Neil MacFarlane

[wanderer paul]

https://www.brentfordfc.com/news/2019/may/neil-macfarlane-b-team-head-coach/

Brentford FC have appointed former professional footballer Neil MacFarlane as the new Head Coach of the B Team.

MacFarlane, 41, made his name as a defensive midfielder in his native Scotland before taking up coaching roles with the likes of Falkirk, Coventry City and Fleetwood Town.

His first management role came at Aggborough the home of Kidderminster Harriers in 2018. Prior to that he was in Cyprus coaching top-flight side Pafos alongside former Hearts colleague Steven Pressley.

Macfarlane and Pressley played together during a 4 year spell at Hearts, from 2002, while the former was on his way to making over 300 professional appearances north of the border.

Speaking to us shortly after his appointment, Neil said: “I feel privileged to be given the opportunity to lead the Brentford B team going forward.

 

[TW3Bee]

Welcome to Brentford

 

[ladbroke]

Welcome to the club.

Does anyone feel a bit deflated considering who were supposedly linked with and their credentials compared to this guys?

 

[JCMcBee]

.....Scottish football not 'totally' discredited then!? lol

 

[jbee]

Welcome to the club.

Does anyone feel a bit deflated considering who were supposedly linked with and their credentials compared to this guys?

Like who?

 

[wanderer paul]

Welcome to the club.

Does anyone feel a bit deflated considering who were supposedly linked with and their credentials compared to this guys?

One person. How does anyone know who is good enough? Let the man do his job.....

 

[IDontBeeLieveIt]

Welcome to the club.

Does anyone feel a bit deflated considering who were supposedly linked with and their credentials compared to this guys?

On this basis you'd have said Rob Rowan was sh*t too though........so who knows (our DoFs presumably have a pretty good idea).

 

[wanderer paul]

.....Scottish football not 'totally' discredited then!? lol

Robert Rowan. One Scot who made his mark.

 

[Invipai]

Welcome to the club.

Does anyone feel a bit deflated considering who were supposedly linked with and their credentials compared to this guys?

Hard to say without knowing names, but the club seem happy with him. Possibly not the most exotic recruitment but that doesn't necessarily have any bearing on his ability to do the job. Welcome aboard!

 

[North London Bee]

Looks like a more pragmatic appointment who will certainly make it clear to the squad that a winning attitude is as crucial as talent if they are to make the grade.

t

 

[JCMcBee]

Robert Rowan. One Scot who made his mark.

...Aye.....a good man...RIP.

 

[jbee]

Every club should have at least one clever Scot around. They know English culture but let's face it they're smarter than us.

 

[rhbee]

Phil Giles, Lee Dykes and now Neil MacFarlane... Becoming a very northern club... An innovative way to help win games oop north?

 

[TheHairdresser]

Phil Giles, Lee Dykes and now Neil MacFarlane... Becoming a very northern club... An innovative way to help win games oop north?

A very Northern-European club......

 

[JCMcBee]

....ye cannae whack a good 'ol bit of northern pragmatism....that includes the Danes.

 

[horshambees]

.....Scottish football not 'totally' discredited then!? lol

Some excellent coaches/managers working up in Scotland doing a job on next to nothing.
I would love to see some of our "superior coaches/managers" plying their trade up there.
Would be interesting.
Welcome to the club Mr Macfarlane.

 

[rhbee]

By the looks of it had an aspiring film career at one point: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm4928167/

(Disclaimer: may not actually be him, just popped up on Google alongside his overview on Wikipedia)

 

[No_sting_Bee]

Is it pafos or paphos?

 

[IDontBeeLieveIt]

Is it pafos or paphos?

Pafos based in Paphos.

 

[GP200]

Welcome to the club.

Does anyone feel a bit deflated considering who were supposedly linked with and their credentials compared to this guys?

..............harsh.........

 

[mhead bee]

Welcome to the club.

Does anyone feel a bit deflated considering who were supposedly linked with and their credentials compared to this guys?

No.

 

[Lionel Bart-At]

....ye cannae whack a good 'ol bit of northern pragmatism....that includes the Danes.

Tha's reight theer lad!

 

[Mr Tree]

Welcome to the club.

