Football Daily - BONUS: Thomas Frank leaves Brentford for Spurs

Episode Date: June 12, 2025

An emergency podcast is pulled together as Tottenham Hotspur confirm former Brentford manager Thomas Frank as their new head coach.Eleanor Oldroyd presents reaction to the news with Football Correspondent John Murray and former England defender Stephen Warnock. Brentford fan Craig Tillyer from the Ealing Road Podcast also joins.TIMECODES: 00:38 - Spurs act quickly to confirm Thomas Frank 06:30 - Will Tottenham players and supporters be excited by the news? 09:52 - What next for Brentford?COMMENTARIES: Sunday 15 June - 17:00 - England v Slovenia in the group stage of the UEFA Under-21 Euros

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Experience Formula One like never before by tuning into the inside track wherever you get your podcasts. BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts. This is Five Life Sports. The Football Daily Podcast. Welcome to this emergency Football Daily Podcast as we react to the news that Tottenham Hotspur have announced Thomas Frank as their new head coach

on a three-year contract. Frank leaves Brentford, where he'd been in charge since October 2018. With me, the former Liverpool and England defender Stephen Warnock and our football correspondent John Murray. I mean this is a pretty quick move by Spurs John isn't it really because Ange Postocoglou was only sacked last Friday so less than a week. Yes they knew who they wanted Tottenham and they've put out a statement tonight which says quote we are delighted to announce the appointment of Thomas Frank as our new head coach on a contract that runs until 2028.

And it goes on to say, in Thomas we're appointing one of the most progressive and innovative head coaches within the game. He has a proven track record in player and squad development, and we look forward to him leading the team as we prepare for the season ahead. And I should point out as well that he will also be joined from Brentford by Justin Cochran, who is the first team assistant coach, who is also involved with England at the moment. I was watching him on the training ground the other day at St George's Park. So Justin Cochran will join as well. Chris Haslam will join as head of performance and first-team assistant coach and Joe Newton as first-team coach analyst with

Andreas Gjorgsson first-team assistant coach arriving from Manchester United. So a series of appointments that have been confirmed by Tottenham. What do you make of the appointments Stephen? I mean Spurs have gone down the the proven winner route before with Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte. And then they went for Angeposta Koglu for his style, his attacking options. Where does Thomas Frank sit on the spectrum do you think? Well I think it depends on how much time he's given. A three-year contract doesn't really say to you that they are in it for the long term. I think there's an element in football

where we want everything so quick now and results are expected immediately. What you have got with Thomas Frank is a very exciting style of play, but there's an added pressure on going to spurs. There's an added pressure of expectancy to get results. And I was just looking back at some of the Brentford results last season,

and there was a spell from the 15th of December up until the 4th of January where they lost four games out of five out of six. Now one of them was in the EFL Cup, but if that was to happen at Spurs suddenly there's a little bit of dismay and there's a little bit of disharmony around the fan group. You get away with that at Brentford because there's not that expectancy on the group of players. And that's something that will be different for him. But I feel like he's the type of manager who wants that challenge,

who can live up to that challenge as well. I really like him. I've been fortunate enough to watch a few of his training sessions, to sit down with him and have a chat with him. I think he's a fascinating individual. I think he's the type of manager who I'd have absolutely loved to have played for. So I think it's a really positive appointment.

And I think as well, Ellie, you know, I immediately think that the managers that they've run through are head coaches Tottenham and, you know, Nuno was given only 17 matches as the head coach of Tottenham Hotspens started off actually with a win against Manchester City who were the the defending Premier League champions at the time. Things went very wrong very quickly and you know he was really given only I think it was four months of 17 matches before it was decided he was not the man. But while we're on the subject of statements, Brentford also have put out a statement this

evening to thank Thomas Frank for what they call the incredible impact he's had on the club's history and this has come from the Brentford director of football Phil Giles who says, from the moment he replaced Dean Smith he understood what we were trying to build and his wisdom, coaching ability and emotional intelligence have helped transform the club. We will never forget Thomas, but now it's time to thank him and take the next steps in our journey with a new leader who we believe can be just as successful and influential. I think the incredible thing is when you think of Thomas Frank and you think of Brentford coming up and you look at all the teams now that are coming up from the championship and

struggling. Brentford were such a small club with a small budget. And you think of how he cemented their place in the premier league. He made that shrewd signing of Christie and Erickson when times were a little bit tough for them. He's dealt with the Ivan Tony situation incredibly well. He's got a keen eye for a player. Yes, I know there's a little bit of a difference in the way that Brentford recruit players, but I still think he has a huge influence on who comes into that football club so a big big

loss for Brentford it really is. Yeah and he's done, Ali, he's done the same job for a long time you know of the of the 92 clubs he was the third longest serving manager, he's been there, he's crafted it the way that he wanted it, he's brought in the players as Stephen said, he's improved players but he's had the time to do that. And the expectations are going to be so much greater at Tottenham aren't they, not least because they're in the Champions League. Yeah and that will be something that will have excited Thomas Frank and one of the reasons why he would have been attracted to Spurs as well is to go and play Champions League football, to pit his wits against the best managers in world football.

