davewfilms
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Great press conference again lucky to have him as our head coach
Thomas Frank
- Thread starter Les Beeavinu
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beebopalula
Well-known member
Thomas is a great coach. But he's part of a structure. Before Riemer arrived our defending was poor and we were never going to have the durability to get promotion. The DoFs get the players in. The B team feeds the baseline. IMO when Jordan singles Thomas out he misses how our model actually works just like those who label us as moneyball. The whole structure is glued together.
TadB
Active member
They probably said that in 1935
Indian Bee
Well-known member
Can we now stop any debate and say TF is our best manager ever. Took a huge gamble taking of Norgaard in such a positive move bringing on Wissa. A gamble that paid off.
Mr Cynical
Well-known member
THIS.... I couldn't have been alone in thinking he was insane taking Norgaard off but it worked perfectly.. All that crap from Wolves fans about us being negative. We left two strikers on with 10 men away from home and then we go 3-4-3 against Liverpool when they're in the ascendency.. Fantastic stuff..
Indian Bee
Well-known member
What I love about TF is that he sets up a team that he believes can WIN the game. Whilst we are all delighted to have got a point against Liverpool deep down I suspect TF is a little disappointed we didn't win. I love that mentality.
Mark H
Active member
Spot on. His Sky interview started out as if he was disappointed with the draw.
I was just about to post this myself. What a great brave decision that worked within a few minutes
Frothybaby
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Best in most living memory.
Lionel Bart-At
formerly known as 'heavywoollenbee'
In my dream last night, I was meant to be playing for a Sunday league side. We had a game at some old rec in Fulham. I really couldn't be bothered, and it was only last minute that I persuaded myself to turn up, knowing full well that it would be nearly half time when I got there.
In the event, it turned out that everyone was late. Didn't have a satnav between us, so we all turned up at different times and at different parts of Fulham.
"This is sh*t", I said and a bloke piped up, "how do you think I feel. I'm the manager". I recognised the voice, and when I looked up, I saw it was Thomas Frank. He was wearing a Brentford shirt.
Bit by bit, we all converged and trudged around Fulham until we found the correct rec. (I think there were three). When we got there the opposition were waiting, but were very patient and understanding, even when the coach said to me and my mate, "Ian, Dave - you're going on a football journey. The sandwiches are nearly ready, but I want you to go off and find some roquette to finish them off".
We found ourselves behind at half time, but Thomas was very calm and very encouraging too. He said to one bloke that he thought he should kick it a bit harder. He asked another if he thought he could kick it a bit further. The lads were hanging on his every word and were visibly buoyed by Thomas' thoughts. But I could tell he was spoofing.
My alarm went off right at the start of the second half, unfortunately.
In the event, it turned out that everyone was late. Didn't have a satnav between us, so we all turned up at different times and at different parts of Fulham.
"This is sh*t", I said and a bloke piped up, "how do you think I feel. I'm the manager". I recognised the voice, and when I looked up, I saw it was Thomas Frank. He was wearing a Brentford shirt.
Bit by bit, we all converged and trudged around Fulham until we found the correct rec. (I think there were three). When we got there the opposition were waiting, but were very patient and understanding, even when the coach said to me and my mate, "Ian, Dave - you're going on a football journey. The sandwiches are nearly ready, but I want you to go off and find some roquette to finish them off".
We found ourselves behind at half time, but Thomas was very calm and very encouraging too. He said to one bloke that he thought he should kick it a bit harder. He asked another if he thought he could kick it a bit further. The lads were hanging on his every word and were visibly buoyed by Thomas' thoughts. But I could tell he was spoofing.
My alarm went off right at the start of the second half, unfortunately.
Better than Harry Curtis?
8corner
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Proof positive!! Thomas is THE greatest manager. Top top dream Lionel.
Did anyone who posts on here ever see Harry Curtis's team play ?
horshambees
Well-known member
You was about to be subbed btw.
Thomas saw the ankle injury before you.
If you hadn't played that bloke onside we would have been all square too.
You have dreamed you have played better also.
Not one of your best games, but I am sure you know your capabilities.
Brentford77
Member
When he made that sub I turned to my wife and said ‘this guarantees there’s going to be another goal. Most likely Liverpool but could also be us’. What a ballsy substitution to make. Never a dull moment these days
Indian Bee
Well-known member
Best manager that 99% of our fan base would have seen managed our club and certainly best manager Post war era.
larrysigny
Active member
Yes.Did anyone who posts on here ever see Harry Curtis's team play ?
Downbeat Bee
Well-known member
Butcher would have got us promoted in the top two if only he'd have been given the time.
AB
Well-known member
But from which division?
Invipai
Active member
I think most of our Managers over the past decade have all had really good qualities they're good at, but Thomas just seems very well balanced on all of them. Defensively solid, attackingly prolific, tactically strong, a great man manager who the players want to play for and great with the media and the wider fanbase. I could go on as well. We haven't had a well balanced Manager on all the skills that you need for a long long time.
He's certainly learned a lot over the past several years, I'm not sure he was up to scratch those first few months in 2018 being honest, but he learned hard and fast. He probably had to drop some of his nice guy persona to put his stamp of authority onto things when standards were slipping and we were giving away goals. I think he's someone who did need a bit of time on the job to realise his potential.
