Thomas Frank

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Thomas Frank

Anyone got a copy of the interview he did in the telegraph a week or so ago?
 

Thomas Frank

N5022N122 said:
Anyone got a copy of the interview he did in the telegraph a week or so ago?
Click to expand...
griffinpark.org

Thomas Frank

As much as last week was a tactical masterclass. What the f*** were those substitutions about today??!! Jensen was my MoM at the time, and Rico was doing OK too..... All very odd. If I didn't know better, I'd say it was a conspiracy..... ? Jensen looked like he'd picked up a knock and had to...
griffinpark.org griffinpark.org
 

Thomas Frank

Ta but its a paywall i dont subscribe to telegraph thought someone might have gleaned it a la some athletic articles
 

Thomas Frank

How Brentford became football's unlikeliest success story - by Thomas Frank, the man who did it​

Red wine at midnight and training in a s---hole - Frank opens up on Brentford's remarkable rise to the top​

By Jason Burt, Chief Football Correspondent25 May 2022 • 2:27pm
How Brentford became football’s unlikeliest success story - by Thomas Frank, the man who did it

From the pandemic to the Premier League: the last two years have been a remarkable journey for Brentford. “Honestly it is incredible what we have achieved,” Thomas Frank, the head coach says.
Here, in Frank’s own words detailing the club’s seven defining games, is how the club with the smallest budget, the lowest wage bill and with no top-flight experience “attacked the league” - from a bus stop in Hounslow.

Brentford 5 Sheffield Wednesday 0 (March 7, 2020)​

Thomas Frank: We played in a capacity stadium. We didn’t know it would be our last game at Griffin Park but football was shut down. I had a Zoom call that night – me, Brian (Riemer, his assistant), Rasmus Ankersen and Phil Giles (the co-directors of football) – and it was, like, ‘what do we do? Should we allow players to travel back to Denmark, for example?’ I remember Mathias Jensen and Christian Norgaard had pregnant girlfriends and they wanted to go. I said we should keep them here and Phil said ‘let them go home, we don’t know what’s going to happen’. In the end we allowed them to travel and I clearly remember Phil – whose masters (degree) was in pandemics, by the way – said: ‘Take it easy. It will take months and probably a couple of years before this is over’. And he was bang on.
So we started in June and we had to play these nine games – Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, Wednesday – and we were 10 points behind Fulham and West Brom but we thought ‘let's go for it, let's see what happens’. We won the first 2-0 away to Fulham, then 1-0 at home to West Brom. Game on. We won seven in a row. We met here (at the training ground) before the second last game, away to Stoke, and travelled up late because of Covid. We saw the first-half of West Brom v Huddersfield and Huddersfield go 1-0 and our players are jumping. Just before we left, West Brom equalise. Fine. We are in two buses and Huddersfield score five minutes before the end. The players are going mad. We arrived at 10pm in the hotel and I said: ‘we can go past West Brom with a win so make sure we do things normally’. But I think the turnaround from the emotions and playing the next day at 12.30pm (kick-off)… we didn’t have time to process it. So suddenly from being the ‘chasing one’ a few players thought ‘wow, we can do it’. We lost 1-0 and then lost to Barnsley. The narrative will always be ‘you bottled it’ but we should have won. Instead we went to the play-offs.

