Antoine Semenyo’s 95th-minute winner was another dagger blow for Thomas Frank on a miserable night for Tottenham at Bournemouth on Wednesday.
From Frank drinking from an Arsenal coffee cup before the game to players clashing with fans after the 3-2 defeat, last night was a mess from start to finish.
Cristian Romero’s Instagram post, in which he hit out at the club’s hierarchy, only added to the feeling that things are unravelling at Spurs.
This latest damaging night piles more pressure on Frank.
Frank being pictured drinking from an Arsenal cup was, at best, naïve. Already written off by some fans, what did the Spurs boss think would happen?
It might have been something Frank could have brushed off at Brentford, but not now he is in a high-profile job and given Spurs have won two of their last 12 Premier League games.
On a night when former club Brentford climbed to fifth as they thrive without him, Spurs slumped to a defeat that leaves them down in 14th place.
Rightly or wrongly given the good job he did at Brentford, it has fans wondering how much of his success there was down to him and how much was down to the structure around him.
Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro clashing with fans highlighted the disconnect between players and fans, as tensions boiled over at the Vitality.
Joao Palhinha tried to broker the peace. “Keep supporting us, because we will change that momentum,” said the midfielder at the end of a miserable night.
But the situation at Spurs does not feel sustainable.
Any chance to build momentum after last season’s Europa League triumph has gone and Frank is coming under serious scrutiny.
Romero’s Instagram post has only added to the feeling that Spurs are in a mess, suggesting players as well as fans are unhappy about the way the club is being run.
Xavi Simons liked the Spurs captain’s post, while Porro replied: “Amen. Keep going, brother. We have a lot of battles left.”
After another dreadful first-half display, Spurs did show some fight in the second half and Palhinha looked to have rescued a point with a spectacular overhead kick.
But Semenyo’s arcing strike means Spurs left the south coast empty-handed and you feel it will take a lot for Frank to turn it around from here.