The fact that other Premier League teams fans are getting jealous of what we have, tells you how good we have it.
He's certainly learned a lot over the past several years, I'm not sure he was up to scratch those first few months in 2018 being honest, but he learned hard and fast. He probably had to drop some of his nice guy persona to put his stamp of authority onto things when standards were slipping and we were giving away goals. I think he's someone who did need a bit of time on the job to realise his potential.
The fact that other Premier League teams fans are getting jealous of what we have, tells you how good we have it.
hatfieldbee
Once a Bee always a Bee, but not a fake one
...and...?
larrysigny
Active member
Just answering a question.
rebus
On my final warning
I didn’t see Billy Shankly or Matt Busby but I know both were brilliant football managers.Did anyone who posts on here ever see Harry Curtis's team play ?
hatfieldbee
Once a Bee always a Bee, but not a fake one
Comparisons between Curtis and Frank...?
larrysigny
Active member
Read the original question.
OP
Les Beeavinu
Administrator
- Thread Starter
- #6,476
I'm not arguing he's not but he's the most heavily backed manager ever by a considerable distance so comparisons are surely impossible.
Idaho Bee
Well-known member
TF did explain that that approach comes from the top (i.e. MB). The philosophy being that losing 2 - 3 is no worse than losing 2 - 5, points wise, so go for it. If it pays off just 1 time, you're ahead.
vcmazz
Well-known member
Butcher did a pre-match interview in his early days at GP, prior to a game against Barnet. He said that we would be giving everything to win it, because he knew how much this derby meant to the fans. It was at that point, I realised that he probably didn't really get Brentford.
Thomas Frank would never had said that. Which is just as well, because it has allowed me to stay on topic.
beebopalula
Well-known member
Curtis took us up through two promotions and then established us as a leading division 1 team. So good question. However in the here and now Thomas is brilliant.
Idaho Bee
Well-known member
Thomas Frank, from Hull away to Liverpool at home. What a journey. From being the object of the fans hatred to now being seen as one of our greatest ever managers. Couldn't happen to a nicer guy. Thank you Thomas, and thank you MB for providing the environment that enabled him to succeed. So many owners would have fired him and moved on. More than anyone you stick to the plan and "trust the process". We are all now so thankful for that.
Idaho Bee
Well-known member
That's what he said...............
HaylingBee74
Active member
I agree, from an 11 man game to todays 14 (from 20) juggling act
StevieSteve
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Only been around since 1440 (thanks Bing)
vcmazz
Well-known member
Bit wild isn't it?
Mr Cynical
Well-known member
It’s now getting to the point where it may not be Toney and co we’re worried about losing in the New Year….
West Wilts Bee
Active member
Just have to say that Thomas was never hated by the majority of bees fans. Yes certainly by the usual moaning brigade, but we were never being thrashed ,mainly losing by the odd goal. Most of us seasoned fans could see the bigger picture. I have said many times before, Dean Smith would always confide in Thomas when we had conceded, as a fan that sat behind the dugouts you could see just how much he was relied on.
TheHairdresser
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Nice article in The Telegraph today on TF regarding our start and tactical approach to games so far this season.
The Brentford blueprint: Thomas Frank has redefined the possibilities for newly-promoted clubs
Tougher times will come but, unlike others, Brentford have shown an impressive ability to cope with the varying demands of the top-flightBySam Dean2 October 2021 • 8:30am
In his formative years as a coach, Thomas Frank would spend hours studying the passing patterns of the great Barcelona and Ajax sides. Along with a group of talented young Danish coaches, he was also inspired by the work of Morten Olsen, who had instilled a progressive, technical and dominant style of play in the country’s national team.
All these years later, Frank still has the same view of the game. “I strongly believe in a clear style,” he said in his press conference on Friday. But there is a significant difference between believing in something, and believing in it at all costs. Frank knows how he wants his Brentford team to play, but he is not so idealistic that he will demand the same approach in every match.
Against Liverpool last weekend, Brentford happily moved away from the passing game they are striving for. At every opportunity the ball was instead launched towards the head of Ivan Toney, their powerful centre-forward, and Liverpool were visibly rattled by the aerial bombardment as they conceded three goals in a match for the first time since April.
“We went much longer in situations because I just knew we were facing one of the best pressing teams in the world,” said Frank. “So why give them that advantage?”
At a time when the system is king — it seems every club is pushing for a definitive “way” of playing these days — there is a lesson to be learned from Brentford’s flexibility. Know your strengths, yes, and stick to your principles. But also be humble and adaptable enough to accept there will be moments when you need to change in order to succeed.
It is hard not to think of the likes of Norwich City, as just one example, when one considers the number of teams who have stuck too rigidly to their preferred system upon their promotion. Norwich finished at the top of the Championship last year, ten points clear of Brentford, and yet this season they have a grand total of zero points from six matches.
Brentford, by contrast, are currently ninth in the Premier League. It has been a scintillating start to life in the top flight, and one which has surely exceeded all expectations. For all that is rightly made of their excellence behind the scenes,in recruitment especially, it is their shrewdness on the pitch that has been the most striking element of their campaign so far.
