LONDON: Tottenham Hotspur welcome Brentford this weekend with the hosts aiming to end a winless run in the Premier League and improve their home form, in what will be a special game for manager Thomas Frank against his former club.
Frank arrived at Brentford in 2016, became head coach two years later and took them to promotion from the Championship in 2021. The Dane left the club in June to replace Ange Postecoglou at Spurs.
“Of course, it’s a little more special for me because I face Brentford, where I was for nine years,” Frank told reporters on Thursday ahead of Saturday’s game.
“Almost a quarter of my life there. I had a fantastic time there, I enjoyed every second of it.
“A lot of people I’ll see on Saturday who I haven’t seen for a long time, I used to see them every day more or less so that will be special.”
Given his obvious affection for Brentford and his history at the club, Frank was asked if he would celebrate if Spurs scored on Saturday.
“Yeah, I will. Everyone knows the respect I have for Brentford, the fans, everyone before kick-off, after the final whistle,” he replied.
“In the 90 minutes it’s all about one thing, do what we can to win the game.”
After a promising start to the season, Spurs are without a win in their last five league games, losing three, and of their five wins this campaign their only home victory came back in August on the opening day.
Brentford, meanwhile, are having difficulties on the road, losing six of their seven away games.
“It will be nice timing for us to get the three points on Saturday,” Frank said.
“There’s only one way to do that, put a good performance in there. Work on the things we are constantly working on.
“Constantly make it sharper, quicker. Not direct, but more penetration when we need to have that. Play with intensity, come out brave. I’m looking forward to the game.”
Many expected Brentford to struggle this season after they replaced Frank with an inexperienced manager in Keith Andrews, along with the departure of several key players, but they are level on 19 points with Spurs in the standings.
“I think it’s a big credit to Brentford to be brave enough to promote from within, but also to have built something over time,” Frank said.
“It’s definitely not about me, it’s about what we together built there, that consistency, stability and high performance level at this level.
“So that culture, knowing who we are, what we want to be, that was easier to continue with appointing Keith and I think he’s done a remarkable job. It is never easy to step up to your first head coach role.”
Brentford game a special one for Spurs boss Frank
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Brentford game a special one for Spurs boss Frank
- “Of course, it’s a little more special for me because I face Brentford, where I was for nine years,” Frank told reporters
- “Almost a quarter of my life there. I had a fantastic time there, I enjoyed every second of it”
Desert Vipers hold nerve to edge Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in ILT20 thriller
- Key contributions from Shimron Hetmyer and Khuzaima Tanveer prove decisive as the Vipers weather tense finish to overhaul target of 171
- Knight Riders start well, reaching 87 in 10 overs, but momentum shifts in second half of their inning as the Vipers’ spinners struck back
SHARJAH: Desert Vipers made it two wins out of two in the DP World International League T20, as they held their nerve to secure a dramatic two-wicket victory over Abu Dhabi Knight Riders at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Friday.
Shimron Hetmyer’s counterattacking 48 off 25 balls, and a late-order cameo from Khuzaima Tanveer, who hit 31 off just 12 deliveries, proved decisive as the Vipers weathered a tense finish to overhaul a target of 171.
Sent in to bat, the Knight Riders made a confident start through Phil Salt and Alex Hales, with the latter anchoring the inning to top-score with 53 off 37 balls.
Despite reaching 87 in 10 overs, however, the momentum shifted in the second half of the inning as the Vipers’ spinners began to strike regularly. Qais Ahmad and Noor Ahmad led the middle-overs fightback, dismissing Hales and triggering a collapse as the Knight Riders lost five wickets.
Andre Russell’s unbeaten 36, and useful contributions from Alishan Sharafu and Unmukt Chand, at least helped Abu Dhabi reach a competitive total, but they were unable to fully capitalize on the side’s strong opening.
The Vipers began explosively in reply, smashing a tournament-record 19 runs from the first over. However, early wickets then left them wobbling on 44/3. Sam Curran and Dan Lawrence rebuilt the attack before the latter combined with Hetmyer for a crucial 68-run stand that swung the contest back in the their favor.
Late strikes from Ajay Kumar and Russell, the latter dismissing Hetmyer for his 500th T20 wicket, set up a tense finish, but Tanveer delivered under pressure. Needing eight runs off the final over, he sealed victory with a six and a boundary.
“It was, in many ways, a fortunate escape but an outstanding result for us,” said Curran, the Vipers’ stand-in captain.
“ADKR possess a very powerful batting lineup, and I believe our bowlers performed exceptionally well throughout the innings. The dismissals of Hetmyer and Dan introduced an unexpected twist but the team showed commendable composure in the crucial moments.”
Knight Riders’ stand-in skipper Sunil Narine felt his side had been lacking with the bat: “We were 15-20 runs short. We began well in the powerplay and that phase was crucial for us.
“The conditions eventually worked in their favor and the dew made it challenging for our spinners. But at the end of the day that’s part of the game.”
The result leaves the Vipers well placed at this early stage of the tournament, while the Knight Riders were left to reflect on missed opportunities after such a strong start.
