Thomas Frank sends message to Tottenham fans as Spurs aim for home 'fortress' | OneFootball

Away day specialists desperate to reverse woeful record in front of their own supporters, starting against Aston Villa

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Thomas Frank has urged the Tottenham fans to play their role in turning the club's stadium into a "fortress".

Frank's side beat Burnley at home on the opening weekend of the Premier League season, but otherwise Tottenham have picked up wins in north London over only Manchester United and Southampton since last November.

By contrast, they have the best away record in the top-flight this season, earning 10 points from a possible 12 on the road.

Ahead of a run of home matches against Aston Villa, Chelsea and Manchester United, Frank called for a closer bond between fans and players at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

"I think every team, and I can speak for us Tottenham Hotspur, we would like our home to be a fortress," Frank said.

"That is the ultimate aim. Can we make our home an unbelievably difficult place to come to? Then the job is half done in terms of what you like to try to achieve.

"And that is like an unbelievable, how can I say, cohesion between the team and the fans. And that needs to go hand in hand. It cannot only be the team, it cannot only be the fans. It needs to be both.

"We need to bring energy to each other and I think that is absolutely key. And we need to do everything that we can to work unbelievably hard, perform well, try to be positive, all that, but also need a little bit of help.

"Because, you know, football, in every game, goes a little bit up and down. You have good spells, bad spells."

Tottenham were disappointing in defeat to Bournemouth on home soil earlier this season and then needed a stoppage-time strike from Joao Palhinha just to earn a point against Wolves, who sit bottom of the table.

There were boos from the Spurs fans in both of those matches, but Frank wants the supporters to get behind his players when they need it most.

"The Premier League is the most relentless league in the world," he said.

"It's so difficult to compete in. So we need the fans, especially in the tough moments. The better they can be behind the team - not easy, because it's not easy - the better it will be and they will feel more success for the team. So we need that.

"But when our fans are behind the team and the stadium is rocking, I think it's one of the best places in the world."