These are my perceptions but I've always felt Frank wants to just take the data and experience from the bad result and then keep working at things on the training ground. He then believes over time these moments will dissipate and we'll have a better permanence about us. At least I did for most of his tenure. He is perhaps showing signs of being worn down by the experience in his body language and interviews.
I reckon he is dreading the Dortmund game. He has nowhere to manoeuvre at this stage with the injury crisis especially if the 50:50s go against him on the recent knocks we took.
I think that’s fair. And I do think if he’d gotten some results in recent weeks, the idea of being the balanced, sage, wise person who keeps on the level in the chaos of the premier league would be seen as a really good thing. I also think, if he had the time to really establish his culture so that his way was ‘seen’ to be the right way by players that were really bought into it, it would also work.
I think he hasn’t had the time to establish his culture, and have the players bought into it. And so I think when things happen, the players are probably looking for someone who judges situations differently (the Vicario example here, or the DJed / VDV thing after Chelsea). They are perhaps looking for a leader who gets them, but also who they understand. And I think they are perhaps reading balance right now as not enough, whether it’s not angry enough at the right moments, not inspirational enough at the right moments, I don’t know. But because I actually like Frank, I try and veer away from describing this situation as one where he is just bad at his job. I genuinely think it is that he is very different from what came before, and the players were bought into that style.
It could have so closely swung the other way for him. We beat United, beat Saudi Sportswashing Machine away without a bricky VAR call, beat Sunderland at home, then we’re probably going into some of these other recent games with more confidence, we probably beat West Ham. I really felt I could see the green shoots. But it hasn’t happened, and now he probably won’t get the time.
