Staying in the Premier League with Brantford will be a tough challenge in FM22, but here are our reasons why it is plausible to achieve.
Staying in the Premier League with newly-promoted Brantford will be a tough challenge in FM22, but here are our reasons why it could be possible to achieve.
Getting Brentford FC promoted to the Premier League must have felt like completing one of the Challenge Modes featured on footballmanagerblog.org for Bees’ boss Thomas Frank. The club had failed in nine play-off campaigns since 1991 and seemed destined to remain outside of English football’s top tier after a 74-year absence. That was until they finally banished that unwanted streak from their record books by defeating Swansea in the Championship play-off final at Wembley on Saturday, May 29.
We will say it again ... Brentford are in the @premierleague#BrentfordFC pic.twitter.com/x9Inu0rmBq
— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) May 30, 2021
Breaking the Play-off Curse
Although they had struggled in the play-offs for 30 years, Brentford did achieve automatic promotion on four occasions during that same period: from the third-tier in 1992 and 2014, and from the fourth tier in 1999 and 2009. Many felt that they would only achieve promotion to the Premier League by finishing in the top two and avoiding yet more play-off misery. Frank almost achieved this in his first full season in charge (2019/20) but missed out on second place by two points after losing the final two games of the season. Had they beat Barnsley at home on the final day, they would have gone up. Instead, they suffered their ninth play-off heartbreak, losing to Fulham in the final.
They finished third again in 2020/21, this time falling short by four points behind Watford, although they did increase their overall point’s tally by six. They also finished much stronger, winning their last four in a row and remaining unbeaten in their last 12 games. But still, the spectre of yet another play-off loomed, with Bournemouth the first test. The first game ended in a 1-0 defeat but the return leg ended in an emphatic 3-1 victory, leaving the Bees just one step away from the top flight again. This time, there were no slip-ups and no mention of “bottle jobs” as Frank’s men made light work of Swansea City to book their place in the Premier League. The big question now, was: How would the Londoners fair in their first top-flight campaign since 1947?
Unsurprisingly, they are seen as one of the favourites to go down by most bookmakers across different regions because the chasm between the Premier League and the Championship continues to grow each season. Markets such as Premier League Relegation are unlikely to provide much value, though, as can be seen with the prices at the recommended bookmakers on top betting guide Asiabet.org, which covers the Asian region. However, there are potential areas of value. Individual match markets such as Match Result and Correct Score could be the way to go because Brentford are likely to surprise teams with their swashbuckling style in a similar way to how Leeds did last season.
A well-balanced squad
Brentford have a strong-looking squad packed with international footballers such as Christian Norgaard and Mathias Jensen of Denmark, Sweden's Pontus Jansson, Ethan Pinnock of Jamaica and Finland's Marcus Forss. Goalkeeper, David Raya, has been highly rated since breaking through at the famous Unión Esportiva Cornellà academy in Spain before moving to England with Blackburn Rovers. Still aged just 25, Raya looks well equipped to compete at Premier League level.
Up front, Ivan Toney has scored 83 goals in all competitions over the last three seasons (two of those with Peterborough) and will hope to emulate the success of his predecessor Ollie Watkins, who enjoyed a strong first season in the top flight with Aston Villa, bagging 14 goals. Toney beat Watkins' best goal tally at Brentford at the first attempt, netting 33 goals in all competitions, compared to Watkins best of 26. After leaving Newcastle in 2018, he will finally get his chance to prove himself as one of the Premier League's star strikers.
Toney will be aided by French winger Bryan Mbuemo whose performances over the last two years have defied his years. Still aged just 21, the France U-21 player has already scored 24 goals from a wide position in two seasons at Brentford. The Troyes academy product looks set for a big future.
The forward-thinking Coach
On top of all this, Brentford have one of the most intriguing young managers in the game. Thomas Frank began coaching in his 20s and was in charge of the Danish youth squads by the age of 35. Four years later, he made his name as head coach of Danish league side Brondby before moving to Brentford in 2016 where he worked under current Aston Villa boss Dean Smith. He was promoted to head coach following Smith’s departure in 2018 and proved a popular figure with fans and players alike. His attractive and attacking style of football has gained many admirers and was integral to Brentford’s transition to promotion candidates. Brentford finished their last season in the Championship as top scorers with 79 goals but also had the fourth-best defensive record, shipping just 42 goals.
New Stadium for a New Era
The final factor that could help Brentford in their quest for Premier League survival is their new stadium. The club vacated their old Griffin Park ground in 2020 and moved into the brand new 17,250-capacity Brentford Community Stadium.
🛣 A first-ever trip to the Brentford Community Stadium awaits in December!
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) June 17, 2021
It will be our first match against the Bees since 1975 🤯#MUFC #PL pic.twitter.com/0chEzXAqaU
They played their first league game in the stadium on September 19, 2020, beating Huddersfield 3-0 and achieved promotion back to the top flight during their first season at their new home. As a result, the stadium has come to represent a new era in the club's history and should prove to be a tough place to visit for the Premier League clubs, most of who will be visiting for the first time.
When you put all these factors together, you can make a strong case for Brentford retaining their Premier League status beyond the coming season.
