Brentford

Ian Westbrook
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

It was great spending quality time with my son, brother and nephew - and Brentford's new third kit looked quite smart - but they were the only positives out of my trip to the sunny City Ground on Sunday.

Brentford were simply blown away by an impressive Nottingham Forest in a first half which was reminiscent of the 4-0 hammering at Aston Villa and 3-1 collapse at Burnley in previous seasons.

There have not been many truly awful performances in our time in the Premier League, but this was definitely one of them.

Of course there are mitigating circumstances.

Six of the players who started in our 2-0 win at Forest only three months ago were unavailable to start this game for various reasons, including new father Mikkel Damsgaard, but even so, what we witnessed in those first 45 minutes was to put it mildly - scary.

I am not panicking after one game and still believe that we won't be relegated.

The other crumb of comfort is that we maintained our record of never being in the bottom three for even one second of our Premier League life.

The team against Aston Villa next week should be stronger with the return of Damsgaard, the debut of new record signing Dango Ouattara and hopefully Kevin Schade and Jordan Henderson starting. Why the former Liverpool captain did not start on Sunday is a mystery.

But we will need to show a lot more cohesion, desire and determination to get a result and put this display behind us.

Find more from Ian Westbrook at Beesotted podcast, external

Chris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician

Image source, Getty Images

Here is why clubs like Newcastle are so keen on Yoane Wissa.

Only Erling Haaland and Alexander Isak scored more regularly than Wissa last season away from the penalty spot...

Why have we excluded penalties? Seems harsh on Mohamed Salah, etc. Because getting to score penalties isn't really down to the scorer but relies on team-mates. For example, Salah didn't win any of his nine penalties himself last season - and penalties are also down to the clumsiness of defenders and the opinion of that game's referee. Obviously all goals rely on service from team-mates to some extent but penalties are such huge goalscoring gifts that it's fairer on players who don't get to take them to exclude them.

You might think that the only way a Brentford forward could be up there with the likes of Haaland and Isak is because they enjoyed a hot streak of form in front of goal last season (i.e. they significantly overperformed their xG). While that was indeed the case for Wissa's former team-mate Bryan Mbeumo, it wasn't for Wissa himself...he just actually got a lot of really good chances to score last season.

Wissa was the apex predator of the penalty box in the Premier League, as his movement, anticipation etc - as well as Brentford's style of play - saw him take by far the highest-quality chances on average in the league.

Here is his Premier League shot map from last season...something that other strikers can only dream of in their sleep! His chances were so good that he didn't even have to be clinical, scoring his 19 goals from an xG of 18.6.

Newcastle are set to launch a new £35m bid for Yoane Wissa but Brentford will not sell the forward before signing a replacement. (Sun, external)

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

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

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

Here are some of your comments:

Nottingham Forest fans

Peter: Some of our play in the first half was the most fluid I've seen since we've been in this league. Brentford had no idea what was happening. Better late than never. Our new signings and those we've been linked to should address the issues that ultimately undid our bid for the top five last season.

Mark: Forest played some magnificent football in the first half. Every player we had on the pitch looked class. Gibbs-White and Anderson in particular were superb. The passes for goals two and three were top drawer. And there is more to come! I expect a higher finish in the league than last season.

Simon: Looks like Forest have the players to be more tactically flexible this season. Towards the end of last season teams were learning how to play them (and Forest players were getting tired). It now looks like they have more than one way to play and recruitment has been excellent.

Brentford fans

Will: A bit shocked that we let three in. Honestly, we looked half asleep in the first period. We were better in the second - it helped having Schade and then Henderson in. Should start them, and with Damsgaard back we will get needed creativity. Very much need more in the final third. Didn't see a visible strategy to deal with Forest's potent attack. Hope Andrews can learn and adjust as we move on. I hate to say it, but he looked kind of dazed.

Sam: A sloppy performance in which we were a shadow of our past selves. Defence and midfield was nowhere to be seen at times so when we lost the ball, Forest carved us open. Some positives - like Schade coming on and seeing Rico Henry back - but, overall, not pleased at all.

Richard: There were some positives but not many. We were outplayed by an in-form team. We have a lot of new players who in time will learn from this and improve. We go on to the next game with more information on where we need to improve. Come on, you Bees!

Pundits Danny Murphy and Joe Hart 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:

• Chelsea 0-0 Crystal Palace

• Nottingham Forest 3-1 Brentford

• Manchester United 0-1 Arsenal

Emma Smith
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

It has been a summer of change for Brentford, most notably in Thomas Frank and assistant Justin Cochrane being poached by London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

Keith Andrews was promoted to the top job, but has had to deal with the loss of key players Bryan Mbeumo, Christian Norgaard and Mark Flekken - all sold in this transfer window.

Forward Yoane Wissa could soon be on his way too, with the Newcastle target left out of the Bees squad for the City Ground trip.

Andrews' first starting XI included debuts for keeper Caoimhin Kelleher, £17m Dutch attacking midfielder Antoni Milambo and right-back Michael Kayode, while Jordan Henderson made his Premier League return as a second-half substitute.

