Frank's failing Spurs knocked out of FA Cup by Aston Villa
Tottenham Hotspur's belated show of spirit may keep the wolf from head coach Thomas Frank's door a little longer, but a damaging FA Cup defeat reaffirms the lingering belief his time in charge is only heading one way.
If there is scant consolation for Frank after Spurs slumped to a 2-1 third-round loss at home to Aston Villa, it is that the mood at the end was nowhere near as ugly as it threatened to be at half-time.
Dig beneath that and - barring a trip to Fantasyland in which Spurs win the Champions League - the rest of this season is now a quest for respectability, and for Frank, survival.
Spurs supporters sent their team off at the interval with deafening jeers ringing in their ears after they were brushed aside by a vastly superior Villa, who established a fully deserved 2-0 advantage.
