Brentford

Ian Westbrook
Fan writer

Who is flying this season?: Michael Kayode. While he is getting publicity for his long throws, there is so much more to his game - the marauding runs across the pitch, the brilliantly timed tackles and his boundless energy.

And is anyone floundering? By contrast, Fabio Carvalho is floundering. Now in his second season, he cannot pin down a place in the team - despite impressing in our Carabao Cup ties. To be fair, his best position is as at number 10 and he has the undroppable Mikkel Damsgaard ahead of him, but he is not even first choice to come on as a substitute.

Tactically we are... relying more on long balls and less on playing out from the back than in the past - but especially with pinpoint deliveries from Jordan Henderson, this has led to several goals this season.

I want Keith Andrews to give me more... intensity from the side in away games. If we can match our home performances, then we should win more on the road.

What are fans obsessing about? Had we struggled so far, our supporters could well have been obsessed with the loss of Thomas Frank and key players. But the mood among us at home and away is very supportive and currently fans and team and management seem very together.

My expectations for the season were for us to overcome the summer turmoil and survive - albeit with some sticky moments. I still expect us to stay up, although maybe I now feel we could finish closer to halfway and also have a good FA Cup run to match our Carabao Cup one.

How would I rate the campaign so far? Being mid-table and in a cup quarter-final means it's definitely a solid seven out of 10 season so far.

I'm feeling... relaxed about the campaign and optimistic for some more stirring performances - especially against the big boys!

Find more from Ian Westbrook at Beesotted podcast, external

Over the past week, we have been asking you to send in the best Premier League XI your club could have put together.

We know football existed before 1992 but as a Leeds United fan asked our experts on the club to name theirs - using the Ask Me Anything form on the Whites - we stuck with their parameters.

Here's BBC Sport's Brentford fan writer Ian's effort.

And you can ask us about the Bees using the Ask Me Anything form at the top of this page or here

Find more from Ian Westbrook at Beesotted podcast, external

We have, roughly, run the numbers and here is the XI your submissions have produced.

The player that appeared in most teams? Mikkel Damsgaard.

There was also plenty of competition for the final forward spot alongside Ivan Toney and Bryan Mbeumo but current hotshot Igor Thiago has edged it.

We reckon this Brentford XI would make quite a splash in the Premier League.

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

The statistics might say playing at home is an advantage - but what happens when it is not?

So far this season, 53% of Premier League matches have been won by the home team - the highest ever rate in a single campaign.

On the flip side, just 26% have been won by the away team - the lowest rate since 2010-11.

However, this has not been the case for all teams.

For some, being on the road has been more favourable. Tottenham are perhaps the most contrasting example having the joint-most points away from home with 13, but the second-worst in front of their own fans with just five points.

In the second part of her chat with BBC Sport, performance psychologist Marie Cartwright explained: "With crowds when playing away from home, there is a reduced scrutiny as a whole for away teams in that those crowds expect the home team to be the ones in charge. The players feel less judged. The pressure is on the other side.

"Another reason could come down to something in psychology I like to call simplification of the task. The team has a better collective identity when they are away.

"The human brain still goes back to the cavemen days. We have to, as a collective, fight for something. We have to protect our name. It goes back to that hunter-gatherer-against-danger mentality.

"When players are in front of a home crowd, there can be a bit of playing up to the individuality.

"I really do believe that collective identity has a strong enough influence because it amplifies the purpose and the belonging - let's belong together, let's be stronger together."

The focus might be on the players' performances being impacted by being home or away, but what about the managers?

Wolves, West Ham and Nottingham Forest make up three of the bottom four for their home records so far this term, and all have changed their manager in recent weeks.

"100% managers and coaches can be affected, and sometimes even more so because there is so much riding on that one person," Cartwright said.

"The decision-making is the main thing. The crowd is chanting - 'take this player off, do this' - and it can lead to rushed decisions, particularly when the noise becomes relentless.

