Bees buzz into the final weeked with Europe still in sight
What a disappointing weekend that was to be a Brentford fan.First of all, we had to not support the underdog in the FA Cup final, because of the way a Crystal Palace victory would affect our European chances, and then we lost at home to rivals Fulham.I should say that I am genuinely pleased for a couple of Palace friends that they won the cup - despite the impact for the Bees.Despite all that, Brentford go into the season's final weekend with our European qualification hopes still alive - just.To make it, we need to finish eighth and then hope that Chelsea both win the Conference League and also finish outside the top five.Whether or not we do it, what an achievement it would be if we could finish in the top half of the Premier League for the second time in four seasons.It has been another great campaign, filled with some cracking football, exciting matches and plenty of goals. For both Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa to score 19 is some feat.It is also great to be going into Sunday's final match with something to play for.Finally, a quick word about Ben Mee, who will be leaving us in the summer.He was superb in his first season with us in 2022-23 - when he only missed one Premier League game - helping us to finish ninth. He was also voted supporters' player of the year.But he has been used sparingly in the past two years, so, as he is out of contract, he deserves to go somewhere where he will play regularly again - and I am sure he will have plenty of offers.Find more from Ian Westbrook at Beesotted podcast, external
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BBC News
35 minutes ago
- BBC News
'Opposite of Postecoglou' - what could Spurs expect from 'chef' Frank?
"I probably won't be at Brentford forever," Thomas Frank told BBC Sport in January when asked about his ambitions. "I will maybe walk into another club."That club could be Tottenham Hotspur, who finished 17th in the Premier League table - seven places below Brentford - but will play in the Champions League next season after winning the Europa have closed the door on the Ange Postecoglou era and are bidding to replace him with the Dane who established Brentford in the Premier League after winning promotion from the Championship in 51, is the second-longest-serving current manager in English football's top-flight behind Manchester City's Pep Guardiola."It is just a question of time," said six-time Premier League-winning boss Guardiola last September, when asked if he was surprised Frank, appointed by Brentford in 2018, had not been offered a bigger did not play football professionally, external but has overseen 152 Premier League games - winning 54, losing 60 and taking 200 points from a possible 456. Of the 54 managers to take charge of 150-plus games in the Premier League era, Frank ranks 29th for points per game (1.32).During his Brentford reign, Frank has spent £254m on players and received £183m in sales - a net spend of £71m. Tottenham have spent £961m on transfers since 2016-17, according to data., externalFrank, who has been described as the opposite of Postecoglou for his adaptability, would be Tottenham's fourth permanent manager since 30 June Espirito Santo lasted just four months, Antonio Conte 16 months and Postecoglou, despite ending the club's 17-year wait for a major trophy, has been sent packing after two years."There's much more pressure at Tottenham than there is at Brentford, because of the expectation - and the manager has to handle that expectation," Chris Sutton, a Premier League winner with Blackburn Rovers in 1994-95, told BBC Sport. 'Heat on Frank straight away' Frank's boundless energy and motivational skills have got the very best out of Brentford, who are planning for a fifth consecutive season in the Premier League despite one of the smallest has built a reputation for producing teams full of strong characters with no egos, and has helped the likes of Ivan Toney, Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa become better players - as well as many described as a 'great human', Frank built strong relationships and socialised with his players and staff - including his love of padel - and has been praised regularly for his motivational midfielder Christian Norgaard told BBC Radio 5 Live: "Thomas is very personal with the players."He cares a lot about how we are and how we feel. It's a very important quality for a manager to have."Not every manager has it, and the ones that do seem to have more success. He's definitely a leader and someone who guides us. He's done a fantastic job in the years that I've worked with him at Brentford."Managing Brentford though feels a very different proposition to managing overseeing a club with consistently one of the lowest budgets in the division - thus players on smaller salaries - to a club full of high-paid, high-profile described Tottenham's decision to part ways with Postecoglou as "madness", and added: "That is how things work at the club that Frank is walking into."He also also believes Spurs are taking a gamble on a manager who has no experience in the Champions League."Thomas Frank has done a brilliant job at Brentford, but this is a whole different kettle of fish," said Sutton."Because of the expectation at Tottenham, Frank won't get time to get his feet under the table. He will be under pressure from the off."Postecoglou has just won them their first major European trophy for 41 years and has gone. So already you have to wonder what does Frank need to do this season to keep his job?"The aim for Frank will be to keep them in the Champions League, and whether that is by making the top four or five, that is not going to be easy."That is a big ask for this squad, to compete on both fronts. We know this Tottenham team is better than 17th place, because they finished fifth in Postecoglou's first year, but other Premier League teams have improved since then." 