“We are in a league of this high standard and we are who we are, with the lowest budget,” said Frank. “We need to be clever sometimes.”
Rather than desperately trying to replicate their Championship style in the Premier League, Brentford have been willing to adjust. Only three teams have played more long passes in the Premier League this season, and only Burnley have a lower average possession.
Brentford are playing an average of 343 passes per game, a significant drop from the 444 passes per game they played in the Championship last season. To be clear, this is not all by design — “the intention is still to be similar to how we were in the Championship,” said Frank — but it is a reflection of Brentford’s many qualities that they can turn to a Plan B when Plan A is not possible.
“For every game we like to twist it,” said Frank. “That is based on who we are facing, how we are going to attack them and what kind of positions we are trying to find. It is natural that we are not having the ball as much, because we are facing much better teams and players.”
As a club, Brentford have been consistently brave in their decision-making: closing their academy, repeatedly selling their star players, searching the lower leagues for new signings. It is the same within matches, as evidenced by the fact that their second goal against Liverpool involved one centre-back, Kristoffer Ajer, crossing to another, Pontus Jansson, at the back post. In David Raya, meanwhile, they have a goalkeeper who is so adventurous and accurate with his passing that Jürgen Klopp said he could wear the number 10 shirt.
And then you come to the attack, where Toney and Bryan Mbeumo cause havoc as a strike pairing. Frank has likened them to former Manchester United strikers Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole, and West Ham United’s priority will be finding a way to cope with the dual threat on Sunday.
The pair caused no end of problems for Liverpool, just as they had done in the victory at Wolves the previous week. On that occasion it was Toney providing an assist for Mbeumo, but they are just as likely to combine the other way around. Toney is being closely watched by England and Frank backs him to make the squad if he maintains this form.
Toney certainly has the requisite self-belief. When Frank was asked which of his players would be best suited to playing the new James Bond, there was no hesitation. “If you want one with a little bit of swagger and confidence, it needs to be Ivan,” he said.
The striker’s natural confidence has been boosted further by his return of two goals and two assists this season. Not even Virgil van Dijk seemed entirely sure of how to handle Toney’s movement and strength in the air. “As soon as the ball is in and around the box, Ivan is deadly,” said Frank.
The Brentford coach made no secret of the fact that he and his team are enjoying the praise so far this season (“all people like to be acknowledged”) but he knows there is a long way to go. These six games have provided just a small taste of Premier League football, and there will be tough days ahead.
The standout feature of this Brentford team so far, though, is their ability to cope with the varying demands of top-flight football. They have adapted and reacted, and there is little to suggest they will not continue to do so.
TW3Bee
We're The Royal Oak Lionel Road
Swansea fans took a dislike to him, after the first leg of the play offs in 2020, when he said Rico would 100% and that the red card would be overturned.
He also said we would 100% win the tie over the two legs.
Don't think we would get upset if an opposition manager/Head Coach had said that.
In any case he was right on both counts.
TW3Bee
We're The Royal Oak Lionel Road
He nearly always starts his answers with an aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh, like he's thinking carefully his response in his head.
Great double page item in Sunday Mail ( maybe only in southern editions)...worth getting it. proud of our mgr players and staff.
Could someone start a new thread ..... What The Papers Say.... won't be much quoting from London Evening non Standard.
Could someone start a new thread ..... What The Papers Say.... won't be much quoting from London Evening non Standard.
I am from Denmark.
i just red this thread from the beginning.
many people really wanted to get rid of him by Christmas 2018. I think one more bad result would have cost him the job.
very few could see him getting the club to where it is now.
funny how easily things can turn out so different. Loose to Bolton 22 december, 2018 and Brentford probably had not been nowhere near where it is now,
i just red this thread from the beginning.
many people really wanted to get rid of him by Christmas 2018. I think one more bad result would have cost him the job.
very few could see him getting the club to where it is now.
funny how easily things can turn out so different. Loose to Bolton 22 december, 2018 and Brentford probably had not been nowhere near where it is now,
StevieSteve
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I am from Denmark.
i just red this thread from the beginning.
many people really wanted to get rid of him by Christmas 2018. I think one more bad result would have cost him the job.
very few could see him getting the club to where it is now.
funny how easily things can turn out so different. Loose to Bolton 22 december, 2018 and Brentford probably had not been nowhere near where it is now,
Actually, I think one of the DoFs have said they weren't even close to giving him the bullet
West Wilts Bee
Active member
Your wrong there mate, Thomas was nowhere near getting the sack. Our owner is a very patient man, and he can see the bigger picture, any other owner and your right, Thomas would have been history. But what we have hear at Brentford is a very special club, from owner to us the fans we are all in this together.I am from Denmark.
i just red this thread from the beginning.
many people really wanted to get rid of him by Christmas 2018. I think one more bad result would have cost him the job.
very few could see him getting the club to where it is now.
funny how easily things can turn out so different. Loose to Bolton 22 december, 2018 and Brentford probably had not been nowhere near where it is now,
looneytunes
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And there was me thinking he could smell bisto
