Brentford have climbed through the lower levels of English football to reach the Premier League — with a fraction of the resources of rival clubs. They are what Wrexham aspire to be under the club’s Hollywood owners Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds.
But how have this London team, who were in the fourth tier of English football in 2009, achieved three promotions in 12 years to reach the top tier and then stay there? What is it like to now beat rich rivals like Manchester City — who won a famous treble last season — by running the club in a completely different way? How does a relatively small London club make their money go further in the transfer market?
It’s time to find out.
Over the past two months, The Athletic has been granted a special look at what happens behind the scenes at Brentford. Access All Areas: Brentford is a four-part audio documentary which covers the club’s remarkable rise up the divisions and what the future holds.
In episode one, you will mainly hear from head coach Thomas Frank and director of football Phil Giles about how the club have punched above their weight and been bold enough to think outside of the box. Frank also reveals the strange reason why he was late for Brentford’s famous 2-0 victory over Arsenal on the opening day of the 2021-22 season. There is even a special cameo from Peter Gilham, the club’s stadium announcer, who has worked at Brentford for over 50 years and witnessed their transformation first-hand.
Brentford’s slick and innovative use of data to recruit talented players is the envy of their rivals and technical director Lee Dykes spills the club’s secrets in episode two. New club captain Christian Norgaard and centre-back Ben Mee explain how they were convinced to join the revolution and the impact Frank has had on their game.
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In episode three, we hear about Eriksen’s miraculous return to football with Brentford seven months after suffering a cardiac arrest playing for Denmark, the tragic story of Robert Rowan and director Nity Raj discusses the club’s work with heart charities in their local community. Neil MacFarlane, the B team’s head coach, gives us an insight into how Romeo Beckham, the son of the former Manchester United, Real Madrid and LA Galaxy midfielder David Beckham who captained England at two World Cups, is progressing and his chances of breaking into the first-team.
Star striker Ivan Toney’s eight-month ban from playing football for breaching the Football Association’s rules on betting is covered in episode four and chief executive Jon Varney talks about the club’s controversial decision to renew their front of shirt sponsorship with South African based gambling firm Hollywoodbets. Varney and Karleigh Osborne talk about the club’s long-term plans for their women’s team too. To round the series off, director of elite performance Ben Ryan outlines why Brentford being “sensible” is key to their success in the future with help from Frank, Norgaard, Giles and Dykes.
You can listen to Access All Areas: Brentford by searching for ‘Go Deeper’ on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and all the usual podcast places or by listening on The Athletic app.
We hope you enjoy it.
Access All Areas: Brentford 🐝
🔹 How they recruit and scout players
🔹 Data… but don't call it Moneyball
🔹 Their remarkable rise up the pyramidIntroducing @jaydmharris' exclusive behind the scenes podcast series.
🎧 Free to listen everywhere: https://t.co/1xQHxLdwdS pic.twitter.com/I04OndIwv5
— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) July 24, 2023