Brentford 1 Fulham 2 (Championship play-off final, Aug 4, 2020)​

We played the final at Wembley, a ghost stadium with no fans. It was a 0-0 game and should have gone to penalties but David Raya, the best goalkeeper in the Championship, made a mistake. 1-0 and we lost 2-1. It just ended on such a down and I remember in the dressing room that feeling… so hard, so hard. We then had eight days’ holiday – but it was no holiday – and I drove back to Denmark. I had three days with my family and we went to a nice hotel but I was on the phone. There was work to be done and we went straight into the new season and sold the two best offensive players in the league in Ollie Watkins and Said Benrahama. We got Ivan Toney in from League One. We tried to replace Said but we didn’t manage it and we had to go again in the craziest of seasons. We were by far the team that had the fewest days off. We had to push one more time. It was unbelievably hard. But I knew he had a strong squad that could compete for promotion. I told the players: we go to try and win the league.
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Brentford were beaten by Fulham in an empty WembleyCredit: REUTERS
We didn’t get a top start. Maybe it was because of what happened (at the end of the previous season). But we then went 21 games unbeaten and in the 21st game we beat Reading to go top of the league and I thought ‘wow this looks good’ and then we lost to Barnsley, lost to QPR and Ivan got injured, (Henrik) Dalsgaard got injured, we knew Josh (Dasilva) was struggling and he was done for the season. We lost against Coventry and Rico (Henry) had a big hamstring injury, out for the season. But in that run of 21 games we went to the semi-finals of the (Carabao) Cup. I am not stupid I don’t play the same 11 every game but I put a strong team out because I believe in consistency. But when we played Tottenham we were the team in the whole of Europe who had played the most games in that season. In the whole of Europe. We have a unique staff but the training ground is a s---hole. We don’t have top facilities. We love it and have a fantastic atmosphere but we didn’t fly home on jets. Not in the Championship.

Norwich City 1 Brentford 0 (March 3, 2021)​

I was tired. Done. I was just exhausted. Not stressed, no chest pains or I couldn’t sleep but I was so tired. I remember that international break and we couldn’t travel, we were still hit by Covid and I didn’t watch any football. I just slept. I decided for the last part of the season that I needed to leave the training ground at 4pm at the latest, go home, walk the dog with my wife, watch a stupid Netflix series, maybe have a nap and then make dinner with my wife – or she made dinner and I had a glass of red! – and talked. I was like the phone that you put on charge overnight and in the morning I was not 100 per cent but maximum 80. I had to change my lifestyle to make sure I could keep the energy. I usually have a huge engine and am pushing, pushing but because of Covid, because it had almost been two years, I was just knackered. It was after Norwich that I recognised it.

Bournemouth 1 Brentford 0 (play-off semi-final first leg, May 17, 2021)​

Bournemouth got a corner in the 89th minute and they only put a few players up there and wanted to keep the ball and defend. And I just thought ‘okay, you know what? We are going to beat them in the next game because they are afraid’. They were playing at home and were not going for the second goal? It was not as if they were through if they won. I went into the dressing room and told the players: they are afraid of us. Then in the second leg it was the best game-plan ever. It was the master-piece. I did the tactical meeting in the dressing room and showed two short videos, a minute each. One was tactical, the other motivational. Then I spoke to the ref, which I normally never do, and said ‘they will time waste. If they take more than 15 seconds at goal-kicks I will be standing like this (holding his arm in the air and tapping his watch) live on Sky. I am telling you now because they did it in the last game. Besides that I will try to behave on the touchline’.
I don’t believe too much in final speeches but with this one I got everyone in a huddle and put myself in the middle and said ‘I need us to be cool’ and pointed at Pontus (Jansson) and Sergi Canos. I then said I needed aggression and pointed at Mathias Jensen and Ethan Pinnock. Then I said ‘I need presence’ and I pointed at Ivan (Toney), at Dalsgaard and (Emiliano) Marcondes. Christian Norgaard asked ‘Can I say something’. He made a very emotional speech saying ‘we are a family, play for each other, like you would play for your mother, your brother, your children’. I get goosebumps now. Staff had tears in their eyes.
Then I did another thing. I have only done it once and I don’t think I will do it again. I ran this lap around the pitch because I knew I needed to maximise every single detail. Because of Covid we had only 4,000 fans and we needed to make it loud.
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Thomas Frank was an animated figure in the first leg against Bournemouth Credit: GETTY IMAGES
We came flying out, first five minutes, it was crazy. We had a corner, they ran down and scored. 1-0 down. I turned around and smashed my foot into the bin and said ‘Thomas, cool, cool. Keep your emotions. Deep breath’. I turned around and smashed my foot one more time and said ‘no, cool’. We went on and won (3-1).
At that stage I knew, no disrespect to Swansea, that if we hit our top performance we would beat them in the final (Brentford won 2-0). For me that game is bigger than any other except for the final of the World Cup or the European Championship. Champions League Final? No. Do they want to win? Of course. But you cannot describe what it means to Brentford to win the play-off final. It’s life-defining.

