Thomas Frank on the Spence and van de Ven situation after the 1-0 loss to Chelsea

[MartinGeeMartinGee is verified member.]

After the clip went viral of Djed Spence and Micky van de Ven seemingly ignoring Thomas Frank at full-time, the Brentford boss has come out to clarify what really happened.

“Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence came into my office yesterday and just said they wanted to say sorry for the situation. They didn’t want it to look bad or disrespectful, or any kind of perception you can get in this beautiful media world,” Frank said.

“That was not their intention towards me, the team, or the club. They were just frustrated by the performance, the loss, and the booing during the game.”

Seems like both players felt bad about how it came across on camera, and fair play to them for actually going to the manager to apologize and clear the air. Frank handled it with a lot of class too, not blowing it up into unnecessary drama.

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Honestly, this kind of thing happens all the time in football. Emotions run high after a tough loss, especially in a London derby. But once it gets clipped and shared online, the story takes on a life of its own.

What do you all think?

• Was the whole situation overblown by social media?
• Or do players still need to be more aware of how these moments look, given the spotlight they're under?

 

[Maestro]

Social media just loves drama. The clip was literally 2 seconds long and people were acting like they’d staged a mutiny. Good on them for clearing it up with Frank. Shows maturity from both players.

 

[Pompey]

Fair play to Spence and van de Ven. A lot of players wouldn’t even bother to apologize or explain, they’d just let the narrative run. Shows they respect the manager and the club.

 

[CuteJean]

I get that emotions are high after a loss, but players have to realize everything is on camera these days. Even if it wasn’t meant disrespectfully, optics matter. It’s part of being a pro.

 

[Badguy]

This is why Thomas Frank is so well respected. Calm, honest, doesn’t throw anyone under the bus. Just diffused it and moved on. Exactly how you want a manager to handle these things.

 

[martkenny]

The way people online were acting, you’d think Spence slapped him. They just walked past after a tough game. You lose, you’re frustrated, totally normal reaction.

 

[MartinGeeMartinGee is verified member.]

Imagine if Frank hadn’t said anything. That narrative would’ve run wild for days. Props to him for getting in front of it early.

 

[JurgenKOP]

Not to stir it up, but sometimes these small moments do hint at tension. Even if they apologized, maybe it shows frustration with tactics or results? Could be reading too much into it though.