The Athletic FC Podcast — "Why are Spurs so bad at home?"
Host: Ayo Akinwolere
Guests: Jack Pitt-Brooke (Spurs writer), Adam Crafton
Date: November 3, 2025
Episode Theme: A deep dive into Tottenham Hotspur's ongoing struggles at home, contrasting their away form, examining tactical and psychological issues, and forecasting what it means for Thomas Frank’s tenure.
Episode Overview
This episode focuses on Tottenham Hotspur’s perplexing inability to perform at home under new manager Thomas Frank, despite an otherwise improved league position. The panel scrutinizes recent home defeats—most notably to Chelsea—discusses underlying issues with creativity, fan engagement, the stadium atmosphere, and how the club is still in a state of transition post-Kane and Son. The conversation also weighs the context of their home form against historical trends and ongoing squad-building challenges.
Key Discussion Points & Segment Timestamps
1. Chelsea Defeat: More Than Just a Loss
[03:39]
- Jack Pitt-Brooke: “It’s the performance that is more damaging than the defeat…they made no impression on it. They completely insipid…finished with an XG of 0.05 which is one of the lowest recorded in years.”
- Spurs’ home form flagged as a more serious concern than the result itself.
- Creativity issues persist, with home fans frustrated by the lack of attacking excitement.
2. Post-Match Tension & Media Scrutiny
[04:26–06:24]
- Jed Spence and Micky van de Ven “blanking” Frank sparked social media buzz.
- Frank (clip): Downplayed the incident: “Everyone is frustrated. We do things in a different way so I don’t think it’s a big problem.” [04:38]
- Adam Crafton: “We are getting into the realms of lip reading and body language experts, which is kinda perfect for Twitter in 2025, I guess.” [05:14]
- The panel agrees the optics matter more at a club of Spurs’ size, raising the stakes for Frank.
3. Assessing Progress Under Thomas Frank
[07:30]
- Spurs sit 5th after 10 games, a marked improvement from 17th last season, but all their best performances have been away.
- Jack Pitt-Brooke: “For 60,000 Tottenham fans, every time they see them at home, they’re not playing convincing, attractive, entertaining football.” [07:50]
- Home/away form inverted—Spurs were impressive in away wins (Leeds, Man City, West Ham, Everton), but dire at home.
4. The Longstanding Home Struggles
[08:45–09:47]
- Adam Crafton: Points out Tottenham’s home woes are not new; only 2 Premier League home wins between Nov 3 last season and end of term.
- Spurs’ 20 home league games yielded just 16 points—the worst record among current PL teams.
- Discussion of the stadium atmosphere: “Away teams find [Tottenham Hotspur Stadium] quite comfortable…not much of an edge to the atmosphere.” [09:47]
- Factors include the stadium’s comfort, ticket pricing, demographics, and a lack of intimidating energy.
5. Are the Players Good Enough?
[12:24]
- Question of accountability shifts to the players, not just the system.
- Adam Crafton: References missing “heroes” post-Kane & Son, poor summer transfer window, and creative absences (Maddison, Kulusevski).
- Spurs’ home expectations, culture, and demands for entertaining football also highlighted.
6. Tactical & Personnel Flaws
[19:12]
- Jack Pitt-Brooke: “They’re very reliant on set pieces…set pieces have to carry too much of the burden… The attacking players they’ve got available to them at the moment are just not very good. There’s no way around that.”
- Frank’s football described as “almost too efficient, too minimalistic. They don’t take any risks.”
7. Comparing Frank’s Brentford to Spurs
[21:26]
- Adam: “At Brentford, [Frank] had a fantastic home connection with fans and lots of goals… I think he will be surprised by the struggles that his style has had at home so far.”
- Some skepticism over how much Spurs’ ropey Europa League win should mean for their development as a team.
8. Squad Depth, Transition & European Burdens
[24:45–26:23]
- Previous season saw Spurs unable to compete in both the Premier League and Europa League due to thin squad and injury pile-up.