Brentford 2 Arsenal 0 (August 13, 2021)​

That will forever be a stand-out moment in my career. I remember after the game I sat with Brian in his apartment close to Kew Bridge and we were with Rasmus. We had a glass of red wine around midnight and Rasmus said: ‘This is probably going to be one of the top five games in Brentford’s history’. The first game, at home, live across the world and beating a top side.
I was convinced before. We know we want do things differently. We know we have to find a new way to beat the established clubs and we came into the season with zero (Premier League) experience: players, staff members, me with one of the youngest teams ever to get promoted, with the second youngest team in the Premier League, with the lowest budget and lowest wage bill. But we believed with our knowledge that we could make a difference.
In the week up to the Arsenal game I kept saying to the players, and it was not a mind-game, it was literally my feeling, that I would be disappointed if we did not beat them. It was no disrespect to Arsenal but it was analysing everything. I just had a feeling. So I am glad we are sitting here now and are not just crawling over the line. If you look at all the stats, analytics, XGs (expected goals) we probably deserve to be even higher (than 13th). They are not the only truth but they are a good indicator.
Before the season started we got some time off. Because of the play-offs we were behind everyone else and you can’t plan. On Monday I went on holiday to Scotland. We drove to Edinburgh, Fort William and Loch Lomond. We had six days and in that week there were Zoom meetings about transfers and phone calls but I was relatively calm. Then I went to Denmark for three weeks which was fantastic. Because it (promotion) was such a big achievement and I was so happy I think my emotions were helping me cope with the tiredness.
We were convinced the squad was good enough to play in the Premier League. We targeted three players – a midfielder, who could press, a winger and a centre-back. Kristoffer Ajer and Frank Onyeka were done relatively early and Yoane Wissa was a later one. We didn’t want any other players.
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Brentford started their season off with a bang, beating Arsenal on the opening day Credit: AP
I knew in my head. The plan was clear. I knew we had to be fantastic defensively, on set-pieces and in fitness. We knew the style of play and what I wanted to do. We were more dominant in the Championship, the highest-scoring team for two years, and it was about breaking the opposition down but we had to change that.
We needed to be one of the best defensive sides in the league. With set-pieces we knew were equally as good as any other team. Maybe they might have a tiny bit better delivery but in terms of physicality and the plan we were top. And then fitness. I should be able to run as much you. Maybe there is a little physiology but it’s really about mind-set and training. We focused more on defence especially in pre-season. We had to nail it.

Manchester City 2 Brentford 0 (February 9, 2022)​

With the start we had I was thinking ‘can we be top 10?’ and then we got hit by injuries. Raya was out, a top six keeper in the league, for four months, Ajer out, Rico, Ivan. We had the bad spell. We lost nine out of 11 from Boxing Day to the end of February. I remember before the season people saying we could lose five in a row in the league and I thought ‘never’. Because of the culture and mindset. And we had the City game away. We lost and that was the fifth game. But we played really well and that kept me believing. Then the key players came back and I knew if I had my best XI then no problem. City was so close to being a defensive master-class but that spell was tough to take.
I hate losing, the players hate losing and that’s the biggest difference from the Championship to the Premier League for a team like us. We are just losing more games. For the top guys, (Jurgen) Klopp and (Pep) Guardiola, they only found out last Sunday (the Premier League’s final day) whether they are a success or not – more or less. They get a lot wins and that’s a nice feeling and it’s easier to go to work the next week. When you get the ‘hits’ you still need to stand up, come in with positive energy, smile, still producing messages (smacking the palm of his hand hard) and it’s tough. My three words this season were: cool, brave, aggressive. Every game.

