Thomas Frank | Brentford Manager

VP89

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He's quite good, isn't he? Surprised I couldn't see an existing thread on him and feel one is deserved.
 

tomaldinho1

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They do look a well drilled outfit. Candidly haven’t seen them pre PL but interesting to follow them now - wonder if we have any resident Bees fans on here?
 

Robbie Boy

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Looks a good manager. I think @el diablorojo commented recently that while Frank is doing a great job, Brentford's general set up is top notch, especially in the analytics department.
 

el diablorojo

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@tomaldinho1 yeah there is myself and at least one other who doesn't really post but made himself known to me.

Thomas Frank is an absolutely top notch person really genuine guy and happy to talk football with fans - it helps that he is a great coach too.

He first came to the club as an assistant to Dean Smith - when Smith was going through a bit of a sticky patch was very much a club appointment that Smith was onboard with 100%. When Smith went to Villa he was chosen to succeed him but the start we had (one win in ten) had some fans questioning it. However the underlying stats suggested the performances were good and this is what the Directors of Football and owner look at so he was never in danger of getting the old Tin Tack.

I have no doubt that Thomas is a top manager but would he be as good when he is taken away from the Brentford set up I am not so sure. Dean Smith has done alright at Villa but they seem to be run pretty well these days. He certainly wouldn't have access to our analytics team/data anymore that's for sure.

Regarding our analytics and use of them - I very much doubt there are many clubs with the same access to data that we have or utilise it better than we do but they will be catching us up. The owner and DOFs are always looking for new ways to stay ahead of the game though.

As an interesting aside on Frank - the reason he quit Bronby was because it came to light that the chairman was on a fans forums under a pseudonym criticising him :lol: imagine if the Glaziers were on here starting Ole Out threads :houllier:
 

Dec9003

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He’s doing really well, watched a lot of Brentford this season and always been impressed. There’s plenty of top coaches managing outside the top six clubs at the moment it seems like.
 

tomaldinho1

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@tomaldinho1 yeah there is myself and at least one other who doesn't really post but made himself known to me.

Thomas Frank is an absolutely top notch person really genuine guy and happy to talk football with fans - it helps that he is a great coach too.

He first came to the club as an assistant to Dean Smith - when Smith was going through a bit of a sticky patch was very much a club appointment that Smith was onboard with 100%. When Smith went to Villa he was chosen to succeed him but the start we had (one win in ten) had some fans questioning it. However the underlying stats suggested the performances were good and this is what the Directors of Football and owner look at so he was never in danger of getting the old Tin Tack.

I have no doubt that Thomas is a top manager but would he be as good when he is taken away from the Brentford set up I am not so sure. Dean Smith has done alright at Villa but they seem to be run pretty well these days. He certainly wouldn't have access to our analytics team/data anymore that's for sure.

Regarding our analytics and use of them - I very much doubt there are many clubs with the same access to data that we have or utilise it better than we do but they will be catching us up. The owner and DOFs are always looking for new ways to stay ahead of the game though.

As an interesting aside on Frank - the reason he quit Bronby was because it came to light that the chairman was on a fans forums under a pseudonym criticising him :lol: imagine if the Glaziers were on here starting Ole Out threads :houllier:
Good to know and will watch them with interest. So far I think everyone focuses on Toney but look a solid team and I always like promoted clubs that don’t just sit in and pray for draws in order to stay up.

haha that is a brilliant fact at the end. I have no doubt Joel started some Ole out threads!
 

Ali Dia

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Looks a good manager. I think @el diablorojo commented recently that while Frank is doing a great job, Brentford's general set up is top notch, especially in the analytics department.
Was just going to say. They scout using data and stats to maximise value. Not sure how it’ll fly when they need to take the next step. Pragmatic back 5. Fast fit strong and undervalued players. Wonder how they kick on? Their strikers have all gone on to bigger(ish) things. Maupay, Benrahma, Watkins and I’m sure a few bigger clubs will be circling Toney if he keeps going. Another one who doesn’t look out of place in the PL and they got him for a snip (5 rising to 10 million) Look at Olise today for Palace. There is a lot of value in the lower leagues if you know what to look for.

