'Young leader' Romero defended by under-fire Frank

Tottenham head coach Thomas Frank has defended captain Cristian Romero after he appeared to take aim at the club's hierarchy, accusing them of telling "lies" in a since edited Instagram post.

Spurs have won just one of their past six Premier League games and sit 14th after losing 3-2 at Bournemouth on Thursday.

Following the defeat, Romero stated on Instagram "other people" should be coming out to speak and adding that they "only show up when things are going well, to tell a few lies".

Frank says he has been happy with Romero's performances on the pitch, but has spoken to the centre-back about the need to keep some views "internal".

"I think he has done a lot of things right," Frank said.

"He is still a young leader and he has done a lot of things well on and off the pitch.

"I was very happy with his performance last night. He was a true captain throughout the game and at half-time.

"But when you're a young leader sometimes you make mistakes. It is good to keep it internal. We had a good conversation this morning which we will keep internally."

Romero, 27, has since deleted his post and uploaded a new - almost identical statement - omitting the part about telling lies but still appearing to criticise senior figures at the club.

"Apologies to all fans of you who follow us everywhere, who are always there and will continue to be," Romero posted., external

"We are responsible, there's no doubt about that. But we will keep facing up to it and trying to turn the situation around, for ourselves and for the club.

"At times like this, it should be other people coming out to speak, but they don't - as has been happening for several years now. They only show up when things are going well.

"We'll stay here, working, sticking together and giving our all to turn things around. Especially at times like this, keeping quiet, working harder and moving forward all together, is part of football."

Tottenham fans have expressed their frustration towards Frank and the players in recent weeks following a poor run of results.

They chanted "boring, boring Tottenham" during a goalless draw at Brentford and booed the team off following a 1-1 draw against Sunderland on Sunday.

Tensions spilled over at Vitality Stadium as Micky van de Ven and Palhinha exchanged words with Spurs fans, while Pedro Porro also had to be talked into stopping an argument with supporters by goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.

There was also an unfortunate moment for Frank prior to kick-off when he was photographed holding a coffee cup with Arsenal branding.

On Thursday, Frank repeated his assertion that the club are "aligned".

"In a storm, some are building fences and hiding behind it, others are building windmills and getting stronger and getting more energy and learning from it," he said.

"I see myself as above average intelligence so I am very aware [that fans want attacking football].

"My teams have always produced chances and scored goals and this team will do the same.

"I think it is fair to say we are lacking some of the tough, free-flowing offensive players that we had last season and that is part of the challenge."

The calls from sections of Tottenham's fanbase for Thomas Frank to go have become deafening.

As yet, there is no indication from Spurs that the Dane is in imminent danger of losing the job he took seven months ago.

After the 2-2 draw at Newcastle on 2 December, at a point when Spurs had won just once in eight matches, a well-placed source indicated to BBC Sport that Frank's position was "very safe".

But that is not to say support from within the Spurs hierarchy is - or has been -universal.

Indeed, it is understood that, in the week before the draw at St James' Park, there had been a push from within the club's leadership team to take steps to dismiss Frank.

But as yet the key decision makers - namely chief executive Vinai Venkatesham and owners the Lewis family - have stuck by their head coach.

The support appeared to be vindicated at the time, Spurs won their next two games, against Brentford and Slavia Prague - but that provided only brief respite.

Wednesday's late defeat at Bournemouth extended Tottenham's winless run to three matches. They have won once in their past six outings.

Away from their difficulties on the pitch, the divide between Frank and the fans looks irreparable. Tensions have only been exacerbated by the unfortunate incident before the Bournemouth match in which the head coach was pictured drinking from a paper cup with an Arsenal logo.

Similarly, the relationship between the players and supporters has also become strained - key centre-back Micky van de Ven appearing to have a verbal exchange with fans following the loss at Vitality Stadium.

You can't help but wonder exactly how much the previous support for Frank is being tested right now - it appears unfathomable that the situation can be allowed to fester much longer.

For many supporters, the answer to that dysfunction is obvious: sack the head coach.

The longer the current continues without improvement, the easier it is to see Frank being put out of his misery sooner rather than later.