Tottenham Manager Thomas Frank Labels Goalkeeper Critics 'Not True Real Fans'

Spurs supporters who booed keeper Guglielmo Vicario were told later "they can't be true Spurs supporters" by boss Frank.

Spurs conceded a pair of goals in the first six minutes to fall 2-1 to Fulham, marking their 10th top-flight at home loss of 2025.

However the main topic of discussion was Fulham's second goal when the keeper lost possession well beyond his area.

The goalkeeper came out to handle a long ball and took the ball near the sideline.

But, instead of kicking it into touch, the Italian turned and attempted to clear, but slipped as the ball skimmed off Wilson and was controlled by King.

King laid the ball off to Welsh midfielder Harry Wilson, who curled a strike into the net from the touchline measured at thirty-six point six metres.

Seconds later when the ball went to Vicario once more, some Tottenham fans jeered him.

The team were booed off at half-time, with the club 2-0 behind, and again at full-time.

One of those jeering episodes truly irritated Frank.

"I heard a few of our fans apparently jeered the incident and booed after, which, in my opinion is totally unjustifiable," the Dane stated about the fans' reaction to his shot-stopper.

"Those individuals can't be true Spurs fans that act that way. Fair enough jeering after the match, no problem, but when we are playing, we are supporting each other, we are with each other going forward."

Tete had given the visitors a fourth-minute lead before Harry Wilson's strike – with Kudus netting for Spurs in an improved second period performance.

Former Premier League goalkeeper Joe Hart remarked that the second score was "completely avoidable".

"I certainly appreciate the fans' disappointment," Hart added. "I am aware the role Vicario is performing. He's a excellent team player, he's a true figure in the dressing room but in the end you are going to be judged by your decisions.

"The keeper was heavily involved in what turned out to be the decisive score."

'It's In the Game, I Can Handle It'

Italian national team the keeper is in his 3rd campaign with Tottenham.

He stated after the game that he had to take the criticism.

"That goal was a mistake of my own, I accept responsibility for it," he said.

"My aim was to kick the ball long and I simply hit the ball in a poor way. That made an more difficult challenge to overcome."

He said receiving jeers "comes with football".

"I'm a big man, how can I respond?" he continued. "We cannot be influenced by the circumstances in the stands. The fans have the entitlement to do what they think.

"It's on the team to remain more composed, to focus on ourselves. The team is lacking in calmness and calmness to overturn outcomes. Today is a poor defeat and it is tough to take."

'I Was Surprised Nobody Went Back to the Line'

Despite Vicario's error, it was far from an simple score for Harry Wilson to convert.

In fact it was the next most distant top division goal of the campaign – after Tyler Adams' forty-three point three metre strike for Bournemouth against Sunderland, which interestingly too occurred on Saturday.

The goalscorer stated he was "somewhat taken aback" that he still had an open goal to aim for.

10 seconds passed between Vicario exiting of his box and the midfielder striking – which was 5 moments following the clearance.

"It seemed to me like the goalkeeper was out of the area for a long time," Wilson said.

"I was surprised not one of the back four went back to the goal line. When not one of them covered the net, my interest lit up a bit.

"[Destiny] Udogie fell as well, which gave me a bit of extra time. After that it was solely about trying to achieve the right connection and get it on target. I had a good feeling, as soon as it came off my boot, that it was on the right line."

'When You're in a Poor Run, Everything Appears to Go Against You'

Although the keeper's error led coverage, this was an overall bad day for Tottenham to continue their home ground struggles.

This was their 10th at home defeat of the year in the Premier League, a joint team statistic along with 1994 and 2003.

The side still have home games against Frank's old side Brentford and title holders the Reds to come before the close of the year.

Just a single of those wins have occurred after the manager replaced Ange Postecoglou in the summer.

"When you're behind 2-0 following six minutes, there is a huge challenge to overcome," stated the boss.

"When you're in a bad spell, all aspects seems to work against you as well – the opening was a deflected attempt, the second is a error from Vic.

"This result leaves us in a place where we have suffered another match. Each fixture has a single story, this game we were defeated in the early stages.

"We just need to keep working. The second half was much better and hopefully something we can utilize to develop."

Tottenham have lost 4 straight home London derbies for the initial time in the top division.

Furthermore they are recording 9.5 attempts and three point two efforts on goal per game in the Premier League – their lowest averages on record in a single campaign (dating back to the 2003-04 season).

Ex- Fulham midfielder Murphy commented that the manager has to endure the criticism.

"He's got accept the criticism," Murphy said. "He's taken a prestigious job at a major team with massive anticipation. There is pressure and duty that comes with that.

"The performances at their stadium have been poor and they have to improve {quickly|