Head Coach Thomas Frank was delighted to be back to work with the Brentford squad this week. He sat down with us to discuss the team’s return to training, improving on last year and the work underway at Jersey Road.

“Being back is great, I must say. When I was driving in on Thursday morning it felt like we were ready to go again. I was so happy to see everyone, and became happier throughout the day because of the energy the boys gave off. They were smiling, hugging, high-fiving and there was a lot of banter immediately. There was a fantastic mood, and we all seem ready to kick on.”

Wasting no time in getting back to business, Thomas explained what he wanted to work on during the coming weeks when he has more time to make detailed adjustments to the team.

“The messaging for the players is more of the same. We need to build on our foundation, that is the defensive side of the game needs to be unbelievably aggressive and able to still press high.

“The defensive side of the game is a big thing for us, we did that very well last season. In more or less all of the areas, we were top ten on that side of the game so that’s a big part of why we performed well in the Premier League last season.

"The second part is set pieces, it’s no secret that we focus on that. We also want to be a top team in terms of fitness and the boys are working very hard. I’m pleased to see that. We then need to add more detail offensively, we’ll speak about that as we get closer to the start of the season. I think we did it well last term, but I’d like to do it better.”

The global pandemic meant serious restrictions were put in place for teams up and down the country. For us, it also put some distance between the First Team and the B Team. Training schedules had to be adjusted, no more than a few people could be in the same room at the same time and sometimes the B squad would train at a different location altogether. Thomas is pleased to see the second squad returning to the training ground.

“One of the big values here is togetherness. I constantly speak about it, we all constantly speak about it, because we have good people who care about each other. We have created a fantastic environment and culture here, and part of that is the B Team.

“They have been a little bit too far away from us in the last couple of years due to covid. To have them in here, when you have them around you, is great. You see each other more, like going from the gym to the pavilion, and that’s fantastic for the bigger project that is Brentford.”

Over the summer, plans were put in place for several big improvements to take shape at Jersey Road, with a completion date of December 2022 - after the end of the World Cup in Qatar. You may have seen that work starting in the past few days in the background of videos and photos on our social channels. Thomas, who joined the Club in 2016, is happy to see the new development going ahead.

“You sometimes forget how quickly the time flies. I’ve been here for five-and-a-half years and you see a lot of progress throughout the years. We’ve had the new stadium, promotion, staying in the Premier League and now we’re getting a new training ground structure.

"I’m looking forward to that. I have a picture in my head that next year, in April, I’ll be sitting on one of the new terraces with a good cup of coffee and we will be performing fantastically in the Premier League. That’s my hope anyway.”