It was the chant that had simmered for weeks and there was an inevitability when it was belted out by the Tottenham support at the very last. “Sacked in the morning,” they yelled at Thomas Frank, the frustration unbearable. They have seen enough. In their opinion, the manager has to go.

Whether the club’s board agree is unclear. They know the problems Frank has faced and continues to face during a season of turmoil and transition. The acid test of nerve is upon them.

Manager aware his reign has parallels to the Spurs spell of his counterpart at West Ham, Saturday’s visitors

When Thomas Frank glances along the touchline at Nuno Espírito Santo on Saturday afternoon, he will see more than the ghost of Tottenham managers past. Because during his darkest hours – and there have been a few of those during a fraught first season at the club – he may also have seen a vision of his own future.

The parallels between the two are clear and they are difficult to ignore as Nuno makes his return to Spurs with West Ham, desperate for a result to help lift the club out of the relegation places. When Nuno went to Spurs in 2021, he did so as a manager who had made his name in English football with Wolves, getting them promoted from the Championship and going on to enjoy success with them in the top division. Ditto Frank with Brentford before his move to Spurs last summer.