Under-fire Tottenham manager Thomas Frank condemned sections of the home support as “unacceptable” after goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario was repeatedly booed during a damaging 2-1 defeat to Fulham on Saturday that deepened the gloom gathering over North London.
Spurs, already reeling from back-to-back heavy losses to Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain, endured another calamitous start at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, conceding twice in the opening six minutes.
Kenny Tete’s fourth-minute strike took a wicked deflection to wrong-foot Vicario, but the second arrived courtesy of a moment of self-inflicted chaos. The Italian rushed from his area, only to slice a clearance straight into the path of Josh King, who played the ball to Harry Wilson, who sent a looping first-time finish into the empty net.
What followed was a smattering of boos each time Vicario touched the ball, swelling into a chorus as the half-time whistle blew. Frank, whose side have now lost four of their past six league matches, did not hide his anger.
“Conceding two goals in six minutes gives us a mountain to climb,” he said. “When you are in a tough spell, things go against you – one deflection, then a mistake. It happens. But I didn’t like how the fans reacted. They booed him straight after and multiple times later. For me, that is unacceptable.
“They can’t be true Tottenham fans. Booing after the game – fair enough. But during the match, we need to be together. If we turn this around, it has to be together.”
Tottenham steadied after the break, with Mohammed Kudus halving the deficit on 59 minutes to offer a glimmer of hope. But despite improved urgency, there was no late surge, and Fulham held firm to secure a deserved win on Marco Silva’s 200th match in charge.
“It’s a big milestone for me and my staff,” Silva said. “Scoring twice early gave us confidence and the push we needed. We saw this as a chance to change our away form.”
Vicario, who fronted up after another difficult afternoon at a stadium where Spurs have won just three of their last 21 league matches, remained philosophical.
“It’s part of football,” he told Sky Sports. “The fans have the right to do what they think. For us, it’s about staying calm and focusing on ourselves. We know our strengths.”
Frank, though, knows patience is thinning – both in the stands and behind the scenes – after a week that has left Tottenham’s season in freefall.
