The Beesotted Brentford Pride of West London Podcast

Whenever people talk about how well Brentford are doing in the Premier League, it’s easy to forget just how far the club has come.

Not so long ago, we were playing in the third tier. There was no Premier League football, no fancy new stadium and no worldwide attention. Just a club trying to find its way - and a whole load of twists, turns, disappointments and big decisions along the way

So we thought it was a good time to look back

Over the years, Beesotted has recorded some brilliant interviews and podcasts as these things were actually happening. We’ve gone back through the archives and pulled together 11 of those podcasts into a special series - Beesotted Reloaded: The Years That Shaped Brentford

You can check out the full series here, with links to all 11 episodes:

https://beesotted.com/beesotted-reloaded-the-years-that-shaped-brentford/

Some of the archive podcasts are also now available to watch in video format on Apple Podcasts, as well as being available as audio podcasts. So, where the video is available, you can actually see some of these conversations as they happened, rather than simply listening back to them

It’s a chance to revisit some of the moments and conversations that helped shape the club’s journey - from the heartbreak of that Doncaster match, promotion to the Championship and the plans for the new stadium, through the Uwe Rösler and Mark Warburton years, Matthew Benham’s arrival and vision, the creation of the B Team and eventually the arrival of Thomas Frank

And in this podcast, Billy and Laney look back across the series and discuss the podcasts, people and events that shaped this incredibly important period in Brentford’s history

They talk about what those old conversations tell us now that we know how the story turned out. Matthew Benham talking about the lessons he had learned and where he wanted to take Brentford. The changes to recruitment and the growing importance of data. The decision to scrap the traditional academy and create the B Team. The transition from Dean Smith to Thomas Frank. And the development of the ideas that would eventually become so central to Brentford’s success

They also revisit our conversations with Thomas Frank - including his involvement in recruitment, what frustrated him about the Brentford model, players who didn’t work out and whether the club ever regretted selling players such as John Egan and Romaine Sawyers

Frank also discussed the development of Josh Dasilva, the importance of the B Team, the players he thought could make the first team and those who might not quite make the step up

And then there’s the data - xG, statistics and the infamous “Justice League”. How much should you trust the numbers? And can Brentford just be top of the real table rather than the statistical one?

Looking back now, that’s what makes these old interviews so fascinating. They knew they were talking about important things at the time - but they didn’t know how the story was going to end

These were conversations recorded before Premier League football, before the worldwide recognition and before Brentford had become the established top-flight club we see today

They capture a club experimenting, taking risks, getting things wrong, learning from them and gradually working out what Brentford could become.

So this is Billy and Laney looking back at The Years That Shaped Brentford - and at the podcasts and conversations that captured that journey as it happened

If you want to go back through the whole series, all 11 podcasts - including the episodes now available to watch in video on Apple Podcasts - can be found here:

https://beesotted.com/beesotted-reloaded-the-years-that-shaped-brentford/

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Beyond The Breakdown is back for its first episode of the new season, with Jacob "The Gowler" Gowler and Matt “The Allard” Allard diving into the stats and tactics behind Brentford’s unbeaten campaign so far

How good were Brentford against Spurs? Were Tottenham simply poor, or did the Bees completely dominate them? And what do the stats say about Sangaré’s impressive start?

Then it’s on to Leeds, where Brentford produced an excellent first half before things went wrong after the break. Sunderland also comes under the microscope - how did they disrupt Brentford, and what did Keith Andrews change at half-time?

Was Brentford lucky to escape Bournemouth with a point? And with Yarmoliuk, Jensen and Damsgaard all options at number 10, who plays when - and which option best suits different opponents and game situations?

Then there’s Chelsea - a brilliant 3-0 win, but were there still warning signs in an imbalanced attack and the problems defending down Brentford’s right wing?

The lads also look at what the stats tell us about Jannik Schuster and how he has settled into the Brentford side

Looking ahead, Aston Villa, Liverpool and Hull are next under the microscope - their strengths, weaknesses and where Brentford could cause them problems. And will Hull’s good fortune continue?

Plus - the all-important question...

How many points will Brentford pick up from the next three games?

