Spurs boss Frank heaps praise on 'legend' Ange
Speaking ahead of Saturday's friendly against Reading, Frank was full of praise for the man he succeeded, Aussie Ange Postecoglou.
The Dane had warm words for his Australian predecessor, who was dismissed by the club despite leading them to their first major trophy in 17 years with victory in the Europa League final.
"First and foremost, Ange will forever be a legend here at Tottenham. One of only three who have won a European trophy here and the first in 41 years," he added on Friday.
"I think it was extremely positive that they won (Europa League). The first aim is that we need to be able to compete in all four competitions. That has to be the aim. I think 2019 was the last time they managed to compete in different competitions."
Postecoglou's parting gift to Tottenham was a European Champions League place, not to mention a daunting European Super Cup final against Paris Saint-Germain on August 13.
Frank underlined his commitment to a high-intensity style rooted in courage and ambition and said: "I'm very clear in my principles. I want to see the team be brave, aggressive and attack. Brave is linked to 'dare is to do'.
"If you are not brave, it is very difficult to achieve anything. Being aggressive is very important and, of course, we need to attack."
Frank made a strong impression during seven years at Brentford, where he built an attacking side that consistently exceeded expectations after earning promotion in 2021.
In their four Premier League seasons under Frank, Brentford finished 13th, ninth, 16th and 10th. Spurs, in contrast, finished 17th, which cost Postecoglou his job.
"It was very difficult (to leave Brentford) and also very easy. I'm a person that goes all in. I got attached and had great relationships there," Frank said.
"I also felt maybe it was time to challenge myself and when a club with the magnitude of Tottenham come, I wanted to be a part of it."
Asked whether the club's frequent changes in the dugout were a concern, 51-year-old Frank - Spurs' fifth full-time manager in six years - said he embraced the risk.
"I like to challenge myself. I've never been sacked before so that is one of the reasons why I took the job, so I can get a little bit more risk into my daily life," he added.
"Coming to a big club, there is pressure. We need to perform because it is 'we', it is me, the staff, the players. We need to do that together.
"It is not about surviving one game, or one year or what is the average, 18 months? No. It is for the long run."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Age
8 minutes ago
- The Age
Aussies claim bronze in men's 4x200m freestyle relay
An Australian men's 4x200m freestyle relay team featuring Flynn Southam, Charlie Hawke, Kai Taylor and Max Giuliani wins bronze at the 2025 swimming world championships.
Sydney Morning Herald
8 minutes ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Aussies claim bronze in men's 4x200m freestyle relay
An Australian men's 4x200m freestyle relay team featuring Flynn Southam, Charlie Hawke, Kai Taylor and Max Giuliani wins bronze at the 2025 swimming world championships.
Sydney Morning Herald
2 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Horse racing: Godolphin Australia and James Cummings part ways, launching new era with the likes of Chris Waller, Ciaron Maher, Anthony Freedman
Cummings, the grandson of Melbourne Cup legend Bart, has accepted a lucrative training position in racing mecca Hong Kong from next year. Of Godolphin's headline horses, the group 1-winning Tom Kitten has been placed with Anthony and Sam Freedman, Melbourne Cup fourth-place getter Zardozi has joined Maher, Golden Mile went to Pride, while Waller also picked up Commemorative and Beiwacht. Godolphin trainer James Cummings with retired star Anamoe. Credit: Louise Kennerley Several of the Godolphin horses have already trialled for their new stables. As part of its shift in approach, Godolphin sold 25 ready-to-race horses for almost $2.2 million on Inglis Digital a fortnight ago, including South Australian Derby place-getter Lavalier for $380,000 and group 3-winner Pisces for $330,000. While the father-son Freedman combination has prepared a number of young horses for Godolphin in the past, including 2022 Blue Diamond winner Daumier, Sam Freedman sees the racing giant's change in strategy as a winning move. 'It's an exciting change for the whole Godolphin brand, and exciting for Australian racing to see their stock spread out,' Freedman said. Sam Freedman with the 2023 Melbourne Cup winner Without A Fight. Credit: Getty Images 'I have no doubt it will be a success. There's obviously a lot to work through and there will be little hiccups on the way, I'm sure, but on the whole it feels like a really positive change. 'I think, ultimately, the one-trainer model is becoming more and more rare.' While Freedman said they did not lobby for any horses, they felt privileged to be handed ready-made group 1 star Tom Kitten. Loading 'He'd be the highest-rated horse we've got,' the 2023 Melbourne Cup-winning trainer said. 'As an established weight-for-age horse, he's right at the top. 'It's very rare that you get a horse like that in the stable that's able to compete from 1400m to 2000m at weight-for-age against the best horses in the country. It's exciting.' Freedman said the four-year-old gelding would likely resume in the group 1 1400m Memsie Stakes At Caulfield on August 30 before heading to the group 1 1600m Makybe Diva Stakes at Flemington a fortnight later. 'If he's really flying along, and it looks like a realistic target, that could mean he'll line up in the Cox Plate,' Freedman said. 'But his first two runs are sort of pencilled in, and then we are just going to assess him after that.' Godolphin Australia managing director Andy Makiv and racing and bloodstock manager Jason Walsh oversaw the mass relocation of their horses. 'It certainly wasn't an easy decision, and it doesn't preclude opportunities for others (trainers) in the future,' Makiv said. Godolphin's breeding arm Darley will continue to stand stallions, including those that raced during Cumming's tenure such as Anamoe, Bivouac, Broadsiding and Cylinder. But their number of runners has fallen away significantly in recent years. After a high of 1276 starters in the 2018/19 season, those figures have dropped to 804 in 2023/24 and 680 last season. But Makiv denied this will be an ongoing trend. 'Moving away from a private training model gives us greater business agility,' he said at the end of April. 'We will continue to have the same number of horses in training — it's fundamental to what we do.' News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport are sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.
