A Tottenham Hotspur manager’s lot is so rarely a happy one. In record time, Thomas Frank has gone through the gamut of his predecessors, from hope to disappointment to what now looks like hopelessness. Demolition by Arsenal had already put him on a sticky wicket. A decent midweek showing in Paris, amid another defeat, had barely increased his credit rating. Defeat to Fulham, a team with an away record as miserable as Spurs’ home form, only intensified the pressure. Frank being appointed by the departed stewardship of Daniel Levy is to be noted; fresh ownership regimes tend to be trigger happy with the managers they inherit.
Should such a decision be made, and it still seems a premature outcome considering Frank made slow starts at his previous clubs, Marco Silva, linked previously on a couple of occasions, would be a live contender. By six minutes in, Silva was cavorting on the sidelines with his Fulham staff. His team were 2-0 up, and the home fans were baying for blood. By the final whistle, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium emptying, the mood was even lower, Frank’s outlook even bleaker.
Fulham did the damage early. Following neat skills from Samuel Chukwueze, Pedro Porro and Archie Gray tied in knots, Kenny Tete was given space and grace to score, via a deflection off Destiny Udogie. Two minutes later, Guglielmo Vicario’s mis-kick from way outside his own area, the Italian heading out on a wholly unscheduled safari, was diverted to Harry Wilson by Josh King. Wilson guided his lob beautifully, the keeper stranded, home fans up in arms. As Frank raged on the sidelines, Chukwueze, making an impressive first start, hit a post; where Tottenham were disastrous, Fulham were in devastating form.
