Thomas Frank has praised Tottenham’s “exceptional” supporters after their 2-0 win over 10-man Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.
Frank was subjected to chants of ‘sacked in the morning’ from Spurs supporters after losing in stoppage-time at home to West Ham over the weekend.
His frayed relationship with supporters had appeared to have reached a breaking point, but while thousands stayed away, those who were in attendance at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium rallied behind the team as they produced a scintillating first-half performance.
Frank described the connection between the fans and the players as “magic” and said he hoped to build on the buoyant atmosphere after securing a vital three points.
“It was just extremely nice to experience,” he said.
“As I say, the way they pushed us forward and that energy between the fans and the players was magic. That's what we need to create more of. Luckily, we've been good to do it in the Champions League with four wins and four clean sheets at home.”
Reports circulated in the week that Spurs’ players had become dissatisfied with Frank after a winless start to the new year, adding to the feeling that the Dane was quickly losing support from within the club.
However, despite having a number of first-team players unavailable, Spurs produced a spirited display to alleviate the pressure on Frank and reinforce the idea that they remain behind their manager.
Frank added that he never had any doubts about his squad’s commitment and said it spoke to the culture that he and senior figures behind the scenes have been trying to develop.
“I said it from the beginning, the players are giving everything,” he continued.
“I think that's an extremely good sign about the culture. Extremely good sign that they want to do everything. That they are together, that we are together. Very impressive and we were a little bit down to the bare bones with the available players.”
