Tottenham players ignore Thomas Frank on pitch after terrible loss

Thomas Frank got the cold shoulder on the field from both Djed Spence and Micky Van de Ven when the Tottenham Hotspur boss asked them to turn around and clap for the home fans after a sad 1-0 home defeat to rivals Chelsea.

A fan's video now all over social media, caught the moment Frank stepped onto the pitch after shaking hands with his opposite number Enzo Maresca and ran into the pair heading for the tunnel. When neither of them responded, the Spurs manager looked back in shock at Van de Ven and Spence as they paid him no attention and went straight to the tunnel.

Frank made an effort to calm the tension surrounding two of his main defenders. "All the players feel frustrated, of course," Frank said. "They want to do well, win, and play at their best so I get it. I think it's about how hard it is to stay steady when things are good and when they're bad. That's why I walked around to the fans like I did. It's more fun when we win, I can tell you that."

When asked about the photo showing him looking back at the pair and if their actions were okay, Frank replied: "I get why you're asking, but I think this is a minor issue. We've got Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence who are giving it their all. They've been playing well so far this season and everyone's frustrated. We do things so I don't think it's a big deal."

Frank didn't hold back in his criticism of his team's overall showing as the home crowd booed his players off the field.

"We all feel the frustration and the emotions," Frank said. "That's part of football. It hurts a lot and of course that's part of the job to face you guys now and answer the good questions when you just burn inside. Chelsea played well and we were not as good. We didn't play well. We didn't have energy and intensity and that freshness we lacked"