In 2013/14, Brentford finished runners-up in League One. It was the Bees’ first promotion to the second tier in more than 20 years and marked the beginning of the club’s eventual rise to the Premier League.
To celebrate the 10-year anniversary of Brentford’s 2013/14 promotion-winning campaign, we’re speaking with the key members of the squad to discover the secrets of a successful and eventful season.
First up is former manager Uwe Rösler, who was Bees boss from 2011 until halfway through the 2013/14 campaign, when he played his part in guiding the club to the Championship.
The 2013/14 season did not start in the manner anybody had hoped.
Brentford picked up nine of the 15 points on offer in August but laboured as they did so, and September started with a 4-0 defeat at Bradford, during which goalkeeper David Button was sent off after less than half an hour.
They lost three of the next five games, the last of which was away at Stevenage. Clayton Donaldson put the Bees in front after 13 minutes, but they were unable to recover from Francois Zoko’s double, which handed Boro a 2-1 win.
What came next is the stuff of legend in TW8.
The team did not emerge, as expected, from the dressing room at the Lamex Stadium shortly after the full-time whistle. In fact, it was around an hour and a half until they did so.
Behind closed doors, Rösler had initiated clear-the-air talks in an attempt to break his players out of the rut they had started to slide into.
“There was a hangover and we didn’t start the season well,” he concedes. “The Stevenage game was a milestone. The internal talk we had after the match was not a punishment, it was just like ‘now is the time to talk’.
“I had taken a lot of belief from the words of Matthew [Benham], but every human being is different - I got strength from this and I felt supported, but the players maybe had to deal with this differently to the way I did.
“I opened up the gates completely and everyone had the possibility to talk. The players and the staff were forced to talk and say what we could do better to get back on track.
“When you open up the gates, the truth comes out - and the truth had to come out. I think the players appreciated the opportunity to get their feelings across. There was no plan, just instincts.
“I got a clearer picture of what the players wanted and needed; the players probably got a better picture of what they had to do better from my side and then we came together because we were speaking eye to eye.”
The open conversation had exactly the desired effect. It was almost scary the way things knitted back together so quickly. Brentford won eight of the next nine games in all competitions and climbed to fourth in the League One table. Before long, the chants of, ‘We’re Brentford FC, we win every week’ were emanating from the Ealing Road terrace.
“Our inner strength, our culture and our camaraderie brought us together in the most difficult situation and we turned it around,” says Rösler.
“Before the talk, I was trying things out to change momentum and I chopped and changed a bit because we were not happy with the results. After that, we found clarity, stuck to one system - that was the key to turning it.
“We had shown the year before we had the quality, so it was not about the players. First, it was just about getting momentum again, then the clarity of what we needed, what we had to do to win matches in that league and to get cracking - and that is what we did.
“When the first win comes, the second win comes, then everything gets easier. People perform better when you have good momentum; when you don’t everything is harder. We found the momentum, we won those games at a crucial time, and it just went from strength to strength.”
Enjoying this interview? Read the full feature with Uwe Rösler in the Crystal Palace issue of our match programme.
Inside Saturday's match programme
Thomas Frank’s thoughts
Big Ben Burgess’ Big Match Preview
From the loss of talisman Wilfried Zaha to the excitement of current stars Ebereci Eze and Michael Olise, Edmund Brack of the South London Press brings us up to speed on all things Palace ahead of Saturday's Premier League clash at Gtech Community Stadium
The Long Read: Yoane Wissa - Brentford forward Yoane Wissa is not phased by the responsibility that might come with playing as the Bees' centre-forward, stating that he is using it as motivation for the season; the 26-year-old has scored two goals in two games so far this campaign
The Nathan Caton column
An interview with B-team midfielder Ethan Brierley who, having signed for the club this summer, has already had an exciting time as a Bees player. The former Rochdale man travelled to America with the first team for the Premier League Summer Series and has featured in friendlies for Thomas Frank's side
Sales locations
Bees Superstore and Bees Merchandise kiosk (Lionel Road South)
Lionel Road South
Bridge (Bees Superstore end)
Outside Bees Superstore (outside Magnet)
2x outside the box office (outside Entrance B)
End of Lionel Road (Kew Bridge, stadium end)
Away end entrance (outside Entrance G)
Stadium (as well as in the Dugout)
Merchandise kiosks (north, east and west stands and family section)
Programmes are available after the game from the Bees Merchandise Kiosk and the Bees Superstore (Lionel Road South).