He'll have also been given a backing from the ownership to say, if you are coming in, we'll give you X amount of money to go after players and players that they feel are achievable to get to their squad, to strengthen it. Defensively, they need a lot of work of lots of work. Brentford defensively or were decent enough last season. I think when I, when I sat down and spoke to Thomas Frank a couple of seasons ago, one of the things he spoke about was defending from the front and being one of the best

counter pressing teams in world football. And he believed he could achieve that. And that was music to my ears. I love listening to managers who are like that, who don't sit deep, who don't try and invite teams onto them. They go after games and I think he's a type of manager who's willing to change his tactics, willing to change his style within a game to try and get a result and he makes positive changes within a football game to influence it and he'll openly come out after a game and say, I got it wrong,

it didn't work and I think his honesty is very undervalued, but certainly not to a group of players. As well, you know, the managers that Tottenham have tried since Pochettino, you've had a bit of everything, haven't you? Going from Mourinho, as I say, Nuno, Antonio Conte, Posto Koglu. I just wonder what the feeling will be. Will Tottenham fans be excited about the prospect of... Oh, I would. I would as a player as well. I'd be very excited as a player because I'd respect him for what he's done with the budget that he's had at Brentford, but also the style

of play that he produces at Brentford. And I look at the front line and look at Visser, I look at Imbuemo and I think outstanding players. I look at them defensively and organized and the way that they are. I'd be looking at him thinking, I'm looking forward to working with this guy. As I say, when I was away in America, when they were playing in a competition out there,

a pre-season competition, and his management of the players, the players loved him. They had so much respect for him, but it was because he treated people like humans, he let them be free and he said, these are the days off. This is what we're expected of you. Watch them train the levels of the training. He would not let them drop. And he's a standard setter. He's not just this lovely guy who's who fronts up a camera. There's a steal to him as well.

So I think there's an element of everything that ticks the box with Thomas Frank from a tactical point of view, from a perception of who do you put in front of the camera, who's the face of Tottenham Hotspur. I think he's a great addition. They might be more accepting of him because they've gone through that with all of those other managers.

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big bosses, Dr. Helmut Marko. I also didn't think that Max would win four championships. He didn't have the success what we expected from him. Experience Formula One like never before by tuning into the Inside Track, wherever you get your podcasts. This is Five Live Sports, the Football Daily Podcast. Quite a lot of interesting comments already on the BBC Sport website about this. Samuel says it's the most excited I've been for a manager

since we got Harry Redknapp way back when. A proven EPL manager with a bit about him. I'm confident he'll do well if backed by Levy and the fans. Big if there, says Samuel. Tony says one of the decent guys in football. I hope it works out for him. He's done great with Brentford. Sure, most Spurs fans will be happy with his appointment. Guy though says what the hell is he thinking? I'm a Spurs fan, careers come to us to die. Well let's hope that's not the

case. We've talked a little bit about what he could do for Spurs but what's next for Brentford? Let's bring in Brentford fan Craig Tillier from the Ealing Road podcast. I mean, what are your thoughts tonight, Craig? I suppose you saw it coming. Absolutely. I think that a lot of Brentford fans saw it coming. He's been rumoured over the past few windows. I know that's for players, but years as well that he's on his way out. And then it's one of those ones that you know it's going to happen eventually, but you're really hoping that it doesn't. What would you say he's done for you? How can you sum up his impact and and actually do you think that he can take that forward to Spurs? Well to answer the second part,

I do think he can take it forward to Spurs. I think he's got that about him as you said and as other people said he does seem like one of those nice guys in football and we as a club and as other people said, he does seem like one of those nice guys in football and we, as a club and as a fan base, we will miss him very, very much. But to kind of summarise what he's done for the club, he's taken us from what was a mid-table championship club to a mid-table and succeeding in the Premier League club and he's given us some incredible moments over the past six or seven years from losing his first like ten games or eight out of his first ten games for Brentford to beat in Manchester City away from home at the Etihad, beat in Arsenal on the first day, beat in Manchester United 4-0 and beat in Spurs away from home as well. He's given us so many incredible memories.

