Brentford rise above snobbery to remain awkward, all-action opponents

Results under Keith Andrews may be mixed but set-pieces are helping side pass latest stress tests of club’s framework

ALL ACTION: Under Keith Andrews, Brentford remain all-action, flinty, awkward to play against.

Brentford represent a case study in what happens to the “well-run”, paragon club when their long-serving leader departs, along with key players. Can the processes that took the club so far weather such change? Can a much-admired analytics-based scouting system find workable replacements? Appointing a manager – Brentford use the title of head coach – with no frontline experience in Keith Andrews further stress-tests the strength of the framework.

The signs thus far are mixed though positive on balance. As sainted as Thomas Frank is in the Brentford canon, the Dane leaving with the blessing of execs and fans to join Tottenham, progress was never linear or a fully upward curve. A club with a reported wage bill of £50m (€57.4m) a season, among the lowest in the Premier League, have heavy tides to swim against. That last season’s 10th place came accompanied by disappointment in missing out on European football suggests how far expectations had risen.