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Under-fire Frank 'feeling the trust' at Tottenham

Bradley Collyer - PA Images / PA Images / Getty

Thomas Frank insisted he retains the support of Tottenham's hierarchy after the under-fire boss met with the club's powerbrokers on Monday.

Frank's future was reportedly discussed by Tottenham on Sunday in the aftermath of a dismal 2-1 home defeat against struggling West Ham.

Tottenham fans jeered Frank and chanted "you're getting sacked in the morning" during the West Ham debacle.

But Frank took training with his players ahead of Borussia Dortmund's visit to north London in the Champions League on Tuesday and remains adamant he will be given the chance to save his job.

The Dane spoke with Tottenham chief executive Vinai Venkatesham, sporting director Johan Lange and Nick Beucher, another member of the ownership group, over lunch on Monday.

"I've just been, how can you say, feeling the trust along the way. I've said that every press meeting. I had lunch with Nick, Vinai and Johan today and it was all good," Frank told reporters.

"All part of the media circus and I can only think about winning against Dortmund."

Just seven months after being hired from Brentford to replace the sacked Ange Postecoglou, Frank has been pushed to the brink by Tottenham's woeful form.

The West Ham defeat was Tottenham's third successive loss and their eighth in their last 14 matches in all competitions.

Frank's team are languishing in 14th place in the Premier League and have already been knocked out of the FA Cup and League Cup.

Accepting the responsiblity for Tottenham's plight, Frank said: "Even the best manager in the world, Pep Guardiola, says 'I am nothing without my players' and it is fair to say they haven't been available enough the whole time. 

"But hey, no problem. I am happy to take the blame as long as everyone supports the players.

"It is about keeping the noise out, staying calm, carrying on."

'You need resilience'

As the questions grew more pointed during his media briefing, Frank vowed to keep battling to turn the tide and called for unity at a club in crisis.

"If your back is against the wall, you fight. I am energetic and I fight," he said.

"It is not about me, we need to win football matches and we need to do that together.

"Unfortunately, it is a results business and emotions are in this as well.

"There are a lot of signs that this is going the right way. We still need to find a way to get over the line and we are much closer than we think."

Tottenham fans have been frustrated with Frank's prosaic game-plan, which prioritises defensive solidity and uses set-pieces as the primary method of attacking.

It is a stark contrast to the entertaining style used by Postecoglou, who ended the club's 17-year trophy drought by winning the Europa League.

"It is not about me. It is about supporting the team. In this game, you always need resilience. I believe I'm a guy that has good values," Frank said.

"The reality is that one in five people don't like you no matter what you do and one in five love you no matter what you do, both sides are probably biased, no matter what you do."

With Wales defender Ben Davies sidelined after ankle surgery, Frank's problems keep mounting.

He has only 11 fit outfield players available for the Dortmund clash.

"We are a little bit limited with the players available," Frank said.

"We need everyone to support us from minute one. If we get that support, anything can happen. Magic can happen."

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