In the away end of the City Ground on Sunday, every Tottenham Hotspur supporter was given a free scarf by the club. For at least one Spurs supporter, external, the knitwear was most useful for shielding their eyes from another dismal display by their team.

Spurs were beaten 3-0 by Nottingham Forest, a result which leaves them 11th in the Premier League, six points off the top four. Under manager Thomas Frank, Spurs have lost as many league games as they have won this season and been beaten in three of their previous five.

For some Spurs fans, the comedown six months on from their Europa League triumph is impossible to take and they have turned on Frank. The former Brentford manager's direct style of play, at times poorly implemented by the players, has also not endeared him to some supporters.

So where does this all leave Frank? Here's what the fans, the club insiders, and the stats have to say... Just when you think it is safe to watch Spurs again, they deliver another nightmarish performance.

With consecutive positive performances at home in the Premier League and Champions League last week, it looked as though Thomas Frank's team was starting to build some consistency. However, after a painfully pessimistic performance against Nottingham Forest on Sunday, Spurs confirmed that they remain well and truly wedged in the 'storming' phase of team development.

When viewed through this lens, you can understand why Frank appears relatively calm on the touchline and in his post-match interviews. The project manager in him knows that change takes time, and what appears to be chaos from the outside is actually an integral part of the transformation needed at this club.

Unfortunately for Frank, and anyone else who agrees with him that "this is not a quick fix", in recent years managers at Spurs have not been given long to turn things around. Hopefully, this time will be different.

In many respects, Frank's appointment at Spurs reminds me of when Gareth Southgate took the England job. Many questioned his experience and doubted his suitability at that level too. While ultimately Southgate did not win anything with England, he did the unenviable but necessary work of changing the culture and laying the foundations for future success.

He turned them into a team that justified the hype. I still think Frank is capable of achieving the cultural change needed at Spurs, but as fans we have to start by being honest that we are not the team we want to be. Not yet.

For the fans who want Frank gone: who is your preferred candidate to replace him, what does realistic success look like, and how long are you willing to give someone new to achieve it?

There is unlikely to be a knee-jerk reaction at Tottenham to Sunday's disappointing loss at Nottingham Forest. Thomas Frank's future has been thrust back into the spotlight once again following the 3-0 loss at the City Ground that, not for the first time this season, sparked anger from Spurs supporters towards their head coach.

But for the time being, there is no sense that the Dane's future is under any immediate threat despite the lacklustre level of performance against Forest. For context, Tottenham were on the back of a three-match unbeaten run ahead of Sunday's loss – a credible 2-2 draw at Newcastle was followed by two straight victories over Brentford and Slavia Prague.

Prior to the loss to Sean Dyche's side there had been shoots of improvement, so with that said Sunday's loss is unlikely to prompt an immediate change of tact.

That's not to say that the backing for Frank is entirely universal behind the scenes at the north London club. Following the home loss to Fulham on November 29, which extended a worrying run of just one victory in eight matches, well-placed sources told BBC Sport at the time that Frank's performance had come increasing internal scrutiny.

The apparent disdain from sections of supporters towards Frank during the opening half of the season is also an unsavoury dynamic that has not gone unnoticed. Spurs, though, are yet to reach a point so far this season whereby they have given serious consideration to dispensing with Frank.

There is an acknowledgement that there will be bumps in the road, though you can imagine Frank can ill-afford many days like Sunday if those aforementioned doubts aren't to resurface more prominently in the coming weeks.

It is also key to point out that chief executive Vinai Venkatesham was integral to Arsenal's decision to stick with Mikel Arteta during some of the lowest depths of the Spaniard's stewardship at the Emirates. Arsenal are now widely viewed as one of the strongest teams in European football.

Frank has some way to go emulate Arteta - but there is currently a willingness to give him an opportunity to lay foundations towards a similar path to success. Results, though, will be key towards that continued support. Further disappointments like the one suffered on Sunday and Frank's backing will wane.

Sunday's loss at Forest marked Frank reaching a quarter-century of matches in charge of Spurs. Like England's batters in the Ashes, a ton or even a half-century is far from guaranteed. In his 25 games across all competitions, the Dane has won 10 matches and lost nine.

Those nine defeats include on penalties against PSG in the Uefa Super Cup, a 2-0 loss to Newcastle in the League Cup, and Premier League defeats including a 4-1 hammering off local rivals Arsenal. This mixed bag of form has seen some supporters pining for the return of former manager Ange Postecoglou, and his often entertaining tactic of 'Angeball'.

It was of course the Australian who ended Spurs' 17-year wait for a trophy last season by beating Manchester United in the Europa League final. Those supporters may be remembering Postecoglou's first 25 games at Spurs, of which they won 14. This included a stellar start to the 2023-24 Premier League season, when Spurs won eight and drew two of their opening 10 matches.

But they may do well to remember the 60-year-old's final 25 games in charge, which included Spurs spiraling to 17th in the Premier League last season - their worst finish since the formation of the league. Spurs lost 13 of their final 25 matches, winning nine.