"Then there is the emotional regulation and touchline behaviour. A manager is pacing up and down, mirroring the stress state, and players see that. It can lead to mimicking and players feeling that stress too."

The impact on teams psychologically playing home or away is apparent, so how can they make the most from these different conditions?

"Our brains are wired to think negatively - it's a protection mechanism," Cartwright said.

"So when it comes to performing home and away, those players and managers who deal with it best are those who know how to use the noise and scrutiny and move on quickly from it - an ability to have a reset routine and regulate their emotions in these pressurised situations."

Read more from Marie in part one of her chat around the impact of playing at home here

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

"Home advantage gives you an advantage."

It is a quote - among many - attributed to the famous former England manager Sir Bobby Robson - a simple, yet fair reflection of a historical format of football.

For as long as teams have played in leagues, games taking place home and away has been the norm, with the idea that playing at home will be to the benefit of that team.

But what is the impact of playing at your own ground in front of your own fans?

In the first part of her chat with BBC Sport, performance psychologist Marie Cartwright explained: "Home impact can be viewed in two ways. Sometimes it does have a positive impact, and what happens is there is an elevated motivation.

"What that means is the crowd energy increases adrenaline and that creates a momentum in effort and intensity in the players. It is also a familiar environment for the players, so that means it reduces the cognitive load. They don't have to think as much about anything else other than their play because they know the pitch, they know the routines, they feel settled.

"However, there are a couple of potential negative impacts as well, with the potential intensification in pressure in the home fans, most times, expecting dominance from the home team. That can lead to mistakes from players feeling bigger to them.

"There can then be what we call a threat state. The players might perceive consequences as high, so they feel they might be facing more criticism when they are at home."

While those who watch football know there are more factors than just where the match is being to take into consideration, the statistics do suggest the influence is there.

Since the Premier League started, the home win percentage has outweighed the away win percentage in all bar one season - the Covid-hit 2020-21 campaign in which fans were largely not allowed admission saw a 38% home win rate compared to 40% away win rate.

So how a team handles this additional crowd pressure seems to be a key factor.

"In psychology, there is something called the challenge and threat theory," Cartwright said.

"In reality what that means is a 'challenge state' can push the player into thinking, 'I've got this, I've got the resources to cope with this'. That leads to better decision making and quicker reactions.

"The threat state, on the other hand, players might think the consequences outweigh their ability to cope. In any match context, that can mean they have a narrow sense of focus, the focus is not quite the same, so the play becomes slower because of overthinking."

"It can also be called 'red brain or blue brain' - with red brain being the one with fear-based dialogue and internal negative self-talk, while blue brain is the cool, calm and collected one that can handle its emotions.

"What sits in the middle of these is distraction. How a player responds to distraction and filters out the noise, like the crowd, can impact which of these mindsets they move into and ultimately how the team performs."

Read more from Marie in part two of her chat about why teams some teams play better away from home and how it impacts managers - that will be on this page early next week.

Image source, Getty Images

We wanted your suggestions for Brentford's all-time best Premier League XI.

You have provided us with a fine selection so here's some of your picks:

Nick: Raya, Pontus, Collins, Kayode, Hickey, Norgaard, Dasilva, Damsgaard, Benrahma, Mbeumo, Toney. Christian will have a shift to put in as it's very attacking but I think all these players go down as some of our best ever in each position.

*Benrahma featured for West Ham in the Premier League but we'll let you have him Nick given his Brentford exploits.

C: 4-3-3. Raya, Hickey, Van den Berg, Collins, Kayode, Eriksen, Damsgaard, Norgaard, Toney, Mbeumo, Ouattara.

Brian: 4-1-2-3. Raya, Hickey, Jansson; Pinnock, Henry, Norgaard, Damsgaard, Jensen, Mbeumo, Thiago, Schade.

