Spurs Boss Frank Labels Vicario Booers 'Not True Genuine Supporters'
Fulham Begin Powerfully to Defeat Spurs and Raise Pressure on the Manager
Tottenham Hotspur fans who booed goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario were told afterwards "they can't be real Tottenham fans" by boss Thomas Frank.
Tottenham conceded two goals in the opening initial moments to fall 2-1 to Fulham, registering their tenth top-flight home loss of 2025.
But the main talking point was the visitors' second score when the keeper lost the ball far beyond his area.
The goalkeeper ventured out to deal with a long ball and carried the ball towards the touchline.
But, instead of kicking it into touch, the Italy international turned and attempted to clear, but lost his footing as the ball skimmed off Harry Wilson and was controlled by Josh King.
King passed the ball off to Welsh midfield player Wilson, who curled a shot into the net from the sideline measured at 36.6 yards.
Seconds later when the ball came to Vicario again, some Tottenham fans jeered him.
Spurs were jeered off at half-time, with the side 2-0 behind, and once more at the final whistle.
A particular of those jeering episodes truly irritated Frank.
"It came to my attention some of our supporters apparently booed the situation and booed after, which, in my opinion is totally unjustifiable," the Danish manager stated regarding the fans' response to his goalkeeper.
"[They] cannot be true Tottenham supporters that do that. Fair enough jeering following the match, fine, but when we are in play, we are backing one another, we are behind one another moving ahead."
Tete had handed the visitors a fourth-minute lead prior to Harry Wilson's strike – with Mohammed Kudus netting for Tottenham in an better second-half showing.
Ex- Premier League goalkeeper Hart stated that the next score was "totally preventable".
"I do understand the supporters' disappointment," the ex-keeper continued. "I am aware the role the keeper is performing. He's a great team player, he's a true leader in the locker room but in the end you are going to be assessed by your decisions.
"The keeper was heavily implicated in what turned out to be the winning score."
'It's In the Game, I Can Handle It'
Frank Defended His Keeper Vicario After the Game
Italy international the keeper is in his third season with Tottenham.
The 29-year-old stated after the match that he had to take the criticism.
"The second goal was a mistake of my own, I accept accountability for that," he commented.
"The intent was to kick the ball far and I simply hit the ball in a poor manner. It was an even bigger mountain to overcome."
He said receiving jeers "is part of the game".
"I am mature, what can I say?" he added. "The team cannot be influenced by the situation in the crowd. Supporters have the entitlement to do what they think.
"It's on the team to stay more calm, to focus on ourselves. The team is missing in calmness and poise to overturn results. This match is a bad defeat and it is tough to take."
'It Shocked Me Nobody Returned to the Line'
In spite of the keeper's error, it was far from an easy goal for Wilson to score.
Actually it was the second most distant top division goal of the season – following Tyler Adams' 43.3 yard goal for the Cherries against Sunderland, which interestingly too occurred on Saturday.
The goalscorer stated he was "somewhat surprised" that he still had an empty net to target.
Ten seconds passed between the keeper coming out of his box and Wilson shooting – which was 5 seconds following the kick.
"I felt like the keeper was out of the box for ages," he remarked.
"I was surprised none of the defenders returned to the line. When not one of them defended the net, my eyes lit up somewhat.
"[Destiny] Udogie slipped as well, which allowed me a little additional time. Then it was solely about trying to make the correct contact and get it on target. I had a positive feeling, as soon as it left my boot, that it was heading in."
'When You're in a Bad Spell, All Seems to Go Against You'
Booing While We Are Still in Play Is Completely Unacceptable - the Manager
While Vicario's error dominated headlines, this was an overall bad performance for Spurs to continue their home woes.
This was their 10th at home defeat of the year in the league, a shared club statistic along with 1994 and 2003.
They still have home fixtures against the manager's former club Brentford and champions Liverpool to play before the close of the season.
Just a single of those wins have occurred after Frank took over from his predecessor in the summer.
"If you are behind 2-0 after six minutes, there is a mountain to overcome," said the boss.
"During in a bad spell, everything appears to work against you as well – the first was a redirected shot, the second is a error from the keeper.
"The outcome puts us in a position where we have suffered an additional game. Every game has a unique story, today we were defeated in the early stages.
"We simply need to keep working. The second half was much better and hopefully something we can use to develop."
Tottenham have been defeated in four straight home London derbies for the first time in the top division.
And they are averaging nine point five attempts and 3.2 shots on target per match in the division – their lowest rates on record in a one campaign (dating back to the 2003-04 season).
Ex- Cottagers midfield player Danny Murphy stated that Frank has to ride the storm.
"He's got accept the criticism," Murphy remarked. "He has accepted a high profile job at a huge team with enormous anticipation. There is scrutiny and responsibility that comes with that.
"The performances at home have been poor and they have to improve {quickly|