Welcome to Keith Andrews 2.0 . Brentford are all set to begin a sixth, successive Premier League campaign with the head coach no longer a rookie having to contend with the upheaval that greeted his arrival.
Instead, he’s firmly established in the role after forcing the ‘experts’ to eat copious amounts of humble pie. His team, even more so. If anything, the summer’s transfer activity (Jordan Henderson to Chelsea the only established ‘first-teamer’ to leave) gives more options this time around. The bench, something which has never looked stronger.
The big question now being how the Bees improve on last campaign? A campaign during which, for such long periods, Europe seemed very much on the cards despite a testing opening phase in which everybody took a few games to find their feet.
Then, boom. Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United tonked at The Gtech. All of them. Played off the park as the results and the headlines started pouring in. Most of them for Keith’s goal-scoring ace, Igor Thiago.
The flip side to all of it being a faltering run-in where the last ten games yielded a single win (that ultimately relegated West Ham). The sequence also including home draws with Wolves, Everton, Fulham and Crystal Palace where Brentford seemed to do everything possible to snatch draws from the jaws of victory.
In the end, it all came down to Liverpool away. A win would have seen European football earned, but alas it was not to be.
In the normal course of events, a 1-1 draw and first-ever Anfield point at this level would have been a cracking result. Ultimately, supporters were left dreaming of what could have been. Moreso given Dango’s last-gasp header that had us all reaching for our passports, then putting them away again as the ball flashed just wide. Rather than dreamland for Brentford, it was a case of seeing Brighton edge into that final European slot on the thinnest of goal difference margins.
Overall, and way easier to say in hindsight, it can only be a season viewed in positive terms. The final phase was beyond frustrating but, in truth, how many of us expected Europe in the first instance? More importantly, I think we all know how heavy a toll that may have had on the team if so – even if that overseas jaunt would have been beyond good fun.
We can still look back on seeing Igor Thiago explode into life. For a moment we thought he may even take the golden boot from Erling Haaland but instead had to be content with a place in Brazil’s World Cup squad. Michael Kayode picked up where he left off. Proving to anybody who cared to actually watch the games unfold that there was way more to him than just a long throw.
Caoimhín Kelleher nothing but immense between the sticks and causing Liverpool fans all manner of heartache as to how he had been let go. The top three in our player of the season review were very much the ones to impress.
To this incredible talent, we now have club record signing Mamadou Sangaré, suggesting he’ll be another one to earn the Brentford scouting team more kudos. He has looked beyond impressive over pre-season, and whilst he comes with a heavy price tag, it is anything but an albatross around his neck based on what we’ve seen so far.
In fact, pre-season can’t have gone any better. Only Sepp van den Berg on the missing list, whilst many of the long-term absentees are now back in the squad. There are new signings as well, with Matthew Benham not afraid to wave the chequebook. £15m paid for Jaidon Anthony and the aforementioned Sangaré costing what has been described as ‘more than the £42.5m paid to Bournemouth for Dango Ouattara’.
Eleven goals scored against European opposition. Four in Rennes and then 7(seven) in the battering of Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday. A game which saw the Bees looking slick, fast and attacking with razor-sharp intent. Sangaré announcing himself in style with our second goal – phew, what a scorcher – and a display of tricks, turns and building out from the midfield that had everybody purring.
Perhaps, though, his limelight stolen by Kevin Schade. If this was anything to go by, then the German clearly has a point to prove after what felt, being polite, a somewhat tepid second half to last season.
If we’re being honest with each other, Keith’s persistence with Schade was proving a source of frustration for many. As much with the player – who seemed to be struggling with something – as with the head coach whose intransigence (see also: substitutions, or lack of) was starting to cause questions to be asked from certain quarters.
Yet Schade was on fire. Two goals scored and a hand in more. Controlling the ball at pace. Bossing it down the flank and combining brilliantly with KLP and Thiago in particular. It was as far away from last campaign as is possible to imagine, and whilst, of course, a friendly game, there can be no doubt about the energy or determination.
Not just Schade but the whole team, to be fair. The Bees playing with a drive and level of enthusiasm that was miles ahead of the opposition. Thiago everywhere and bagging another two goals. KLP overlapping down the left to also see the net ripple. Dango the other name on the scoreboard and perhaps feeling he could have had even more.
