Thomas Frank - Head Coach

[Baleforce]

I see the issue most people have is the style of football, and this is where I would say it is Frank making an active choice, knowing of the trade offs, and it’s not going to suddenly change once he has a load more games.

Choosing Bentancur and Palinha in midfield is a choice. He’s decided what he is prioritising, and that’s a selection that goes along with that priority. All fine. And we’ll be ok with this. But we are going to give up games, and we’re gonna cede control.

If he wants to play the kind of football that will get the fans that are critiquing this style on board a little bit more, he just needs to make difference choices. I’m not convinced more games on their own is going to make it all look more fluid.

It’s only an issue because we lost.

Our xG was three times Villas, the narrative would be massively different had that game finished 1-0, as it should have done.

Fans care about results.

Frank has turned the worst defence in sport into a very effective one overnight.

Defence wins championships.

 

[harr1984]

Of course it is, like it is yours also

If fans get aggressive then it's a reflection on them, our fanbase has largely been a disgrace for years, no chance I side or care about half the crap that CFT, YTrs, ROFS or twitterati tossrs come out with.

As I've said for years. We would be a far better side if fans made a difference to the atmosphere than acting like menchildren

So true. I don't attend as many home games per season as some on here so I get a bit nervous about saying it but I think our fans as a collective are terrible for home support in the stadium.

You look at the likes of Liverpool and it's not just the atmosphere they generate, but it's a real sense of togetherness they have. I never feel like we are all in it together at our place, too many agendas and I honestly feel there are some who are happier when we are losing. It really needs to be looked at how we can get that feel good factor back....

 

[Jurgen the German]

And that’s your choice
I think he has maybe 2 more home games before the fans turn quite aggressively towards this football
Any decent side will wipe the floor with us because it’s so predictable and basic.
He is a smart guy, and he has an army of top coaches. We’re not playing top coaching football, and that will take time, but the football is very very basic

I think it’s both. The midfield take too long to get the ball out of our half and the forwards are nowhere near the required standard. They’re midtable standard let alone top 6.

 

[Jurgen the German]

So true. I don't attend as many home games per season as some on here so I get a bit nervous about saying it but I think our fans as a collective are terrible for home support in the stadium.

You look at the likes of Liverpool and it's not just the atmosphere they generate, but it's a real sense of togetherness they have. I never feel like we are all in it together at our place, too many agendas and I honestly feel there are some who are happier when we are losing. It really needs to be looked at how we can get that feel good factor back....

Liverpool fans also have reason to be optimistic. They’ve seen their team come through in tough moments and clutch games. And they’ve come back from almost impossible circumstances. I feel for our fanbase there’s been one too many near misses that makes us doubt the team/club. The EL win should alleviate that to a degree but I can’t help but feel there’s some baggage that we carry as a result of those nearly moments. Don’t know if you follow baseball but the Atlanta Braves won their division about 10 or 11 times in a row but they only had 1 World Series to show for it despite their dominance in the 90s.

 

[Bedfordspurs]

I think it’s both. The midfield take too long to get the ball out of our half and the forwards are nowhere near the required standard. They’re midtable standard let alone top 6.

What does that make the midfield then who struggles to make the simplest pass to them
It’s not about quality, it’s bravery, or a lack of
I agree we need improvements in attack but they would be wasted until we start attempting forward passes
We not even trying to do that and failing

 

[Bedfordspurs]

Liverpool fans also have reason to be optimistic. They’ve seen their team come through in tough moments and clutch games. And they’ve come back from almost impossible circumstances. I feel for our fanbase there’s been one too many near misses that makes us doubt the team/club. The EL win should alleviate that to a degree but I can’t help but feel there’s some baggage that we carry as a result of those nearly moments. Don’t know if you follow baseball but the Atlanta Braves won their division about 10 or 11 times in a row but they only had 1 World Series to show for it despite their dominance in the 90s.

And then have much better players and I think a manager too (we will see)

 

[parklane1]

12 games.

He's had 12 games.

We were a fudging disaster for 2 years, we're already at .500.

Let the man work.