Conor: 4-3-3. Raya- strong and solid keeper. Kayode (monstrous), Collins (luck of the Irish), Van den Berg (solid and good in the air), Henry (fast and skilled), Damsgaard (absolute trickster and brilliant), Henderson (can find anyone with long balls and a leader of men), Yarmoliuk (solid, energetic and intelligent), Mbeumo and Wissa (both stepped up after Ivan Toney had left), Thiago. With a combination of skill and pace as well as a solid defensive mind and a solid goalkeeper, we could compete for Europe with this XI.

George Mills
BBC Sport senior journalist

In a recent addition of the Football Extra newsletter, Roger asked BBC Sport: Players are frequently injured on international duty - such as Chris Wood for New Zealand last season, which may have ultimately cost Nottingham Forest a Champions League place. Are clubs compensated by the country or does insurance cover compensation?'

Since 2012, Fifa's Club Protection Programme has covered the salary of players injured on international duty - although there are some conditions.

Firstly, the player must be out of action for a period of at least 28 consecutive days and the injury must have been sustained during an "accident", which is defined in very boring and legally-specific detail in Fifa's guidelines, though it covers most of the examples you could think of.

The scheme pays the salary of an injured player up to the maximum amount of €7.5m (£6.6m) until they are declared fit to return for their clubs.

Transfermarkt lists Chris Wood as missing 18 days - three games - with the hip injury you mention from last March, suffered on international duty with New Zealand. As he returned inside 28 days, Forest would not have been eligible to claim compensation.

There are a couple of clubs who will currently be beneficiaries of this scheme though, including Newcastle United, whose £55m summer signing Yoane Wissa is yet to make an appearance since suffering a knee injury while playing for DR Congo.

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Phil Parry
BBC Radio London reporter

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The summer's significant changes at Brentford led to some suggesting that the coming season would be difficult. After all, the club had to cope with the departure of Thomas Frank, a rookie gaffer and the loss of other members of the backroom team as well as the sale of some big players.

Keith Andrews has told us that the criticism from some was not motivation. He says the club knows how to cope with change and manages it well - his role was to help with the current flux.

It appears that they have coped well. Eleven games in and they have 16 points with five wins. The list of those that they have taken maximum points from is pretty impressive: the reigning champions, the League Cup holders and a European finalist from last season among them.

Those who have filled vacated gaps have performed well. Jordan Henderson has proven to be a positive addition, Caoimhin Kelleher has settled in quickly and Igor Thiago is currently the Premier League's second highest scorer.

All this has helped the side climb to 12th, not bad for a team tipped by some pundits for the drop.

Of course, it is only a start and the away form, one win and four defeats, is still a concern. The style and approach on the pitch is still being debated by many observers and could well be a case of evolution with patience required.

Some observers point to the numbers of goals scored through set-pieces, long throws, counter-attacks or passes played over the top of defences. Mikkel Damsgaard, who picked up the player of the year award last season, seems to be less influential this season and has just one assist through 11 games.

But it would be churlish to suggest it has been anything other than a solid start for the Bees and provided a platform for the season, and for the coaching staff and players to develop.

There will more of that to come I am sure and, after all the churn of the past few months, the first objective was to calm the waters. That has certainly been done.

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Brentford, Everton and Leeds are chasing Celtic's Daizen Maeda, 28, with the Japan forward keen on a January move from Scotland. (Teamtalk), external

Wolfsburg have set their sights on a move for Brentford's 27-year-old Norway centre-back Kristoffer Ajer. (Sky Sports News), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

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We wanted your suggestions for Brentford's all-time best Premier League XI.

And you delivered!

Here's a first bunch:

Phil: 5-3-2. Raya, Kayode, Collins, Pinnock, Mee, Henry, Norgaard, Damsgaard, Janelt, Watkins, Mbeumo. Solid defence, creative but combative midfield and an attack that i clinical and effective.

Andy: 4-3-3. Raya, Henry, Jansson, Pinnock, Kayode, Norgaard, Damsgaard, Jensen, Benrahma, Toney, Mbeumo. A mixture of the players that got us there, kept us there, and who continue to excel.

