Tottenham manager Thomas Frank says Saturday’s trip by his former club Brentford will be a meaningful occasion and he has no intention of holding back in celebrating if Spurs score. Frank, who left Brentford in the summer to take charge at Tottenham, originally joined the Bees in 2016 and led them into the Premier League four years ago.
He expects a warm reception from the travelling supporters but insists respect goes both ways and that celebration is part of competing. “Yeah, I will,” Frank said when asked if he would celebrate. He added that he has great affection for Brentford, the fans and the people he worked with there, but during the match his focus will be singular: to do everything possible to win.
The 52-year-old reflected on his nine years at Brentford, describing it as almost a quarter of his life and recalling how much he enjoyed his time at the club. He said the return will be special because there will be many familiar faces he hasn’t seen regularly since leaving. At the same time, Frank stressed he has been preparing tactically for Brentford, making small adjustments to what he used to do while recognising that the team’s identity still shares many similarities with his former side — a factor that makes the encounter both familiar and challenging.
A draw at Newcastle on Tuesday halted a worrying run of three straight defeats that had prompted questions about Frank’s long-term future at Spurs. Home form this year has been a concern: a significant portion of the poor results came under Frank’s predecessor, Ange Postecoglou, but Frank’s tenure has included four defeats in seven league games so far. Tottenham have won only three of their last 21 home league matches overall, though Brentford have been vulnerable away from home this season, suffering six defeats on the road.
Frank said the timing would be ideal to claim three points on Saturday. He called for a strong performance, insisting Tottenham must keep working on their phases of play — sharpening and speeding up transitions, finding greater penetration when needed, and maintaining intensity. “Not direct, but more penetration when we need to have that,” he said, urging his players to be brave. He finished by saying he is looking forward to the match and wants his team to put in the kind of performance that produces a win.