By simply leaving their coach standing there, Micky van den Ven and Djed Spence caused a stir after Tottenham’s 0-1 defeat to Chelsea. The aftermath followed quickly—along with an appeal to the fans.
Thomas Frank received a visit in his coach’s office on Sunday that he had been hoping for: his vice-captain Micky van de Ven and left-back Djed Spence came in to apologize for their behavior the day before. By then, they had long since realized the stir they had caused after Tottenham’s 0-1 defeat to Chelsea FC.
Van de Ven and Spence had headed straight for the dressing room on Saturday evening, leaving their coach, who wanted to send them to the stands with their teammates, standing there. The incident has now apparently been dealt with, and the duo need not fear any further consequences. “Micky and Djed came into my office yesterday unprompted to apologize,” Frank reported on Monday. “It was not their intention to appear disrespectful or create any kind of perception, as can happen in this wonderful media world. They didn’t mean to do anything to me, the team or the club. They were just frustrated with our performance and the boos during the game.”
After falling behind in the 34th minute to a goal by Joao Pedro, the stands of the notoriously weak Spurs became increasingly restless, before the frustration erupted into loud expressions of discontent after the final whistle.
Goalkeeper Vicario criticizes the fans
“We need a little help during the game, especially when things aren’t going as they should,” Frank appealed to the fans. Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, who sat next to his coach at Monday’s press conference ahead of the Champions League home game against FC Copenhagen, also openly criticized: “If we got more support from the stands, that would obviously be better.”
Frank did not want to disclose any further details about his conversation with van de Ven and Spence. “Of course, I was glad they came because I knew the questions would come today. We had a good chat, but that remains internal. It would be very unusual for me to make a player a scapegoat because we are all human beings,” said the Dane, showing leniency and revealing: “My first question was how they were doing.”
The Spurs, who signed Frank from Brentford FC in the summer, have won only one of their last five competitive games. They are still unbeaten in the Champions League after three matchdays, but have only one win to their name.