'Frank is the opposite of Postecoglou' Brentford finished 2024-25 with more points than Tottenham (56 compared with 38), more goals (66-64) and fewer goals conceded (57-65). In addition, Mbeumo (20), Wissa (19) and Kevin Schade (11) scored 50 goals between them after Frank was forced to adapt following the departure of Toney - 36 goals in 83 top-flight appearances for the Bees - to Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli. There have been many different versions of Brentford though since Frank first took charge. High-possession football, more counter-attacks, more percentage football - Frank has played them all, leading to many seeing him as one of the game's more adaptive attacking flair and bravery, to at times being more pragmatic, what will Spurs look like under Frank?"It's a surprisingly difficult question to answer because he's a really flexible manager," said football tactics writer Alex Keble."He will automatically adapt his tactics to whoever the opposition is, a bit like Unai Emery at Aston Villa."In many ways he's the opposite of Ange Postecoglou, who is famously wedded to one idea."There's a statistic - what Opta call 10+ - referring to the number of passes and sequences [in one move]. In 2023-24 Brentford registered 245. In 2024-25 that figure was 325. "That tells you as time has gone on, Frank has wanted to play a more possession-based game. There's certainly plenty of counter-attacks, fast transitions and plenty of highly choreographed long balls forward - direct football."Who are the Tottenham players who could benefit from the arrival of Frank, a manager who pays great attention to stats?"You can certainly imagine Dominic Solanke linking with Wilson Odobert in a way Wissa and Mbeumo interact," added Keble. "Defensively, Tottenham are least like Brentford. Would Frank look at the Spurs squad and think 'I can't play Brentford football here?'"Spurs fans struggled to buy into the brand of football under recent managers Jose Mourinho and Conte. Will they take to the Frank style?"I think the way he played at Brentford was quite balanced - they had different ways of playing, depending on the opposition," added Sutton."His Brentford team played good football at a high intensity, but ultimately fans take to managers when they win games, and that is it."I do think he has got different strings to his bow, but it will be interesting to see what Tottenham do recruitment-wise this summer."Former Tottenham midfielder Danny Murphy is another to praise Frank's flexible approach."They had a great intensity and physicality about them," Murphy told BBC Sport about Brentford last season. "They vary their game as well as any other team in the Premier League." 'Collaborative' and 'curious' - what is it like to play for Frank? Frank, praised for his methodical detail, has likened managing in the Premier League to being a head chef in a high-end restaurant."The chef needs to be able to cook the food himself," said Frank."He's got 20 other chefs doing all these things for him so he's leading all these many chefs through his vision, his recipes and they are maximising every little detail. "But he knows how the perfect outcome should be."His profile has rocketed since he arrived in England in 2016, being appointed Brentford's assistant head coach, external under Dean not playing professionally he has ended up in the Premier League after starting his coaching journey with the under-8s of his hometown club Frederiksvaerk. He progressed to become coach of Denmark at various youth levels until 2013, when he was offered a first-team coaching role at Danish Superliga giants striker Lee Rochester Sorensen, who was part of the Denmark Under-17s side, said: "He was always looking to improve and had a plan for every step of the way."Thomas always had a plan A, B and C, making it clear what was needed through the four phases of play, from our goalkeeper to our attackers - he'd tell us how to press our opponents and the reasons why."Ex-Brondby midfielder Martin Ornskov enjoyed Frank's collaborative approach during their time together at the club."There were times when he'd discuss solutions with us during games," he said. "Far from seeing it as a weakness, I saw that as a strength."I knew he'd be liked as a person and could evolve as a coach, but to work in the Premier League without having the experience or being a big name was a huge test."But the thing about Thomas was he was always so curious about football - he lived for the game. I saw a different coach at the end of my three years with him."After Frank Lampard left his role as Chelsea boss in 2023, Frank invited the former England midfielder to watch Brentford train."When you see someone like Thomas and how diligent he is and how well he speaks, you understand he has put thousands of hours into viewing, observing, working out his way, his approach to people," Lampard, now boss at Coventry City, told the Football Daily Radio London commentator Phil Parry added: "Thomas Frank as a manager is exceptionally gifted, as a person he's great - he's an exceptional coach and leader."He also accepts he is the head of something that is very important. He stands on the shoulders of other giants who make that thing tick."Chris Sutton was speaking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan.