Saanidh: 4-2-3-1. Raya, Kayode, Collins, Pinnock, Henry, Norgaard, Henderson, Damsgaard, Mbeumo, Wissa, Toney (soon to be Thiago). Brilliant team that mixes players from over the years.

Alan: 4-3-3. Raya, Kayode, Jansson, Pinnock, Henry, Norgaard, Henderson, Damsgaard, Mbeumo, Toney, Wissa. We play our best football in 4-3-3. Difficult call to include the treacherous Wissa. Head ruled heart there.

Namish: 4-3-3. Raya, Kayode, Mee, Jansson, Henry, Jensen, Damsgaard, Norgaard, Mbeumo, Toney, Schade. Thomas Frank's 4-3-3. Most of these players qualify as legends for the club, and as such, I obviously couldn't dirty it by including Wissa.

Image source, Getty Images

Earlier we told you the story of former Brentford boss Martin Allen going for a swim in a river right before taking charge of an away match against Hartlepool.

Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland's Sacked in the Morning podcast, the charismatic manager also revealed his successes - and failures - when it came to organising a club trip to Abu Dhabi.

"I had asked some of the club's directors to take all of us away as a reward for playing so well in the FA Cup," Allen revealed.

"I remember being sat in the local travel agents one afternoon, after training, sorting out the whole trip. I had it all sorted out but the deal was that all our focus had to be on Colchester away on the Saturday afternoon, which was just before our flight.

"But I had got the flight time wrong by an hour and we still had to travel from Colchester in Essex all the way round to the other side of London to Heathrow Airport.

"It was going to be tight so after the full-time whistle blew there was no team-talk, no warm down, no showers. The players literally just put their tracksuits on and threw their dirty kits on the floor."

Once they got to the aeroplane though, Allen said there was a surprise in store for his players.

"We made it on the aeroplane and the captain came out to greet us," he said. "He told me that he watched Brentford a lot and offered myself and three of my staff members business-class seats.

"So we were lording it up with champagne but, when I turned around and saw my players, I just didn't feel comfortable.

"I went up to the cockpit, knocked on the captain's door and told him that there were around 20 spare seats in business class. I asked him for a favour, which was to allow my players to sit in business class and us staff members would sit in economy.

"He said to me: 'You don't want to do that!' but I told him that my players deserved it and luckily he agreed.

"The players loved it - imagine Brentford players going to Abu Dhabi back in those days!"

Listen to the full podcast on BBC Sounds

It's international break so let's have a bit of fun to pass the time.

Now we know football existed before 1992 but for the purposes of this little exercise, keep it Premier League please.

So tell us, who would be in your dream Brentford Premier League XI?

The debate starts here.

Send your suggestions

Image source, Getty Images

Former Brentford manager Martin Allen has been revealing his favourite memories from his managerial stint at Griffin Park.

The Englishman took charge of the Bees in March 2004 before eventually announcing his resignation in May 2006 over a perceived lack of backing from the club's board.

A compromising manager, Allen told BBC Radio Scotland's Sacked in the Morning podcast about a time when he challenged his players into some unusual pre-match preparations.

"One time I swam in a river just before an away game at Hartlepool on a Friday afternoon," he explained.

"The players were all on the river bank saying whoever goes into the river for a swim would win £1 each. So I told them: 'If you say you're going to swim it then swim it' - and everybody thought it was crazy.

"It was just after I had joined the club and we went on to win our game the next day. It was also actually the first away game Brentford had won all season.

"At 10:20am on the Monday morning, just before going out to training, I took a phone call from a withheld number. It was Tottenham manager David Pleat, ringing me to ask me why I had done it.

"The reason I did it was to show if you say you're gong to do something, you've got to do it. I don't know where those little psychology moments have come from in my managerial career, but somehow I've always been able to find them."