So yeah maybe not a top manager but top owners/cutting edge recruitment practices?
 

el diablorojo

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Was just going to say. They scout using data and stats to maximise value. Not sure how it’ll fly when they need to take the next step. Pragmatic back 5. Fast fit strong and undervalued players. Wonder how they kick on? Their strikers have all gone on to bigger(ish) things. Maupay, Benrahma, Watkins and I’m sure a few bigger clubs will be circling Toney if he keeps going. Another one who doesn’t look out of place in the PL and they got him for a snip (5 rising to 10 million) Look at Olise today for Palace. There is a lot of value in the lower leagues if you know what to look for.

So yeah maybe not a top manager but top owners/cutting edge recruitment practices?
It’s already been identified by the club, for a few years, that the advantages we take from our superb use of analytics become smaller and smaller the further up the football pyramid you go. So I fully expect them to be trying to find other ways to use the data and other ways to gain advantages -big question is can we do it.
 

Ali Dia

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It’s already been identified by the club, for a few years, that the advantages we take from our superb use of analytics become smaller and smaller the further up the football pyramid you go. So I fully expect them to be trying to find other ways to use the data and other ways to gain advantages -big question is can we do it.
Honestly I think after another few sales the next thing you’ll probably do is attempt to keep the core of your team together for a trophy push instead of selling and then possibly start targeting high value young players from abroad with a view to selling them for a profit. The likes of Kamaldeen and Damsgaard probably just moved a few seasons too soon for you but I reckon that’ll be the next niche. It’s also interesting you don’t bother with a youth team when it’s such a busy part of the country but obviously competition for the very best players is cutthroat. I like the way you’ve solidly spotted undervalued PL standard players on a shoestring. It’s class really!
 

Poborsky's hair

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frankly a good manager. Always like small teams climbing up from Championship to play football in the EPL, unlike the likes of Norwich who yoyo down again.
 

Sarni

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Looks a good manager. I think @el diablorojo commented recently that while Frank is doing a great job, Brentford's general set up is top notch, especially in the analytics department.
Indeed, the whole club is super impressive in how it is organized. Being an analytics freak myself and doing this stuff for the living I can’t help but having a soft spot for them due to this.
 

el diablorojo

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Honestly I think after another few sales the next thing you’ll probably do is attempt to keep the core of your team together for a trophy push instead of selling and then possibly start targeting high value young players from abroad with a view to selling them for a profit. The likes of Kamaldeen and Damsgaard probably just moved a few seasons too soon for you but I reckon that’ll be the next niche. It’s also interesting you don’t bother with a youth team when it’s such a busy part of the country but obviously competition for the very best players is cutthroat. I like the way you’ve solidly spotted undervalued PL standard players on a shoestring. It’s class really!
Well we went big on our Academy when Benham (the owner and Stats geek ;)) first took over, invested heavily forged a partnership with a local secondary/high school built an all weather facility to train on in the winter at the school and got in decent coaches to run it. Really it was thanks to United and the noisy neighbours that we went in a different direction. Losing Poveda to city and Joshua Bohui to United for peanuts thanks to the ridiculous EPPP scheme made Benham think why drop millions on an academy each year when players get poached at 15 for next to nothing. That's when Rob Rowan (RIP) came to him with the idea of running the B team as our route for young talented players who have left the likes of Arsenal looking for a route into the first team and it has been a phenomenal success. B team focuses on 17 year olds and up, mainly players from here and Europe - especially Scandinavia.
 

VidaRed

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Bitter scum.



 

sirAlexsglasses

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Few snide comments about Sancho that weren’t warranted really, yes they did spank us in the first half, but there are two halves Thomas, also this is the Premier league, take your chances or you get punished.
 

sugar_kane

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I don’t even understand what he means by with that Sancho quote, what point is he making? How does it relate to the preceding sentence?

Will have to assume he wasn’t aware why Sancho didn’t play tonight, but even so it was a cnuty thing to say.
 

Delano

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Completely rational take here...

But the camera cutting to him grafting on his chewing gum with his mouth open was doing my head in.

No doubt he'll sound like a gravel driveway.