Metro
37 minutes ago
- Metro
Craig Bellamy reacts passionately to heart-breaking Wales defeat to Belgium
Craig Bellamy was full of pride in his Wales team despite a painful 4-3 defeat to Belgium in a dramatic World Cup qualifier on Monday night. The amazing game saw the home team race into a 3-0 lead thanks to goals from Romelu Lukaku, Youri Tielemans and Jeremy Doku before the half-hour mark. There was a scrap of hope for Wales when Harry Wilson scored a penalty just before the break and the visitors were sensationally level by 69 minutes thanks to goals from Sorba Thomas and Brennan Johnson. It looked set to be a famous draw for the Welsh but an 88th minute Kevin De Bruyne winner broke their hearts and ultimately left them unrewarded for their efforts. Bellamy was only looking at the positives, though, and was thrilled with the fight his players showed after a nightmare start. 'Since September when I first came in, I've felt immensely proud to be their coach,' he told the BBC. 'Every training session, every game they've left me with that. 'To come here, I hope second half they've seen what they can do. They have to understand how good they are. That was pleasing. I hope this gives us the belief to be the team we want to be. We move on from here.' He added: 'To come to a top eight team in the world and play that well, that's going to give us so much. 'I don't like the defeats and I don't feel like 'unlucky Wales.' No, we need to win these games. But after being 3-0 down when we could have gone the other way, for them to believe in themselves, I believe that will give us so much going forward.' Fulham's Wilson took a similar stance and knows there is plenty more football to play in Group J after picking up seven points from the first four matches. 'It's a tough one to take,' he said. 'We didn't start great giving them a three-goal lead, but we have to take positives from the way we reacted. 'We felt we were always in the game and once we got the goal before half-time we just kept believing and kept being patient. 'We showed we can go toe-to-toe with a top-10 team and we're just gutted at the end. 'It shows what we're about, we've pulled it back before. We'd rather not give a team like Belgium a three-goal lead, but we scored three goals and we probably should be leaving with something. 'The group is far from done and if we perform like the second half we will still have a big say in this group, and if we win every game it's still in our hands.' Wales are second in Group J, one point behind North Macedonia with Belgium in third place but having only played two matches while the two teams ahead of them have played four. MORE: Retired Chelsea icon favourite for major international job ahead of World Cup MORE: England v Senegal odds: Three Lions must respond to Thomas Tuchel's criticism after poor show against Andorra MORE: Why Bukayo Saka is not playing for England against Andorra
Daily Mirror
38 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Liverpool transfer could open door to hand Jack Grealish move joining old rival
Jack Grealish is looking for a way out of Manchester City and Liverpool's pursuit of Florian Wirtz could see Bayer Leverkusen come knocking for the former Aston Villa man - and a somewhat unholy union with ex-Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag Bayer Leverkusen could go after Jack Grealish as they eye a replacement for Florian Wirtz - who is closing in on a British-record move to Liverpool this summer. The German side are in negotiations with the Reds and have rejected several bids, but the Premier League champions have returned with a fresh offer that is closer to Leverkusen's £126million valuation. Leverkusen have already seen Jeremie Frimpong leave for Anfiel d and, if and when Wirtz leaves, it will result in new manager Erik ten Hag having a huge pot to re-invest in his squad. Grealish has been identified as the kind of creative influence who can fill the void left by Wirtz. The 29-year-old has fallen well down the pecking order at Manchester City and there is an acceptance from all parties that a move elsewhere is best. Grealish has been hugely influential in the past and Leverkusen may believe they can get him back to that level. Ten Hag himself is known to be an admirer, reports The Sun, and those close to the player believe he is keen on a move overseas as he looks to revive his career. Tottenham, Newcastle, and former club Aston Villa are all among those who are also reportedly interested in the player, who cost £100million back in 2021. Italian champions Napoli have been linked with the attacking midfielder. City are prepared to take a massive loss on their record signing but are still wanting around £40m before they consider letting him depart. A loan move has also been touted but with Grealish earning £300,000-a-week his salary could prove an issue for any potential suitor. Pep Guardiola has admitted that Grealish needs regular minutes despite using him so sporadically. He said: 'Of course, Jack has to play. He's an unbelievable player that has to play football every three days. It didn't happen this season and last season either. He needs to do it, with us or another place. Guardiola also added: 'It's nothing personal with Jack. I'm the person who fought for him to come here and the person who fought for him to stay here this season." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
