THREE LION WHIP
Frank: I’m with the England boss... if FA try to stop me speaking to Ivan they will have to ban me too
THOMAS FRANK says the FA will have to ban him if they want him to stop speaking to his star striker Ivan Toney.
Brentford boss Frank agrees with Gareth Southgate that Toney, banned for eight months for breaches of FA betting rules, needs help with his gambling addiction rather than a cold shoulder. And he insists the club will do everything it can to rehabilitate the Three Lions striker, who cannot even train with his teammates for four months. “I’ll completely go down the same lines of Gareth Southgate there,” said Frank.
“If I can’t speak to him, they will have to ban me as well. If I’m not allowed to speak with him on a support level, there must be something wrong.”
Brentford have been told they will be allowed to offer Toney help while he recovers from a hamstring injury.
But the club are still seeking clarity on exactly how much contact they are allowed with the 27-year-old (with his manager, left).
The situation threatens to take the gloss off a truly remarkable season for Brentford, who go into the final day in ninth place.
Frank says they deserve more credit for a brilliant campaign which has them on the cusp of Europe.
But he admits they still have a mountain to climb to secure European football given that Manchester City are their opponents on the final day tomorrow.
The Bees, who have one of the smallest budgets in the league, must beat the champions to have any hope of finishing seventh.
But they have already defeated City once this season, and boss Frank said: “I’m a big dreamer. A big believer. I believe that everything is possible in football.
“Every season is a new opportunity to achieve something big. I had a big belief we’d finish in the top 10, a big belief. I am so pleased we are in the mix. We just need to beat the best team in the world!
“There is a massive mountain ahead of us but anything is possible. There needs to be a lot of things going the right way.
“It should almost be impossible to beat City again but, at home with this group of players, everything is possible. I know the players, the club and what is possible.”
The 49-year-old former Brondby manager went on: “Maybe in some ways what we have done this season doesn’t get enough credit. We have the second-lowest budget in the league. Wolves came seventh two years in a row but with a completely different budget.
“The core of the team is the players who played in the Championship. I think it’s a fantastic achievement.”