Former Republic of Ireland international Andrews has had to rebuild as he tries to maintain Brentford's impressive record of never having been in the relegation zone across the last four seasons.

That is a record they still maintain for now, but they are only out of the bottom three on goal difference.

All of Andrews' best-laid plans went out the window after the first meaningful attack of the match.

First, the corner was needless - captain Nathan Collins stepped in front of Kelleher and turned the ball behind, when the keeper was about to collect the ball under no pressure.

Boss Andrews, the club's former set-piece coach, could then only look on in dismay as three blue-shirted players around Chris Wood got in each others' way from the corner, allowing the New Zealander to turn home a loose ball for the opening goal.

Brentford had little in response after that.

Image source, Getty Images

Brentford lost 3-1 on the road at Nottingham Forest in their opening Premier League fixture and manager Keith Andrews believes his team need to get back to 'basics'.

"It was always going to be difficult but we made it harder for ourselves," Andrews told BBC Match of the Day.

"We knew their strengths and we knew the problems they would cause. Set pieces were always going to be a threat. I felt our structure was lacking. We didn't perform in the first half.

"Get back to basics. Basics in the game is a dirty word at times. You have to have an edge and do the ugly side of the game and compete as a team. I didn't think we did that. I saw it a lot in the first half today and it's something we need to address. The second half was a lot better on a lot of fronts.

"The second half performance had a lot of character. [Igor] Thiago, it was good for him to get off the mark."

On transfers and new players: "The club is always looking for what they need. You've seen today there are some players getting up to speed and they haven't had a fluid pre-season. I'm really happy with who we've signed so far."

On Yoane Wissa's future, speaking to Sky Sports, he added: "It is what it is. it's an ongoing issue. Ideally Wissa would have been available today and unless anything has happened in the last few hours then it's the same things. Hopefully it can resolve itself sooner rather than later.

"We're always looking and there's a clear plan at the club if a player leaves then we'll look."

Image source, Getty Images

• Brentford suffered their first ever matchday one defeat in the Premier League (P5 W2 D2 L1), and conceded three+ goals in their season opener at any level for the first time since 2004-05 at Chesterfield in League One (3-1).

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Nottingham Forest's performance

What did you make of Brentford's display?

Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies

Dan Ndoye, Nottingham Forest's new £36 million winger signed from Bologna this summer, starts for Nuno's side at City Ground today.

New Brazilian arrivals Igor Jesus and Jair Cunha are on the bench, while Omari Hutchinson and James McAtee - announced by the club as new signings yesterday night - are not involved.

Morgan Gibbs-White, who signed a new three-year deal after being heavily linked with a move, captains Forest.

Forest XI: Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Ndoye, Sangare, Anderson, Hudson-Odoi; Gibbs-White, Wood

Subs: Gunn, Morato, Awoniyi, Igor Jesus, Jota Silva, Yates, Jair, Boly, Abbott

Yoann Wissa, linked with a move to Newcastle this month, is not in Brentford's matchday squad at all.

New signings Caoimhin Keller, Michael Kayode and Antoni Milambo all start for the Bees, while Jordan Henderson is on the bench.

This is Keith Andrew's first match as manager, 12 years after his last Premier League appearance as a player for West Brom against Arsenal.

Brentford XI: Kelleher; Kayode, van den Berg, Collins, Henry; Lewis-Potter, Jensen, Yarmoluik, Carvalho; Milambo; Thiago

Subs: Valdimarsson, Hickey, Henderson, Schade, Onyeka, Ajer, Peart-Harris, Roerslev, Arthur

Three matches make up Sunday's Premier League action and BBC Sport will bring you every kick.

• Chelsea v Crystal Palace - BBC Radio 5 Live

• Nottingham Forest v Brentford - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Manchester United v Arsenal (16:30) - BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times 14:00 BST unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction from the 14:00 games here

And get Man Utd v Arsenal here

People are writing both of these teams off for different reasons and saying they won't be as good as last season.

As well as seeing their manager go to Spurs, Brentford have lost Bryan Mbeumo - and Yoane Wissa seems to want out too - so the worry with them is who will get their goals?

I still think the Bees have enough battle-hardened Premier League players to compete, but maybe Kevin Schade needs a bit of help up top.

It is also going to be difficult for Nottingham Forest to go again and be as good as they were last year. They have sold Anthony Elanga and Chris Wood turns 34 years old in December, but at least they kept hold of Morgan Gibbs-White.

I think this will be a very tight and quite scruffy game but as long as Forest win it, they won't care.

Sutton's prediction: 1-0

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Tom McCoy
BBC Sport journalist

Brentford ended only three places below Nottingham Forest last season but they face a difficult task at the City Ground on Sunday after losing key personnel over the summer.

The west London side will be without both of last season's joint top scorers for their opening game, with Bryan Mbeumo sold to Manchester United and Yoane Wissa not currently considered for selection amidst interest from Newcastle.