- Frank is now trying to instil a style “repeatable twice a week,” possibly leading to cautious tactics.
9. Fan Expectations vs. Reality
[26:49]
- Adam Crafton: “Fans…expect to see some shots. If you just go back to the point of football, it’s to score goals. So they’re failing at the point of football to a certain extent.”
- The damaging effect of bad home performances on overall club morale is emphasized.
10. Looking Ahead: Make-or-Break Fixtures
[30:44–32:10]
- Next home games against Copenhagen (UCL) and Manchester United are deemed crucial.
- Jack: "They can’t lose to Manchester United on Saturday—if they do, all this talk about worst home form will multiply... I think it would, in a quite fundamental way, reset the vibes to back.” [31:06]
11. Is the Squad Built to Compete?
[33:10]
- Adam Crafton: “I don’t think it’s a squad that can win the Premier League…I think it’s a squad that can finish exactly where it is currently in the Premier League, which is fifth.”
- Spurs need to secure Champions League qualification for stability; personnel upgrades needed for higher ambition.
12. Final Thoughts: Frank’s Challenge and Outlook
[35:25–37:41]
- High fixture congestion after the break (North London Derby, PSG).
- Jack: “Frank has not really been in this situation before…he’s trying to do this with a squad that’s not really built to do it.”
- Jack: “The way they play at home…is simply not sustainable. I don’t think it’s sustainable to play that badly at home.” [37:14]
- Suggestions (half in jest) about “quirky” psychological interventions to boost home confidence.
13. Final Whistle: Mini-Rant
[38:24]
- Adam Crafton: Reflects on the knock-on effects of the Alexander Isak transfer saga (“doesn’t really seem to have worked for anyone”).
Notable Quotes
- Jack Pitt-Brooke [03:39]: “They finished with an XG of 0.05 which is one of the lowest recorded in years… brought home questions spurs fans have been having about creativity at home.”
- Adam Crafton [05:14]: “We are getting into the realms of lip reading and body language experts, which is kind of perfect for Twitter in 2025, I guess.”
- Jack Pitt-Brooke [09:47]: “Tottenham have played 20 home Premier League games and taken 16 points… It’s an easier place to go for Premier League teams than the London Stadium — which is remarkable.”
- Jack Pitt-Brooke [19:33]: “They look quite clunky, they look quite predictable, they look quite stodgy, and I think that’s not good for anyone. But it’s particularly challenging for a team playing in this big, expensive, shiny stadium.”
- Adam Crafton [26:49]: “I think fans who buy a ticket…at one of the most expensive stadiums…expect to see some shots. If you just go back to the point of football, it’s to score goals. So they are failing at the point of football to a certain extent.”
- Jack Pitt-Brooke [32:10]: “If they try this [cautious approach] and it doesn’t come off and they lose to Manchester United, then I think people say, well, what are they even trying to do?”
- Jack Pitt-Brooke [37:14]: “I think they’re fine…I just think that performances like the one they had against Chelsea is simply not sustainable. I don’t think it’s sustainable to play that badly at home.”
Episode Takeaways
- Spurs’ home struggles are both long-term and acute: Bad form at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium predates Thomas Frank but remains unsolved despite a change in managers and approach.
- A cocktail of issues: Poor atmosphere, tactical caution, limited attacking personnel, and the psychological rut of repeated home disappointment contribute to an ongoing cycle.
- Squad transition: Spurs are still navigating life after Kane and Son, with recent transfer activity not sufficiently bridging the gap.
- Fan expectations vs. reality: Inconsistent, low-scoring, risk-averse performances at home are testing the patience of a support used to at least entertaining football.
- The next week looms large: With must-win fixtures on the horizon, pressure on Thomas Frank to assert authority and inject style is mounting—and another major home defeat could darken the mood substantially.
Useful For:
- Fans wondering why Spurs are struggling so badly at home this season.
- Anyone interested in football management, stadium atmosphere, and the psychological aspects of home vs. away form.
- Listeners seeking insight on the disconnect between results, performances, and supporter expectations at a "big six" club.