Listen to the full podcast on BBC Sounds

Sin bins? Bonus points? Two goals if you score from distance?

Imagine a world in which you could reinvent football.

It's a dream, of course. Just a bit of fun. But stick with us.

What if you had the power to change any of the game's laws and potentially bring to an end countless hours of discussion about handball, offside, video assistant referees, or anything else you want to?

Some of BBC Sport's familiar football faces have offered their own potential rule changes.

Watch them above or read more here

The latest Sacked in the Morning podcast has landed.

BBC Radio Scotland's Amy Irons and former Scotland manager Craig Levein are joined by special guest Martin Allen to discuss the highs and lows of his extensive managerial career.

The former West Ham United player and ex-Brentford boss reveals his unique man-management style, how his upbringing influenced him, plus the treat he gave his players that turned them into little boys on Christmas Day.

Listen to the full podcast on BBC Sounds

Ian Westbrook
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

It was another great afternoon at Gtech Community Stadium on Sunday.

So-called "relegation favourites" Brentford have now deservedly beaten Champions League sides Liverpool and Newcastle, Europa League team Aston Villa and arguably the biggest club in the country Manchester United at home.

We've also drawn with world champions Chelsea there.

After a sluggish first half, which was not much better than the previous week's display at Crystal Palace, in the second period the intensity was back as we took the game to the Magpies.

We showed we are about more than just long throws as we caused them plenty of problems, forcing Dan Burn into rash tackles which earned him a red card.

Igor Thiago once again grabbed the headlines with his double. He did brilliantly to ignore the fuss during a seven-minute wait to take his penalty to coolly give us the lead.

If only he'd been allowed to take the penalty at Sunderland in August, we could be even higher up the table.

However, despite all this he still was not my Bees man of the match.

That once again was Michael Kayode. Newcastle were the latest team who could not cope with his rampaging runs or his throws.

But these things are all a bonus on top of his primary job of defending. Kayode is not often beaten by wingers but when he is, his powers of making a recovery tackle are excellent.

He times all his tackles brilliantly, makes great blocks and clearances and has extraordinary energy levels - shown particularly by the amount of times he crosses from wing to wing to take throws.

Sunday's win means that we have exactly the same record after 11 games as we did last season - five wins, one draw and five defeats with a zero goal difference.

It is also the first time this season we have gone into the international break on the back of a win.

Happy days!

Find more from Ian Westbrook at Beesotted podcast, external

Sami Mokbel
Senior football correspondent

A number of current and former Premier League club sporting directors have featured in the top 10 of a study ranking the value they have added to their club's squad from incoming transfers.

Departed Manchester City executive Txiki Begiristain came out top, while ex-Crystal Palace director Dougie Freedman, Newcastle's Ross Wilson and Brentford's Phil Giles also ranked inside the top 10 in the review carried out by industry advisors Transfer Room.

Freedman, who left Crystal Palace for a position in Saudi Arabia earlier this year, placed third in the study - behind Begiristain and Eintracht Frankfurt sporting director Timmo Hardung.

The Scot, who was responsible for the signings of Eberechi Eze, Michael Elise, Marc Guehi, Daniel Munoz, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Adam Wharton among others, added a net value of €374m (£328m) to the Eagles' roster from the €436m (£382m) spent on 29 transfers.

Current Newcastle sporting director Ross Wilson placed in fifth, adding a net value of €319m (£280m) from a €366m (£321m) investment on 36 transfers during spells with Nottingham Forest and Rangers.

Brentford's sporting director Phil Giles, who played a key role in the signings of Ivan Toney, Bryan Mbeumo, Yoann Wissa and Ollie Watkins for the west London club, ranked seventh - adding a net value of €300m (£263m) to their squad following an investment of €114m (£100m) on 20 players.

We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's Premier League game between Brentford and Newcastle.

Here are some of your comments:

David: We're really turning the Gtech into a bit of a fortress. Even being one goal down, we kept our shape and Andrew's kept to his game plan. A good all-round professional performance. The subs saw the game out and it's always good to go out on a high before an international break.

