Brentford Football Club

Brentford FC: New Premier League Contender

Brentford FC: The Bees History and Managers

Brentford F.C., also known as The Bees, made its first-ever appearance in the English Premier League in the 2021-22 season, and boy, what a debut it was! With solid performances throughout the season, the Bees are staying up! Not that it ever looked like they were at risk of going down at any point in the season.

However, for many fans around the world, the 2021-22 season was the first time they had ever heard of Brentford FC . This is no surprise, of course, considering that it was the team’s first season in the Premier League. But don’t be tempted to think that Brentford FC is still a young club.

Founding and Origins

Founded in 1889, Brentford FC came into existence over one hundred years before its Premier League debut. And although this is their first time being in the modern Premier League, they have featured in the English top-flight on different occasions before, peaking at number five on the table back in 1936.

That was a long time ago, of course, and in the meantime, there have been very few clubs who’ve experienced as many ups and downs as Brentford FC . Indeed, for every high point, the club has also been right at the bottom.

Downward Trajectory

The freefall the club experienced post-1936 is the perfect illustration of this. In the 26 years following its fifth spot in the first division, Brentford FC was relegated three times without ever rising once. By 1962, The Bees were playing in the Fourth Division of English football. And it seemed like they got very comfortable there.

As we already know, they finally got back to their feet and topped the Fourth Division, which, of course, earned them a promotion to the third tier. But, keeping with the tradition of highs and lows, they only help on for 2 years before heading back down to the Fourth Division once more. They then got promoted again in 1972 but headed straight back down again the very next season.

The 90’s

This was the story for Brentford FC up until the 90s – promotion to the third division and then back to the fourth. In fact, it would take a whole 38 years for The Bees to finally fly high enough to make it to the second division.

But that didn’t last, and Brentford FC went straight back to the third division the following season and started their tango yet again. Down to the fourth tier, back up to the third.

Promotion to Second Tier Championship

They did this until 2014, when Mark Warburton, hired as the first team coach only the year before, dragged them up to the second tier Championship of English football.

In their first year there, they finished 5th, and that meant playoffs. If they won their two fixtures in the playoffs, they would make it to the Premier League for the first time. Unfortunately, they lost in the semis, beaten home and away by Middlesbrough – 5-1 on aggregate.

Restructuralization

After that season, Brentford F.C. decided that they needed an overhaul if they were ever going to move forward and not follow their normal rise and fall pattern again. That overhaul saw them let Mark Warburton go. To replace him, they signed Marinus Dijkhuizen, who didn’t even manage the team for up to 10 games. They later settled for Norwich’s current manager, Dean Smith, in 2015, and he seemed to bring some stability to the club.

In their reorganization phase, Brentford FC made a big move to scrap the club’s academy in 2016. They then established a B-team through which they intend to grow their own talents.

By 2018, Dean Smith’s work with the club was done. They were now an established Championship side and didn’t look like going down anymore. But they wanted more. They wanted to play in the Premier League. So, they hired Thomas Frank.

In 2020, Frank took Brentford FC to another playoff. This time, they made it past the semis, but lost the finals to neighbors, Fulham. Unfortunately, that loss meant that they now had an unwanted record. They had failed in a total of 9 playoff campaigns, which remains the most in English football history.

They then had the chance to extend the unpleasant record in 2021 when they yet again got to the playoffs final. But it was not to be this time. It was victory at last for Brentford F.C., as they defeated Swansea City 2-nil to finally make it to the Premier League.

Incredible Premier League Opening

Brentford FC opened their first-ever Premier League campaign with a 2-nil win against Arsenal, and that was a sign of really good things to come for the club in their debut season.

Some say The Bees needed to leave Griffin Park, the place they called home for 116 years, for them to finally go further. And well, they did in 2020. They moved to their current home ground, Brentford Community Stadium, and the very next year, they made it to the Premier League. Coincidence?