So Craig, do you feel that you need someone in the same mould or do you think possibly the time would be right now for someone with a very different approach? What do you think? Oh good, that's a great question. It really depends what Matthew Benham thinks would be right for the club. I mean, it's his team, isn't it, as well. But you've got so many... You could go to totally opposite end of the spectrum. I remember Jose Mourinho, for example, said that if there was a mid-table Premier League club not in Europe, that need a manager in a couple of years to let him know. And that's us at the moment. But that need a manager in a couple of years to let him know and that's us at the moment but that's a completely opposite side of the spectrum to what Thomas Frank is but if we're going to go for someone like him we need to give him the backing as well as what Spurs need to give

Thomas Frank the backing. Craig what's the fear about players following Thomas Frank as well? I suppose it depends what those players are. If it's Nathan Collins that the rumours are, I mean he's got a long time left on his contract so I can't see him going for cheap if he does go. But Brian Ibuomo has been rumoured as well now that Thomas Frank has gone there and the bookies do seem to like Joanne Wissler to go there. I think that if we can keep the spine of the team together being now we've got Kelleher keeping Nathan Collins, keeping Christian Norgard, Mikael Damgaard and one of Joao Mwiso and Brian Abumo, we should be okay for next season but obviously

there's concerns that players will want to follow him knowing his management style and just knowing him. Kieran McKenna Ipswich is the current favourite to come in to replace him who would you like to see? If Pep Guardiola wants to come and have a go at Brentford he's more than welcome to. Jürgen Klopp's not doing much at the moment? I know I know and he was I do remember years and years ago before we got Thomas Frank he came out as a surprise contender for the Brentford job so if he wants to throw his name in the ring feel free to feel to, Jürgen.

Look, Kieran McKenna did a fantastic job, has done a fantastic job with Ipswich, taking them from league one into the Premier League, but we saw how they struggled last year. Now, maybe that's down to the lack of experience in the Ipswich squad, or maybe it's down to a lack of experience from Kieran

McKenna. He is a new manager in regards to his career. There's obviously in, in house staff as well. Keith Andrews has come up as one of the, one of the, another favorites with the bookies to take over as first head coach. As a Brentford fan, the only one I don't want, and I'm sorry to say this is Scott Parker, please don't put a Fulham player as the Brentford coach. As a Brentford fan, the only one I don't want, and I'm sorry to say this is Scott Parker, please don't put a Fulham player as the Brentford coach. Yeah I think the biggest thing here, Ellie, now is for a new manager coming in, and I don't know if you'll agree on this Craig, but you'd want to know who's leaving, who's coming in straight away because there's a little bit of a fear now that Brentford are in that sort of middle ground where you go, which way are they going to go?

Because if they do lose Imbuemo, if they do lose Collins, suddenly it's, is the money going to get reinvested? But what's the thought process behind that money? Who's it going to go into? And it's the type of manager you go for. And do you trust them with that, them funds? Because it feels like Brentford's very much structured in the way that they go out and buy players for the manager. Although I do feel Thomas Frank does have a little bit of a say on it. So

this is a little bit of a situation that we've not seen from Brentford for a long time, who are such a well-run football club, but this is just a little bit of a, oh where's this going to end up? It feels like, Craig, an absolutely crucial moment in the modern Craig, an absolutely crucial moment in the modern Brentford Football Club. Absolutely. We could go back however far you want to go back with players. We replaced Andre Gray with Scott Hogan who was going to score all the goals and he did. And then he moves on and we replace him with Neil Malpe who gets sold on, Watkins, Ivan Thoney and Bumo is going to be the next one. We have had so much success and such a fantastic track record of replacing important players in the squad but we are in a new time as the football club shall we say where we're having to replace

arguably the most successful coach we've ever had. Let's have a final thought about Spurs from you John and from you Stephen as well. I mean there's going to be a lot on his desk when he starts, not least that first game that he will lead his team into. Paris Saint-Germain in the European Super Cup, nice easy one to start. Yes, we're due to be covering that in Oudiné at the start of the season. I mean that will massively hit him won't it, as the big time taking on the team that has just been the team of the season in Europe and that's just it, Champions League. So this is something that Thomas Frank, for all of his experience, he's now got that to cope with as

well. Plus the fact now what Tottenham fans will want is the glory that has been much talked about in the course of recent weeks with the lifting of the trophy. So they want more trophy success, they want the best of Ange Poste Koglu's football, but they also want that to be consistently winning football and to challenge to win the Premier League. So that's it, that's all he has to do. I'd say his biggest challenge next season is keeping his players fit and finding out why they lost so many players. Was it Andrew's system? Was it

over training? Was it training too hard? Will we see a difference in keeping the likes of Mickey van der Ven and Romero fit and James Madison on a consistent basis? You've got to keep them players fit. The more big players you lose in a season, the more detrimental it is. So that is the most important challenge that I think him and his staff have got next year. Thank you very much indeed to John and Stephen and Craig. That's it. Thomas Frank confirmed as Ange Postocoglu's replacement as Tottenham head coach. That's it from us. The next episode of the Football Daily will be the commentators view.

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