Saan: A very well organised win from the Bees. We were better than Newcastle in almost every aspect, and the eventual scoreline reflected that. Front three looked very good, and solid in defence mostly.

Ian: Brentford are proving the pundits wrong time and time again. IgorThiago was a monster, as was Jordan Henderson. Henderson's experience and influence is spreading throughout the team and getting results. Six home matches, four wins and a draw, only losing to Manchester City. Well done Keith Andrews and team.

Mark: A classic game of two halves. Shaky in the first half dealing with a very physical Newcastle side but dominant in the second half. Kayode, Ouattara and Thiago were excellent but the whole team put in a fantastic shift resulting in another great result.

Phil: A really heartwarming performance we didn't let our heads go down after conceding first. Real passion and commitment and Thiago is on fire!

Image source, Getty Images

Currently uncapped by Brazil, Igor Thiago's form at Brentford must mean he is on the radar of Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti - but the 24-year-old is also eligible to play for Bulgaria.

Thiago turned down the opportunity to represent Brazil at under-23 level in an attempt to keep his international options open.

He has previously expressed a desire to represent the Selecao, external, telling the Daily Mail: "I've always dreamed of being able to play for Brazil.

"I always ask God that when he takes me to the national team, I don't want to go just for the sake of it. When I get there, I want to stay."

But competition in attack for Ancelotti's side is incredibly high - with Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo and Raphinha among the options.

Other names in the frame include Willian Estevao, Richarlison, Matheus Cunha and Joao Pedro, who are all playing in the Premier League.

But with nine goals across all competitions this season - more than of the other players mentioned - Thiago could become impossible for Ancelotti to ignore.

His match-winning double against Newcastle on Sunday took the forward to eight Premier League goals for the 2025-26 campaign - just one short of Brazil's called-up strikers combined.

Pundits Wayne Rooney and Danny Murphy join host Gabby Logan to bring you the action and talking points from Sunday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Aston Villa 4-0 Bournemouth

• Brentford 3-1 Newcastle

• Crystal Palace 0-0 Brighton

• Nottingham Forest 3-1 Leeds

• Man City 3-0 Liverpool

Ciaran Kelly
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Newcastle's players will have been well-briefed about Brentford's threat from long throws, as well as keeping a very close eye on Thiago.

But this battling Brentford side are a force on home soil, having already defeated champions Liverpool, Manchester United and Aston Villa this season, with Manchester City the only team to win at the Gtech so far.

There was no undue panic from Brentford when they went behind and, crucially, the the hosts did not let brittle Newcastle settle into the game after the break - instead going at them from the restart.

Brentford manager Keith Andrews aimed to "imprint our gameplan on them to make it the type of game we need it to be" - and that's exactly what his side did.

They bullied Newcastle's giants from Michael Kayode's long throw in the build-up to Schade's leveller. They did not get frustrated after Dango Ouattara's previous penalty appeal was waved away. And, in Igor Thiago, they have a striker capable of stepping up in the big moments as he did late on with his eighth and ninth goals of the season - all but one of them in the league.

By the time Thiago made it 3-1, Brentford fans felt assured enough to ask their former forward Yoane Wissa, who pushed for a move to Newcastle, what the score was.

This was another memorable home victory to add to a growing list.

Brentford manager Keith Andrews speaking to BBC Sport after their 3-1 victory over Newcastle: "We had to react to going a goal down and we edged the first half. We didn't want to chase it in the second half, and we looked more calm in and out of possession. Ultimately, I felt we were relentless."

On the VAR calls: "I have come in pretty quick, but the one thing I will say is the officials have a tough task on their hands. Ultimately, we got the result that we deserve so that's the biggest thing in my head."

On Brentford's home form: "We want to make it an uncomfortable place to come and we did that today. You have to fight and respect the opposition. I think we are doing that really well at the moment."