Former captain Christian Norgaard has also departed to Arsenal, while goalkeeper Mark Flekken has joined Bayer Leverkusen.

That would be a testing scenario for most experienced Premier League managers, but the Bees will have rookie Keith Andrews in charge. Thomas Frank's successful seven-year reign ended in June when he moved to Tottenham and the Dane could prove a tough act to follow.

This will be Andrews' first managerial role, though he does have experience working as an assistant and served as the Bees' set-piece coach last season.

Perhaps surprisingly, the 44-year-old will become only the seventh permanent Premier League manager from the Republic of Ireland, as classified by Opta, and the first since Chris Hughton left Brighton in 2019.

Last season's seventh-place finish earned Forest European qualification for the first time in 30 years, while their tally of 19 Premier League wins was one more than their combined tally in the previous two years.

The end of the campaign was tinged by disappointment, with defeat by Chelsea on the final day ending hopes of Champions League qualification, but there is nonetheless plenty of reason for optimism going into their first game.

Forest are the beneficiaries of Crystal Palace's demotion to the Conference League for breaching multi-club ownership rules. As a result they have been elevated to the Europa League and won't face a two-legged qualifying play-off later this month.

The Reds have also been buoyed by the decision of captain Morgan Gibbs-White to sign a new three-year contract, despite appearing on the verge of joining Tottenham only a few days earlier.

They have lost winger Anthony Elanga to Newcastle but Switzerland international Dan Ndoye has arrived from Bologna as a replacement, while Jair Cunha and Igor Jesus have been recruited from Brazil.

The club have also agreed fees for Ipswich winger Omari Hutchinson and Manchester City midfielder James McAtee, both of whom impressed as England won this summer's European Under-21 Championship.

Forest used just 23 players in last season's Premier League, fewer than any other side, but need increased squad depth to cope with European football.

Image source, Getty Images

BBC Sport's TV and radio commentators were asked to pick 21 players who will be worth watching out for in the next few months. While he isn't a player, a manager made the cut, too.

Keith Andrews

Conor McNamara: Obviously, no longer a player, but I would still put Keith in the 'wildcard' category.

Sure, his appointment has raised plenty of eyebrows, but I have worked regularly with him as a co-commentator in the past for Irish TV.

His enthusiasm and way with words really impresses me. Because I know him from work, in recent seasons my eye would be drawn towards him before games when Sheffield United or Brentford were warming up, and, although an assistant at the time, he always seemed to be at the heart of everything and constantly communicating with the players.

The owners at Brentford have earned a reputation for making good decisions, and they will not have made this one rashly. They have seen him up close and will have heard the feedback of a squad who enjoy his methods.

So many high-profile managers have crashed out in their first Premier League job, so it certainly is not easy. But I'll be hoping that Andrews gets off to a really good start.

Read the full piece here

We asked for your views on Brentford agreeing a record deal of up to £42.5m for Bournemouth forward Dango Ouattara.

Do you think the Burkina Faso international will improve Keith Andrews' team or are the Bees being overcharged?

Here are some of your comments:

George: A great acquisition, as always, from Brentford. A skilful and rapid carrier of the ball who knows how to cross into the box, which will pair well with Schade's great heading ability and Thiago's hold-up play.

Ben: Quite an elegant solution to our problems. It looks like he would be more of a Mbeumo replacement, but the fact he can play through the middle also means that he can provide cover for losing Wissa. He seems to be an adaptable player that we will be able to develop in either role. The fee is excessive but that is what you pay for young players who are Premier League proven these days, I suppose.

Kevin: Nine goals, you're having a laugh! Bournemouth are laughing all the way to the bank.

Nick: If you strip it all back, the recruitment team are looking at a very small pool of players. They need someone of the right age who has Premier League experience and has a proven track record of goals. They don't come cheap and Ouattara ticks a lot of those boxes.

Gary: A great purchase and a great replacement for Wissa. He can now go to Newcastle for around the same money, while we get a player who is proven and has a great future.

Jake: His expected goals and assists per 90 minutes is high. You have to trust the club here. His flexibility across the frontline is great. Looking at the club's past business, it is hard to question the move without insider knowledge.

We have looked into the age profile of Brentford's players for the 2025-26 season and recorded what percentage of minutes each of them played last campaign.

For the purpose of this exercise, we have deemed those under 24 as youth, between 24 and 30 as in their peak years and anyone over 30 to be a veteran.

The green represents new signings, who naturally did not play, red are those that have since left the club and yellow are all those that remain.

Bournemouth had four players over 30 last season but have parted ways with three of those, including captain Christian Norgaard and goalkeeper Mark Flekken.

Ethan Pinnock and new signing Jordan Henderson are now the only veterans in Keith Andrews squad.

The graphic shows the vast majority of the Bees squad are between 24 and 30 years old and were the core squad members last season in terms of most minutes played.

The Bees have, however, brought in two players this summer aged under 24, and Andrews has already noted the impact Henderson is having on the younger members of the squad.