They lost their manager, captain, goalkeeper and two top scorers last summer but are challenging the elite
By WhoScored
Seventh place, just a few points behind Liverpool and Chelsea with nine games to play – not bad for a side that was condemned to relegation in many pre-season predictions. Brentford have not just defied the naysayers; they are on the brink of creating club history too. European qualification beckons for the first time in their 137-year history and, with 44 points after 29 games, Keith Andrews’ side are on course to beat their previous record of 55 in a top-flight season. Brentford are challenging clubs with wage bills four times larger than their own.
It is easy to forget just how remarkable an achievement this is for a side once mocked as “a bus stop in Hounslow” by their local rivals. They lost four of their best and most experienced players last summer, with Christian Nørgaard joining Arsenal, Yoane Wissa signing for Newcastle, Bryan Mbeumo leaving for Manchester United and Mark Flekken moving to Bayer Leverkusen for a combined £146m. They were all essential to Brentford last season: Nørgaard was the club captain; Wissa and Mbeumo scored 39 league goals between them (59% of the team’s total), and Flekken made 133 saves – 25 more than any other keeper in the league.
Continue reading…They lost their manager, captain, goalkeeper and two top scorers last summer but are challenging the eliteBy WhoScoredSeventh place, just a few points behind Liverpool and Chelsea with nine games to play – not bad for a side that was condemned to relegation in many pre-season predictions. Brentford have not just defied the naysayers; they are on the brink of creating club history too. European qualification beckons for the first time in their 137-year history and, with 44 points after 29 games, Keith Andrews’ side are on course to beat their previous record of 55 in a top-flight season. Brentford are challenging clubs with wage bills four times larger than their own.It is easy to forget just how remarkable an achievement this is for a side once mocked as “a bus stop in Hounslow” by their local rivals. They lost four of their best and most experienced players last summer, with Christian Nørgaard joining Arsenal, Yoane Wissa signing for Newcastle, Bryan Mbeumo leaving for Manchester United and Mark Flekken moving to Bayer Leverkusen for a combined £146m. They were all essential to Brentford last season: Nørgaard was the club captain; Wissa and Mbeumo scored 39 league goals between them (59% of the team’s total), and Flekken made 133 saves – 25 more than any other keeper in the league. Continue reading…