Don’t forget to check out The Gowler’s Substack for even more Bees stats and tactics: beesbreakdown.substack.com

And don’t forget to join the brand new Beesotted Prediction League: beesotted.footballscoreline.com

🎧 Beyond The Breakdown - Brentford Stats And Tactics

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Part of Beesotted Reloaded: The Years That Shaped Brentford

Go back to the moments that helped change the club forever - the Doncaster heartbreak, promotion, Lionel Road, Warburton’s departure, Matthew Benham’s vision, the B Team and the arrival of Thomas Frank

Click here to read the story of The Years That Shaped Brentford and listen to all 11 original podcasts from 2013 to 2019 in one place

https://beesotted.com/beesotted-reloaded-the-years-that-shaped-brentford/

Check out the video on apple podcast by clicking right here

February 2015. Brentford were flying in their first season back in the Championship and pushing for the play-offs. But behind the scenes, all was not quite as rosy as it looked

It had already been announced that manager Mark Warburton would leave Brentford at the end of the season, along with his assistant David Weir, following differences with owner Matthew Benham over the direction and footballing philosophy of the club

In this exclusive Beesotted interview, we sat down with Warburton and Weir to hear their side of the story - why they were leaving, their differences in philosophy, the incredible journey Brentford had been on and where they believed the club could go next

Listening back to the conversation from February 2015, knowing what happened to Brentford, Warburton and the club’s model in the years that followed, makes this a fascinating snapshot of one of the biggest turning points in Brentford’s recent history

Part of Beesotted Reloaded: The Years That Shaped Brentford

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Part of Beesotted Reloaded: The Years That Shaped Brentford

Go back to the moments that helped change the club forever - the Doncaster heartbreak, promotion, Lionel Road, Warburton’s departure, Matthew Benham’s vision, the B Team and the arrival of Thomas Frank

Click here to read the story of The Years That Shaped Brentford and listen to all 11 original podcasts from 2013 to 2019 in one place

https://beesotted.com/beesotted-reloaded-the-years-that-shaped-brentford/

Check out the video on apple podcast by clicking right here

April 2014. Preston came to Griffin Park for their annual Gentry Day, dressed up to the nines. Brentford were hoping for another important win in the promotion race - but very few Bees fans arrived that afternoon expecting to be celebrating promotion by the end of it

Alan Judge’s penalty gave Brentford the victory and, with results elsewhere going our way, suddenly it was official. Brentford were promoted to the Championship

And Beesotted was there to capture the celebrations

This brilliant video takes us from Griffin Park to the pub, chatting to owner Matthew Benham, manager Mark Warburton, CEO Cliff Crown, Sporting Director Alan McParland and a host of the players as everyone tried to take in what Brentford had just achieved

Click here to read the story of The Years That Shaped Brentford and listen to all 11 original podcasts from 2013 to 2019 in one place

https://beesotted.com/beesotted-reloaded-the-years-that-shaped-brentford/

Watch the video on Apple Podcasts by clicking right here

After the heartbreak of Doncaster and the play-offs just 12 months earlier, the Bees had come straight back and finished the job

Watching it again now, there’s something brilliant about seeing the owner, manager and players celebrating and chatting with supporters down the pub

Go back to the moments that helped change the club forever - the Doncaster heartbreak, promotion, Lionel Road, Warburton’s departure, Matthew Benham’s vision, the B Team and the arrival of Thomas Frank

As we said at the time: “Wouldn’t happen in the Premier League…”

Little did we know.

Part of Beesotted Reloaded: The Years That Shaped Brentford

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Part of Beesotted Reloaded: The Years That Shaped Brentford

Go back to the moments that helped change the club forever - the Doncaster heartbreak, promotion, Lionel Road, Warburton’s departure, Matthew Benham’s vision, the B Team and the arrival of Thomas Frank

Click here to read the story of The Years That Shaped Brentford and listen to all 11 original podcasts from 2013 to 2019 in one place

https://beesotted.com/beesotted-reloaded-the-years-that-shaped-brentford/

Check out the video on apple podcast by clicking right here

December 2013. Brentford had bounced back from the previous season’s play-off heartbreak and, with Uwe Rösler still in charge, the Bees were once again flying in League One

But this was to become a night of huge change for Brentford – in more ways than one

Beesotted joined Bees fans down at Hounslow Civic Centre as local councillors prepared to vote on whether Brentford’s plans for a new stadium at Lionel Road would get the go-ahead

The decision came through. Brentford had the green light for a new stadium. A massive moment in the club’s history and something supporters had waited years for

But even as fans were celebrating, rumours were flying around that Uwe Rösler had been poached by Wigan Athletic. It took some of the gloss off a historic evening - and those rumours would soon prove to be true

Looking back at December 2013, it was an extraordinary night. Brentford had taken a huge step towards a new home, while at the same time preparing to lose the manager who had helped get the Bees moving forward on the pitch

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Part of Beesotted Reloaded: The Years That Shaped Brentford

