each other, we are behind each other going forward.”
Frank speaks up
Speaking in Monday’s press conference before the trip to St James’ Park, Frank attempted to clarify what he meant.
“I don’t know, and you can say, how do you define a true Spurs fan?” he said.
“I think all the fantastic fans we have believe they’re true Spurs fans. Some react in one way, some react in another, some are a little bit in between. No matter what, we need all of them.”
Spurs head to Newcastle with just one win in their last seven matches across all competitions, and frustration has grown around results at home under Frank, who arrived in the summer.
“I completely understand the frustration,” he said.
“If we don’t win there will always be a frustration. We have not won much at home this season and also last so the frustration can grow. It’s my job to do what we can to have calm.
“We are nothing without the fans. Tottenham Hotspur is nothing without the fans. My point was that during matches we need each other.
“Afterwards the booing can be fair. During, we need to make it a fortress and to do that we need to be together.”
Tottenham’s loss to Fulham was their fifth under Frank, and their 10th at home in the Premier League in 2025.
Should Spurs fall to defeat to both Newcastle and Brentford this week, the former Bees boss may well find himself without a job.