Does anyone feel a bit deflated considering who were supposedly linked with and their credentials compared to this guys?

what a ridiculous attitude. quite the opposite here, excited to see what the bloke can do - good luck to him

 

[abeeforever]

Welcome to the club.

Does anyone feel a bit deflated considering who were supposedly linked with and their credentials compared to this guys?

NO, this quote will do for me:

"Co-Director of Football, Rasmus Ankersen added: “We have interviewed many strong candidates for the role, and in the end we felt Neil was the stand-out one.

“He is a very driven character and someone we believe can accelerate the development of our young players."


Welcome to Brentford Neil.

 

[Newport Pagnell Bee]

Welcome to the club.

Does anyone feel a bit deflated considering who were supposedly linked with and their credentials compared to this guys?

No. I wasn't on the interview panel so I haven't a clue how well he performed. I'm assuming he outshone all the other candidates. If he didn't, then it would be a strange appointment.

 

[brooks]

Welcome to the club.

Does anyone feel a bit deflated considering who were supposedly linked with and their credentials compared to this guys?

Alex Ferguson did little as a player.

 

[WisBee]

NO, this quote will do for me:

"Co-Director of Football, Rasmus Ankersen added: “We have interviewed many strong candidates for the role, and in the end we felt Neil was the stand-out one.

“He is a very driven character and someone we believe can accelerate the development of our young players."


Welcome to Brentford Neil.

.....comes with his own chauffeur - impressive.....

Welcome to the pride of west London

 

[Ealing Bee]

Welcome to the club.

Does anyone feel a bit deflated considering who were supposedly linked with and their credentials compared to this guys?

I'm cautiously encouraged, since this could be yet another of those "left field" appointments by BFC of someone who has ability and potential, but is not a "name" and therefore gets overlooked by the big boys.

Same as our player recruitment, tbh.

 

[Ealing Bee]

Some excellent coaches/managers working up in Scotland doing a job on next to nothing.
I would love to see some of our "superior coaches/managers" plying their trade up there.

I would never dismiss someone just because he's Scottish etc, but as it happens, a lot of the managers in the SPL are actually N.Irish - Robinson, Kearney, Wright, Lennon (Rodgers before him).

Meanwhile, I don't think there's a single one of the 42 senior managers from outside Scotland, bar those few, plus a couple of English (Gerrard, Heckinbottom):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Scottish_Professional_Football_League_managers

Don't know whether that means anything. Perhaps they have difficulty getting work permits for foreign managers?

But even then, you'd expect to see EU people in the some of the jobs, as in England.

 

[sonofabee]

I'm cautiously encouraged, since this could be yet another of those "left field" appointments by BFC of someone who has ability and potential, but is not a "name" and therefore gets overlooked by the big boys.

Same as our player recruitment, tbh.

What’s left field about a bloke with the required qualifications and references being selected as he impressed more than familiar names for a key but low profile post.?
We are not a PR or media friendly company, we just want to focus on finding and developing the best players we can to allow us to punch above our weight and prove that a well run club can achieve great things without relying on ££££ and hype.

Stop over thinking everything

 

[WisBee]

......can't have too many NMs at the club IMHO........

 

[readingbee]

Another left field signing. Hope you do well sir !!

 

[TadB]

Welcome to the club.

Does anyone feel a bit deflated considering who were supposedly linked with and their credentials compared to this guys?

When Lars Friis joined the club in 2018 he was appointed to "Individual Development Coach", and was only moved from that position when Dean Smith left. In the reshuffle he ended up as the 'B' Team Coach it is that vacancy that Neil MacFarland has now filled. The position of "Individual Development Coach to my knowledge remains vacant, and is no doubt on the list to be filled sometime soon. Perhaps one of the 'Names' with whom we have been linked my well filling that role.

 

[horshambees]

I would never dismiss someone just because he's Scottish etc, but as it happens, a lot of the managers in the SPL are actually N.Irish - Robinson, Kearney, Wright, Lennon (Rodgers before him).

Meanwhile, I don't think there's a single one of the 42 senior managers from outside Scotland, bar those few, plus a couple of English (Gerrard, Heckinbottom):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Scottish_Professional_Football_League_managers

Don't know whether that means anything. Perhaps they have difficulty getting work permits for foreign managers?

But even then, you'd expect to see EU people in the some of the jobs, as in England.

