Thomas Frank's return to Brentford ended in frustration as Tottenham Hotspur were held to a 0-0 draw at the Gtech Community Stadium on New Year's Day. In what was a largely uneventful contest, neither side could find the cutting edge to break the deadlock, leaving Frank to rue his team's lack of creativity.

Frank, who spent seven successful seasons managing Brentford, leading them to Premier League promotion, received a warm reception from the home fans. However, the Tottenham supporters were far from pleased, as they booed the team off the pitch and chanted "boring, boring Tottenham" during the game. This reflected the away side's inability to register a shot on target until stoppage time.

Brentford had a goal disallowed early in the game when Kevin Schade, who scored a hat-trick against Bournemouth, was ruled offside after tapping in a rebound from a Nathan Collins header. Despite this early scare, Tottenham managed to keep the Bees at bay for the remainder of the match.

After the break, Brentford upped the pressure, with Keane Lewis-Potter and Vitaly Janelt failing to convert opportunities. Igor Thiago also had a chance but fired his shot over the bar. Tottenham, on the other hand, struggled to create clear-cut chances. Richarlison's weak effort in stoppage time was the closest either team came to snatching a late winner, but it was easily saved by Brentford's keeper Caoimhin Kelleher.

Frank acknowledged the fans' frustration, stating, "It seems (the fans) are not too satisfied and that's fair". He highlighted the team's defensive performance but admitted that the "offensive side needs to be better". He also pointed to the number of unforced errors made by his players as a key factor in their failure to unlock the Brentford defense.

The absence of Brennan Johnson from the Tottenham squad further fueled speculation about his potential move to Crystal Palace. Frank confirmed that Tottenham is actively looking at the transfer market.

The result leaves Tottenham in 12th place in the Premier League table with 26 points, while Brentford sits in 9th position with 27 points. Tottenham's next game is at home against Sunderland, while Brentford will travel to Everton.

This was Tottenham's first goalless draw in 138 Premier League matches, with their previous 0-0 result also being against Brentford in April 2022.