Tommy Martin: Who needs time when you go back to basics like Thomas Frank?

Frank's early progress at Tottenham is a blow for the school of thought that managers need time.

THOMAS THE FRANK ENGINE: Thomas Frank looks on prior to the UEFA Champions League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Villarreal. Pic: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images.

“The great fallacy is that the game is first and last about winning. It is nothing of the kind. The game is about glory” – so goes the Danny Blanchflower aphorism that inspired many a 5-3 Tottenham defeat.

“It is about doing things in style, with a flourish, about going out and beating the other lot, not waiting for them to die of boredom,” he went on, thankfully not living long enough to see Spurs’ 1-0 win over Villarreal in their Champions League opener, which featured a single shot on target from either side.