32 managers in Scotland are Scottish 8 from Ireland/Ulster and 2 from Scotland with a vacancy at Kilmarnock.
Scottish clubs in the whole will employ Scottish coaches as the tried and trusted.
Like I have said "a lot of good coaches working on next to nothing".
It's an excellent area to tap into.

 

[Ealing Bee]

32 managers in Scotland are Scottish 8 from Ireland/Ulster and 2 from [England] with a vacancy at Kilmarnock.
Scottish clubs in the whole will employ Scottish coaches as the tried and trusted.

Interesting development announced by one of the English managers in Scotland, Heckingbottom at Hibs:
https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/hibernian/hibs-snub-reserve-league-to-focus-on-strategic-loans-and-specialised-games-programme-1-4937174

Wonder where they got that sort of idea from?

 

[clactonbee]

If its Ok with MB its Ok with me.

 

[TheHairdresser]

Interesting development announced by one of the English managers in Scotland, Heckingbottom at Hibs:
https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/hibernian/hibs-snub-reserve-league-to-focus-on-strategic-loans-and-specialised-games-programme-1-4937174

Wonder where they got that sort of idea from?

Maybe losing O'Connor this summer made them sit up and re-evaluate their current set-up? I felt the pathway that we offer certainly played a very big part in him choosing us.

 

[exeter fan]

Macfarlane has a pretty disastrous season as Kidderminster Harriers Manager in National League North, with the club finishing (long after he was sacked) in its lowest league position for a generation. But that was his first managerial appointment and a very different role to B team manager in the Championship.

Another positive note is that his predecessor ( a hard act to follow) left to become QPR assistant *first team* manager. Does the fact that successive managers from the same team end up involved in QPR’s first team and Brentford’s B team tell you something about the clubs respective rankings?

 

[Isleworth_Bee]

Macfarlane has a pretty disastrous season as Kidderminster Harriers Manager in National League North, with the club finishing (long after he was sacked) in its lowest league position for a generation. But that was his first managerial appointment and a very different role to B team manager in the Championship.

Another positive note is that his predecessor ( a hard act to follow) left to become QPR assistant *first team* manager. Does the fact that successive managers from the same team end up involved in QPR’s first team and Brentford’s B team tell you something about the clubs respective rankings?

Of course. QPR are ****

 

[TW3Bee]

I've just been watching Sunderland till I die, and there was a Neil McFarlane that was in charge of their Academy.
Is this the same person?

 

[shouldbee]

If its Ok with MB its Ok with me.

Mr Benham will be relieved to hear that

 

[JANORAK]

Maybe losing O'Connor this summer made them sit up and re-evaluate their current set-up? I felt the pathway that we offer certainly played a very big part in him choosing us.

It may have been the final straw, but they must’ve been reviewing their Youth anyway. The Scotsman article does go on to say Hibs have joined the big 2 and St Johnstone in not playing the Reserve League next season. Hibs Academy however, is valued and continues.

 

[Beat Poet]

He quietly barked his way to a win as "head coach cover"! He had Saunders and Steele with him?

 

[TW3Bee]

He quietly barked his way to a win as "head coach cover"! He had Saunders and Steele with him?

Takes some doing to be heard above 'Colin'

 

[BFC1997]

Yep, was noticeably loud on the touchline. Was the right man to take charge today, given the number of B team players involved.

 

[Les Beeavinu]

He is very, very loud.

 

[Ruislip_Rich]

Yeah very loud but when your kids are out there you want them to do well.
Well done Neill.

 

[hatfieldbee]

Liked his post match interview, especially comments about his B team lads.

Interestingly, 2 newspaper reports, in the Telegraph, and Football League Paper, both describe him, erroneously, as Assistant Manager. Both wrong! DT, I expect that sort of 'mistake', as we're not PL. However, the FLP should know better, as they cover us every week! Perhaps I'm putting 2 and 2 together and making 5, but the name of the reporter of the FLP report is the same as a GPGr! Whoops!

I wholeheartedly and unreservedly apologise in advance if it's not one and the same person.

 

[Mark H]

He is very, very loud.

Yes complete contrast to TF, but he was like a proud father.

 

[Leonardo]

Yes complete contrast to TF, but he was like a proud father.

When watching the B team games on youtube he is always vocal but its always so positive.