Sadly i fear that for a lot of fans that is not going to happen anymore, christ the guy has been here for a couple of months and is still trying to build a foundation. We should have relized over the years since Pooch left that changing managers because some fans THINK it should happen quicker is not the way to go. I despair sometimes i really do so at some of reactions of a section of our fanbase.

 

[SissokoWasGood (BoL)]

It’s only an issue because we lost.

Our xG was three times Villas, the narrative would be massively different had that game finished 1-0, as it should have done.

Fans care about results.

Frank has turned the worst defence in sport into a very effective one overnight.

Defence wins championships.

We’ll see. I’m quite ambivalent about it, I can see the positives and negatives. I agree he’s made us more solid. But it’s a choice with a trade off. And the trade off is we’re struggling to score more than 1 goal a time, especially at home to teams we should be beating. I would argue bullying the mid table teams at home is also required to win titles.

 

[Mikey10]

We’ll see. I’m quite ambivalent about it, I can see the positives and negatives. I agree he’s made us more solid. But it’s a choice with a trade off. And the trade off is we’re struggling to score more than 1 goal a time, especially at home to teams we should be beating. I would argue bullying the mid table teams at home is also required to win titles.

Villa have finished 4th and 6th in the last two years, above us on both occasions. Not sure they can currently be classed as a mid-table team.

 

[Bedfordspurs]

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This is a simple issue he can address
MOTD had many examples of this yesterday

 

[Bullet]

2 DMs is stifling us, would prefer us to play 1 DM, 1 Box to Box, 1 AM.

We have 6 midfiedlers. So for example:
I would play 1 DM out of Palhinha / Bentancur
I would play 1 B2B out of Sarr / Gray
I would play 1 AM out of Xavi / Bergvall

I would tell the 3 starters to go fully all out super high energy for 60 minutes, then at 60 minutes I would swap all 3 of them, BANG fully fresh legs for the final 35-40 minutes. Teams would wilt, and I would sit back in my throne, King of White Hart Lane.


Currently we are playing both Palhinha and Bentancur until they will both get injured, then we will look bewildered when we don't have any DM and are in a pickle.

 

[ricky2tricky4city]

Frank needs to find ways to improve our attacking play, without that having a too significant impact on our defensive play. That to me seems challenging, particularly given two games a week, the need for rotation and most likely injuries will at some point get worse.

We can't deny we need a fit out and out striker and a top level LW, I think Tel and Ode are for the future and not busted, but they ain't for now either

I think that's massively too simplistic. I think better players offer better outlets in areas which means we get out of areas better and become a better side.

We are short as a team that wants to be better in terms of first team quality.

We are par for who we are as a side IMO.

Judgements on Frank this earlier to the level I'm seeing is laughable TBH

12 games.

He's had 12 games.

We were a fudging disaster for 2 years, we're already at .500.

Let the man work.

And that’s your choice
I think he has maybe 2 more home games before the fans turn quite aggressively towards this football
Any decent side will wipe the floor with us because it’s so predictable and basic.
He is a smart guy, and he has an army of top coaches. We’re not playing top coaching football, and that will take time, but the football is very very basic

I think it’s both. The midfield take too long to get the ball out of our half and the forwards are nowhere near the required standard. They’re midtable standard let alone top 6.

We’ll see. I’m quite ambivalent about it, I can see the positives and negatives. I agree he’s made us more solid. But it’s a choice with a trade off. And the trade off is we’re struggling to score more than 1 goal a time, especially at home to teams we should be beating. I would argue bullying the mid table teams at home is also required to win titles.

A general reply to the above.

He's been here for 12 games. He has injuries to Deki Maddison Solanke Muani Dragusin. Richi I'm not sure if he's not fit or off form.

Our attacking line is made up of youngsters and new players. If they were just new players it would take time, and if they are youngsters it would probably take even longer (like, longer than 12 games). Perhaps knowing that, he's leaning the way of security in the Paulinha/Bentancur pivot? Even when the injured players return, it will take a while to see what they're about, or which combinations look to be a winner.

Btw I know this other club. They were champions last year. They bought a midfield wizard for £100m, a CF for £80m and probably the best forward in the PL for £130m. But they're having a tough time and things don't appear to be gelling, they have a star player that looks like Son in his last season for us. Plenty of head scratching, and wondering of wtf has happened vis a vis last season, and how their going to pull it round.