Go back to the moments that helped change the club forever - the Doncaster heartbreak, promotion, Lionel Road, Warburton’s departure, Matthew Benham’s vision, the B Team and the arrival of Thomas Frank

Click here to read the story of The Years That Shaped Brentford and listen to all 11 original podcasts from 2013 to 2019 in one place

https://beesotted.com/beesotted-reloaded-the-years-that-shaped-brentford/

May 2013. Just days after the heartbreak of losing to Doncaster on the final day of the 2012/13 season, Beesotted caught up with Brentford manager Uwe Rösler

With the Bees now facing the play-offs and supporters still coming to terms with what had happened at Griffin Park, Uwe had a simple message - stay positive

But he was also looking much further ahead, talking about his belief in the club, where Brentford could go and even suggesting that the Bees could become the “new Man City”

Listening back to Uwe’s words from May 2013 more than a decade later, with Brentford now established in the Premier League, some of what he had to say feels remarkably prophetic

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This podcast is Part of Beesotted Reloaded: The Years That Shaped Brentford

Go back to the moments that helped change the club forever - the Doncaster heartbreak, promotion, Lionel Road, Warburton’s departure, Matthew Benham’s vision, the B Team and the arrival of Thomas Frank

Click here to read the story of The Years That Shaped Brentford and listen to all 11 original podcasts from 2013 to 2019 in one place

https://beesotted.com/beesotted-reloaded-the-years-that-shaped-brentford/

Watch the video on apple podcasts by clicking right here

April 27th 2013. The Final game of the season. Brentford played Doncaster at Griffin Park for a place in The Championship

Win and the Bees are promoted

With the score at 0-0 deep into injury time, Brentford are awarded a penalty. Fulham loanee Marcello Trotta steps up, hits the bar and, seconds later, Doncaster race up the other end and score to win promotion themselves

Raw footage and fan reaction from one of the most dramatic and heartbreaking finishes in Brentford history - but also a day which, looking back, arguably helped shape the Bees into the established Premier League force they are today

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Billy ‘The Bee’ Grant and Dave ‘Laney’ Lane are back with another Beesotted podcast – and there’s so much to talk about after a memorable 3-0 victory against Chelsea.

A game of two very different halves… Chelsea arguably had the better of the first half, although xG had it even, but after the break the Bees absolutely owned it with Brentford celebrating a comprehensive victory.

We look at Schuster, Schade and the very Brentford way that produced the second and third goals, as the Bees turned the game around in style. And finally, after all that waiting, Thiago gets his goal.

But was 3-0 actually a fair reflection of the game? TalkSPORT’s Jason Cundy didn’t think so - so who really controlled the game, and did the scoreline tell the whole story?

We’ll get into all of that, before turning our attention to the EFL Trophy, where Brentford secured a 1-0 win away at Bromley. Ollie Shield was the hero, scoring with a left-footed strike from outside the box that found the bottom corner.

Now it’s international break time, with 14 Bees heading off on international duty. We’ll take a look at who’s away, where they’re going and the matches coming up.

Plus, there’s a brand-new Beesotted Prediction League - you can get involved at beesotted.footballscoreline.com and your chance to get your name in the new Brentford Remembered book via www.legendspublishing.net

All that and more with Billy and Laney - and there are plenty more Beesotted podcasts waiting for you over at prideofwest.london.

And don’t forget the Beesotted quiz at The Steam Packet for the Liverpool match

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Billy TheBee Grant chats to Bees and Chelsea fans straight after the final whistle, getting their reaction to a huge West London derby

Brentford's three-goal victory, the performance, the atmosphere and all the talking points from a memorable night at the Gtech

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Billy "TheBee" Grant and Dave "Laney" Lane are back for a huge one – the West London derby is here, and Chelsea make the short trip to Kew on Friday night to take on the mighty Bees

There's plenty to look back on first – away days at Bournemouth and Reading both get picked over, the good, the bad and the downright frustrating, as the lads work out exactly where Brentford stand heading into derby week.

JB brings the Facts and Funk while Kunal – a proper Chelsea fan – joins us to give the view from Stamford Bridge on how the Blues have fared so far and what Brentford can expect under the lights on Friday

Dont forget to check out the big quiz in The Steam Packet, Kew before the game - 7pm start

And the Beesotted prediction league starts after the international break. Get involved and sign up at beesotted.footballscoreline.com. It's free

West London bragging rights are on the line – can the Bees make it a night to remember?

Check out Part One of the Bournemouth Preview podcast by clicking here

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