Thomas Frank told to resign if Tottenham lose to Brentford ahead of win-or-bust reunion

Former Tottenham star Ramon Vega has told Thomas Frank to prove ‘he has balls’ by resigning if Tottenham lose to Brentford

The Dane is gearing up for a reunion with his old employers on Saturday afternoon in a must-win fixture at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

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Frank, who spent nine years in charge of the Bees, has endured a difficult transition since his appointment as Spurs boss in June.

Despite some promising results at the start of the season, the north Londoners have struggled more recently and are without a win in six in all competitions.

Tottenham ended a run of three straight defeats against Newcastle on Tuesday, where Cristian Romero‘s 94th-minute overhead kick secured a 2-2 draw.

Recent results have brought Frank criticism from sections of his fanbase, particularly after his side lost to Fulham last Saturday.

A 2-1 defeat saw Spurs’ dismal home record continue, who have now claimed just three Premier League wins all year at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

This places added pressure on Frank ahead of Brentford’s visit, as he must work out how to beat the side where he developed his reputation as one of the Premier League’s most tactically astute coaches.

‘The stage is too big’

With Frank yet to win over many at Tottenham, one of his biggest critics has been former star Vega, who has been unimpressed by the constant tweaking of formation and tactics this season.

In attempt to make Spurs more pragmatic, the ex-Bees boss has switched between multiple set-ups – most recently lining up with a 4-3-3 against Newcastle after defeat to Fulham in a 4-2-3-1 formation.

And the Swiss, who spent four years at Spurs, has warned Frank this isn’t helping to build confidence among his players.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Vega said: “You need big balls to manage Tottenham.

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“Thomas Frank is a politician, a diplomat, a ‘yes man’ but he is not the person to say: ‘This is me, this is my way’.

“That shows in the dressing room. When you are changing the players and the system every five minutes, players feel insecure especially when the crowd is negative.

“This is not a stable base. And I’m not sure he has the respect of the players.”

Vega then had a stark message for Frank, as he claimed opting to call it quits should his

He went on: “Tottenham is complex, the recruitment has been a disaster for years and now we are paying for it.

“And then comes a guy from Brentford, and it looks like the stage is too big.

“If they lose at home to Brentford he should resign. That would show me he has balls.”

Vega’s verdict

This isn’t the first time Vega has questioned Frank’s credentials in the hotseat in north London.

In November, the former centre-back told talkSPORT that the Dane lacks the conviction of his predecessor, Ange Postecoglou.

The Australia ended Spurs’ 17-year wait for a major trophy with Europa League glory in May, but was sacked just 16 days later, with a lack of tactical flexibility largely seen as his undoing.

On Frank, Vega told talkSPORT Breakfast: “He is changing his mind every two seconds.

“One thing with Ange, whatever you criticise him, he might be limited in his own way, but he had the balls. He stuck to his guns. He did what he wanted.

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“The players need this kind of certainty in the dressing room. That’s why I think when Ange was winning the Europa League with the young boys, 80 per cent of the season was with the young boys [due to injuries], the dressing room was sticking to him. And you can see that.

“I’m not sure this dressing room is starting to respect Frank because he’s changing how they play. They don’t know where to go, what to do. They haven’t got a strategically stable place to go.

“And the dressing room, as a player, when you know what the coach wants and he’s doing it week in, week out, the mentality is there, then the team starts to play well.”

“But if you’re changing every five minutes, you really, really make the players very insecure. They don’t know where to go. And you can see that in these two games.”

Vega added: “If he doesn’t control the dressing room, he can be as good as he wants, as nice as he is, but he hasn’t got the balls.

“I don’t see Frank as suitable for this because I don’t think he has the balls. He hasn’t got a character to do this.”