Chelsea 1 Brentford 4 (April 2, 2022)​

There were three reasons why we went on a good run. Firstly we could never do it if we had not performed well in the bad spell. The basics were there. Secondly key players were fit. Even when City play without Kevin De Bruyne they are not the same. And then there was Christian (Eriksen). I am still convinced we would have stayed up without him. 100 per cent. But he has given us top quality, coolness, he has made his team-mates better. They have responded to him. He is smiling, enjoying playing football and being part of something and not just something but something remarkable.
In the last seven years, before us, there is only Aston Villa who stayed up – by a point, and they were lucky with the goal-line technology (failing) against Sheffield United and spent a lot of money – in the first season after the play-offs. And we are so comfortable where we are without – more or less – spending money and playing our type of football.
The Chelsea game is the obvious one. The Norwich game (3-1 win away from home) and the Burnley game (2-0) were very important but going to Stamford Bridge, playing against the European champions, the best cup team in the world, coming full strength and we beat them fair and square. Not many teams do that. I was crazy proud. It’s very, very rare as an underdog to perform at your max in all aspects of how you want to play. Following a game plan 100 per cent. That almost never happens.
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Thomas Frank masterminded a great Brentford win over Chelsea Credit: PA

What next?​

We started planning in February. We planned for the Premier League. We didn’t assume anything but it is better to plan this way. If we were relegated then, yes, we might have sold a player or two but we would still be in a strong position, going down.
We will look to get two to three players in. The plan is to keep everyone, including Christian Eriksen. That’s the big plan and I can’t see why that shouldn’t happen. I think he will make his decision in the next two weeks. There is no set date but he doesn’t want to drag it out.
Personally I don’t believe in the ‘second season syndrome’ narrative. I am extremely respectful of this league and it’s relentless and I am very aware that next season we can finish 20th or we can finish seventh. I don’t see that if we do things well enough, that if we are not hit by injuries, if we keep our squad, if we manage to add players who can bring quality then why can’t we at least perform at the same level and develop things? But I just know that the margins between 20th and seventh is this (he smiles and holds his fingers very close together).
 

Thomas Frank

teesbee said:
So Thomas thought CE would make his decision in the next two weeks? (checks calendar)
Click to expand...
Check quote for a start.

" I think he will make his decision in the next two weeks. There is no set date but he doesn’t want to drag it out."
 

Thomas Frank

What a fantastic interview. We are in seriously good hands with Thomas and his intelligence, attention to detail and complete understanding of who we are and what we need.

He’s the reincarnation of Butcher, Downes, Fitzgerald and Eddie May all rolled into one
 

Thomas Frank

He's just fits this project perfectly. Don't get me wrong, he's not quite the level of Klopp, Conte, Pep. Having said this, I genuinely wouldn't swap him right now for any other manager in the world.

Strangely, this club has showed me that it's not all about results. Now that's an amazing thing to say.
 

Thomas Frank

Thomas’s interview for me underlines all the good qualities of a the man. He shines like a beacon. Enthuses all around him. Has a very likeable human and humble quality, which sometimes belies his steely determination and strong belief.

We may all on occasion disagree with a team selection or substitution, that’s football ( and part of the joy of it ) but there can’t be many out there that don’t feel we are blessed to have such a great manager and figurehead representing the team we all love.
 

Thomas Frank

………..the floppy haired Norwegian shows no signs of slowing up…………
 

Thomas Frank

brentfordfc4ever said:
He's just fits this project perfectly. Don't get me wrong, he's not quite the level of Klopp, Conte, Pep. Having said this, I genuinely wouldn't swap him right now for any other manager in the world.

Strangely, this club has showed me that it's not all about results. Now that's an amazing thing to say.
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What makes you believe he is not the level of Klopp? Because he is manager for Brentford? I believe Klopp began his carrer in a smaller club - stating his brain and tactical knowledge were all the same as now. Sad to believe, that if you are not in a top 3 team, you are never as good. Totally wrong.
 

Thomas Frank

Brenno said:
What makes you believe he is not the level of Klopp? Because he is manager for Brentford? I believe Klopp began his carrer in a smaller club - stating his brain and tactical knowledge were all the same as now. Sad to believe, that if you are not in a top 3 team, you are never as good. Totally wrong.
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FWIW a friend of mine who’s lived in Germany for 20-odd years thinks Thomas Frank is very similar to Klopp in that he knows his own strengths very well - or is willing to listen to people who may point out his perceived weaknesses and has a plan B (which Klopp doesn’t necessarily, although both use their subs well)
 

Thomas Frank

Brenno said:
What makes you believe he is not the level of Klopp? Because he is manager for Brentford? I believe Klopp began his carrer in a smaller club - stating his brain and tactical knowledge were all the same as now. Sad to believe, that if you are not in a top 3 team, you are never as good. Totally wrong.
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Good post Thomas....
 