Let’s not be greedy. A 7(seven) – 0 bracketing is nothing to complain about at any level. The next thing being how this translates into league form and who Keith starts with against Spurs. Whilst we will look more to that in our match preview article, the one thing we can say for sure is that he would seem spoiled for choice in just about every position.
Neither Yehor Yarmoliuk nor Mikkel Damsgaard started against Frankfurt (or in Rennes). Last season both were pretty much pencilled in to the starting XI but at the weekend had to be content hanging out with Keith and Damien Duff as the game kicked off.
Also added to the mix are the new signings in Jannik Schuster, Jaidon Anthony and Callum Wilson as well as, of course, Sangaré. The latter being the only one to start the game and, like Schade, staking an immediate claim to a spot against Spurs. Albeit, we did see Anthony and Wilson join the fray alongside more established names in Ethan Pinnock, Rico Henry and Aaron Hickey.
Good luck to Keith and the coaching staff in keeping everybody happy, although I remind myself of the long-held philosophy about having both a starting and finishing XI. That wasn’t perhaps as much in evidence last time around, but with the names involved on Saturday and the strength in our squad, should it be a strategy Keith chooses to follow, then he has plenty of options.
All well and good, but how does this all play out? It can’t be a pre-season article without a prediction as to final placings. I’ve crunched the numbers, looked at those around us and take solace in the fact that, actually, the lack of European football could really play to Brentford’s advantage. It’s just a bit of fun, but this is how I’m seeing things play out.
Ipswich Town, Coventry City and Hull City are all slated for an immediate return to the Championship. It’s hard to argue with that from any direction of logic or viewpoint, no matter how partisan a fan of the respective clubs one may be.
Sunderland will struggle with second-season syndrome and competing on the additional front. They’ll end this just above the trapdoor, albeit nobody can knock their achievements last time out. Abject Fulham are next up in sixteenth.
Nottingham Forest will only continue their tumultuous existence, and this week’s manager, Oliver Glasner, will do well to reach beyond fifteenth. Crystal Palace, Bournemouth, Leeds United and Brighton fill the next slots, in that order. Like the Black Cats, three of these four having European football to enjoy could put a strain on the respective squads.
Into the top ten. Those players left at Newcastle United will have to be content finishing tenth. So many have left, including Eddie Howe, that even Wi$$a (£55m for 1 goal in 19 games) might get a start as they look to build again. Spurs have spent big, very big, although the exit door is yet to stop swinging. They also come with the pressure of a fanbase who are probably the most fickle in the league. I wish nothing but bad vibes on them all, and whilst pundits will probably see them coming higher, I can’t go beyond ninth.
Everton have bought very well, including Christian Norgaard from Arsenal. They’ll be hard to beat, as somebody once sang, picking up where they left off last time out. Eighth place for David Moyes and his squad.
Aston Villa next up. They’re in the Champions League, which is a stonking achievement, but will have to compete having sold Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans and Lucas Digne amongst others. Several names have come in, but I suspect this may be a holding season and seventh place will be as high as they go.
Arsenal will win the league. Champions again – which has a rather odd sound to it. The hoodoo has finally been broken, and they are the only perceived ‘big’ club not going through significant overhaul. Next up, Manchester City. Haaland had a cracking World Cup, and there will be many, many points to be proven. Assuming that no points are deducted should a decision ever be made about those 115 charges. However, they’ve lost Pep and Rodri is the latest of several players to look like he’ll be heading out.
Chelsea’s ridiculous level of spending has bloated the squad beyond belief, but Xabi Alonso will take them to third in the table. Fourth and fifth will be the self-entitled supporter derby. Liverpool’s woeful-looking defence meaning that Manchester United finish above them.
Leaving one team and one position. Brentford – who I’m calling for a top six finish. The squad is as strong as we’ve had at this level. Players are fit. Players are on form. We’ve only strengthened.
Laugh it up all you like and, in all probability, rightly so. All I’ll say is that I called ninth last time out and look how it ended up. Spot on, sixth is a HUGE shout and will be a gigantic step for Keith and his squad to take. However, I genuinely think that if he makes the correct calls, then this could be a chance to create history – for him and the team.