Time would be my guess

Even with 'ready-mades' it ain't easy.

 

[Mikey10]

A general reply to the above.

He's been here for 12 games. He has injuries to Deki Maddison Solanke Muani Dragusin. Richi I'm not sure if he's not fit or off form.

Our attacking line is made up of youngsters and new players. If they were just new players it would take time, and if they are youngsters it would probably take even longer (like, longer than 12 games). Perhaps knowing that, he's leaning the way of security in the Paulinha/Bentancur pivot? Even when the injured players return, it will take a while to see what they're about, or which combinations look to be a winner.

Btw I know this other club. They were champions last year. They bought a midfield wizard for £100m, a CF for £80m and probably the best forward in the PL for £130m. But they're having a tough time and things don't appear to be gelling, they have a star player that looks like Son in his last season for us. Plenty of head scratching, and wondering of wtf has happened vis a vis last season, and how their going to pull it round.

Time would be my guess

Thanks. You saved me a lot of typing there.

We would have gone second yesterday had we won - and we were an offside decision away from being 2 up inside 10 minutes.

 

[Bedfordspurs]

A general reply to the above.

He's been here for 12 games. He has injuries to Deki Maddison Solanke Muani Dragusin. Richi I'm not sure if he's not fit or off form.

Our attacking line is made up of youngsters and new players. If they were just new players it would take time, and if they are youngsters it would probably take even longer (like, longer than 12 games). Perhaps knowing that, he's leaning the way of security in the Paulinha/Bentancur pivot? Even when the injured players return, it will take a while to see what they're about, or which combinations look to be a winner.

Btw I know this other club. They were champions last year. They bought a midfield wizard for £100m, a CF for £80m and probably the best forward in the PL for £130m. But they're having a tough time and things don't appear to be gelling, they have a star player that looks like Son in his last season for us. Plenty of head scratching, and wondering of wtf has happened vis a vis last season, and how their going to pull it round.

Time would be my guess

Pools signings are good players but as i said at the time… the wrong fit
We have added better quality
But the football is much much worse
Frank really didn’t need to take what he had and make it so turgid
Even with players missing he is choosing the most passive and non-brave option
Look at Keith Andrews comments tonight after the game and he nails what is missing in our home performances

 

[ricky2tricky4city]

Pools signings are good players but as i said at the time… the wrong fit
We have added better quality
But the football is much much worse
Frank really didn’t need to take what he had and make it so turgid
Even with players missing he is choosing the most passive and non-brave option
Look at Keith Andrews comments tonight after the game and he nails what is missing in our home performances

I think both teams really are just at the start of something.

Btw our football is much much worse than what?

 

[Bedfordspurs]

I think both teams really are just at the start of something.

Btw our football is much much worse than what?

Than last season
It’s so basic
We’re creating nothing that isn’t a set play
Quite scary with the players we have

 

[ricky2tricky4city]

Than last season
It’s so basic
We’re creating nothing that isn’t a set play
Quite scary with the players we have

It's different....I don't think it's worse than last season.(17th ffs)
And given the form of last season perhaps you start off with 'basic'.

Heck, even Ange went 'basic' to win the EL.

 

[Bedfordspurs]

It's different....I don't think it's worse than last season.
And given the form of last season perhaps you start off with 'basic'.

Heck, even Ange went 'basic' to win the EL.

That’s what I mean
Despite the haters, Ange had a plan B
We’re seeing no real plan
Ange also had us paying great football from day 1… it’s all achievable
I would describe it as Sunday league
Hope the great winger can do some magic
We’re better than that
Frank is better than that

 

[Baleforce]

That’s what I mean
Despite the haters, Ange had a plan B
We’re seeing no real plan
Ange also had us paying great football from day 1… it’s all achievable
I would describe it as Sunday league
Hope the great winger can do some magic
We’re better than that
Frank is better than that

Ange’s football was brick. Which is why we nearly got relegated.

It’s a thousand times better already.

I’ll take this over that any day of the week.

 

[Bedfordspurs]

Ange’s football was brick. Which is why we nearly got relegated.

It’s a thousand times better already.

I’ll take this over that any day of the week.

The manager needs to address the home form which is relegation form