Thomas Frank

Im really glad we finally got to find out what Norgaard said in that huddle, much has been made about his great speech.
 

Thomas Frank

brentfordfc4ever said:
Strangely, this club has showed me that it's not all about results. Now that's an amazing thing to say.
Click to expand...
I don't know your years of service/support lol. But pre MB results meant nothing lol never came to see us win that was a bonus ?
But yes we have one of the best ownerships in the country who can see past judging purely on results. Still minority of our fanbase who refuse to look at the grander picture.
 

Thomas Frank

brentfordfc4ever said:
He's just fits this project perfectly. Don't get me wrong, he's not quite the level of Klopp, Conte, Pep. Having said this, I genuinely wouldn't swap him right now for any other manager in the world.

Strangely, this club has showed me that it's not all about results. Now that's an amazing thing to say.
Click to expand...
Not the level of Klopp? Klopp is a one trick pony. Contrast the way TF set us up against Liverpool and against Chelsea. Working with the smallest squad in the league he changed everything up and produced miracles. Best manager in the Premier League by a mile.
 

Thomas Frank

I dont think you can compare TF with Klopp or Pep. It's like saying who would win a fight between Tyson Fury and Manny Pacquaio.

What I do think is that TF has a hell of a football brain. He is highly intelligent, and knows when to take a gamble. A perfect fit for us. Love the man.
 

Thomas Frank

How can you possibly compare Thomas with Klopp/Guadiola considering the difference in the spending powers of the three? Would TF be able to cope with the multi-millions - would the other two manage without a penny to scratch their arses? Until there's equality it's impossible to compare them.
 

Thomas Frank

larrysigny said:
How can you possibly compare Thomas with Klopp/Guadiola considering the difference in the spending powers of the three? Would TF be able to cope with the multi-millions - would the other two manage without a penny to scratch their arses? Until there's equality it's impossible to compare them.
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I would suspect that you are correct with Klopp & Guadiola comparison, I would also add Mourinio to the mix, if all 3 off them had to drop to a team in League 1 or 2 would they be a successful as they have been without the owners millions, I very much doubt it. As a friend of mine used to say whilst managing Spartan South Midlands teams "You can't make good players out of bad players" a very true comment in my opinion. Whereas I think TF could manage teams at a lower level and still be successful
 

Thomas Frank

Beeian said:
I would suspect that you are correct with Klopp & Guadiola comparison, I would also add Mourinio to the mix, if all 3 off them had to drop to a team in League 1 or 2 would they be a successful as they have been without the owners millions, I very much doubt it. As a friend of mine used to say whilst managing Spartan South Midlands teams "You can't make good players out of bad players" a very true comment in my opinion. Whereas I think TF could manage teams at a lower level and still be successful
Click to expand...
It’s not just about the money. Klopp iirc did take Mainz up from the second tier. At City and Liverpool, Pep and Klopp have done rather more than just spend. Plenty of managers have spent similar amounts to achieve much less. Both have created a particular playing style and got (admittedly) top players to execute it consistently over several seasons. Frank has had a lot less to play with but we’re not talking about pennies and scrabbling together a team of loanees and journeymen - on that measure Cooper is probably the best there is. There are many ways to success and in recognising how good TF is it isn’t necessary to play down what Pep and Klopp have done. Having the deepest pockets helps but in the case of City, Liverpool and us it is more about the quality bought at the prices the club could afford and so I don’t worry at all about what TF could do if we became able to buy £50m+ players. Slotting CE right in shows that. I don’t think we’re ever likely to see Pep or Klopp managing Luton but I’m sure they’d make a good fist of it, certainly a better one than if Nathan Jones were handed the keys to the Etihad.
 
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