Brentford manager Thomas Frank has launched a passionate defence of Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario after sections of the home crowd turned on the Italian during Saturday's disappointing 2-1 defeat to Fulham.
Early collapse proves costly
The match at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium turned sour within just six minutes as Fulham raced into a 2-0 lead through Kenny Tete's deflected opener and Harry Wilson's quick follow-up. The second goal came directly from Vicario's error when the goalkeeper ventured far from his penalty area and miskicked a clearance straight to Wilson, who gratefully converted.
Frank expressed his frustration with the immediate reaction from some Tottenham supporters, who began booing the goalkeeper both after the mistake and at various points throughout the match. "I didn't like that our fans booed at him straight after and a few times after that," Frank stated in his post-match comments.
Manager's strong words for critics
The Danish manager didn't hold back in his assessment of the fans' behaviour, suggesting those who participated couldn't be true supporters. "They can't be true Tottenham fans because everyone supports each other when you're on the pitch," he argued.
Frank made a clear distinction between expressing disappointment at the final whistle and targeting individual players during the game. "I'm fine with them booing after the match, no problem, but not during. That is unacceptable in my opinion," he emphasised.
The atmosphere turned increasingly toxic as the match progressed, with players leaving the field to loud booing at both half-time and full-time, reflecting the growing frustration among supporters after Tottenham's failure to win a home league match since their opening weekend victory over Burnley.
Goalkeeper takes responsibility
Vicario, to his credit, accepted full responsibility for his costly error. "Especially the second goal was a mistake of mine. I take the responsibility for that," the goalkeeper admitted. He explained that his intention had been to clear the ball long but he simply struck it poorly.
Showing considerable maturity, Vicario refused to criticise the fans for their reaction. "It's part of football. So I am a big man. I am quite older. What can I say? We cannot be influenced by situations in the stand," he stated, adding that "fans have the right to do what they think."
The defeat leaves Tottenham in a concerning position, with Frank acknowledging that "this result leaves us in a place where we have lost another game" after what had been a promising start to his tenure.
Meanwhile, Fulham manager Marco Silva celebrated his team's first away win of the season in his 200th game in charge. "We have been really speaking about the games on the road, so it was very important for us to win," Silva said, praising his team's control during the opening 35 minutes.
