Brentford FC in the Premier League?

[Royal Flush]

Very poor against us a couple of weeks back, didn't have a shot on target untill very late in the game when already 1-0 (scored with a deflection) and having played against a chasing 10 men side for 20 mins. Was sat there wondering how on earth they are up their in the table.

I was away for the game 2 weeks before where we knocked them out of the cup so don't know what happened there.

[rinswun]

I actually missed the Brighton away game ironically, given I live in Brighton, but by all accounts I read, and speaking to Seagulls supporting colleagues, we were pretty average but didn't need to be any better. Button made some good saves but Toral missed an open goal with a few minutes left. One of our poorer performances by all accounts but a poor game in general.

In the FA Cup game it was the reverse, a late Brighton smash and grab after we were profligate infront of goal. This season I'd much rather have exited the cup early and won the league game though.

[Royal Flush]

Yeah I mean neither side cared about the cup. That open goal was one of the funniest things you will see, find the highlights.

[tikay]

It's widely reported today that Brentford will sack their Manager, Mark Warburton, even if they achieve the "impossible dream" of Promotion to the Premier League.

The Bees are currently 4th.

http://www.thesackrace.com/news/10th-february-2015/report-claims-brentford-will-sack-mark-warburton-at-the-end-of-the-season

Click to see full-size image.

[DungBeetle]

Absolutely absurd, even by Watford standards!

[DMorgan]

Statement to the contrary released by the club today, not exactly pouring cold water on the story

He's on a rolling 1-year deal so he may have secured a role with a bigger club and let the board know that he won't be re-signing?

Far from ideal timing, big game vs Watford tonight

[horseplayer]

Seems exactly what Southampton do tbf

They are planning ahead for the inevitable, certainly could have worded things better but the chap from Spain is very very highly regarded and with respect i doubt they could get him anyway even if in the Premiership.

[DungBeetle]

They have a new stadium on the way Horsey - might give them a profile boost to get a bigger name on board?

[TightEnd]

logically if you accept that teams go up and will say "good enough for the championship, not a premier league talent" and look to upgrade their playing squad you'd say the same about a manager too?

[rinswun]

Really don't know what to think. Warburton has been a real Benham man throughout his time at the club, and seemingly they have been on the same page regarding all parts of the 'project', as they so often put it. For Benham to then actively seek to replace him when he has proven to be an exceptionally capable manager seems very strange. Something doesn't seem right with the story - and perhaps it's the Warburton being surprised piece? Benham is one of the shrewdest owners in football and the idea that he'd go behind the back of a man with whom he built a youth competition before he was even associated with Brentford just doesn't sound believable to me.

This may not be the season Brentford go up and maybe I am blinded with optimism but I don't think this is a flash in the pan Brentford team. Benham, and Warburton, have put in place an infrastructure which will guarantee success at a high level for a long time. I definitely think this is a team going the way if Hull and Swansea rather than a Bradford.

[The Camel]

I've been following football for longer than I care to remember, but I've never heard of an owner and a manager falling out because the owner wants to splash the cash and bring in reinforcements while the manager wants to stick with what he's got and spend nothing.

Arse about face if you ask me. #smallteaminfulham

[tikay]

I've been following football for longer than I care to remember, but I've never heard of an owner and a manager falling out because the owner wants to splash the cash and bring in reinforcements while the manager wants to stick with what he's got and spend nothing.

Arse about face if you ask me. #smallteaminfulham

Behave.

Next season, Brentford could be in the Premier League, & QPR in the Championship.

Just imagine. 

[TightEnd]

Brentford have confirmed that Warburton leaves at the end of the season

"he was given notice after refusing to sign some overseas players. "

[TightEnd]

Nick Goff ‏@nickgoff79 18m18 minutes ago

What Benham's dong at Brentford is going to be the most interesting thing to follow in all of football for the next couple of years.


Nick Goff ‏@nickgoff79 17m17 minutes ago

It's basically going to prove whether or not the best methods for professional betting can also be used to successfully run a football club.


Nick Goff ‏@nickgoff79 14m14 minutes ago

Seen a lot of "football's gone mad" tweets already. Owners who don't really get it - like the one at Wolves - that's mad. Benham is not.

[arbboy]

Nick Goff ‏@nickgoff79 18m18 minutes ago

What Benham's dong at Brentford is going to be the most interesting thing to follow in all of football for the next couple of years.


Nick Goff ‏@nickgoff79 17m17 minutes ago

It's basically going to prove whether or not the best methods for professional betting can also be used to successfully run a football club.


Nick Goff ‏@nickgoff79 14m14 minutes ago

Seen a lot of "football's gone mad" tweets already. Owners who don't really get it - like the one at Wolves - that's mad. Benham is not.

Goff is a funny twitter poster.  Should spend more time getting his prices right so he can lay them for decent money than worry about successful methods of running a football team.  I hardly see how comparing running a football team successfully equates to being a successful football gambler or vice versa.  Gamblers are just trying to predict as accurately as possible via maths models what will happen on a pitch.   Having those models alone doesn't allow you to become a successful owner/manager of a football team.

For example i can price up dog races reasonably well but wouldn't have a clue how to train a racing greyhound.

analytics clearly have their place in sports but in the last few years my personal view is that people are getting carried away with them (esp in the NBA) with many people suddenly thinking they are the most important factor of all.  

Charles Barkley (NBA hall of famer) recently commented on this issue in the NBA - see link below.  Think he makes a lot of fair points about people getting too carried away with stats in sports.

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/02/charles-barkley-daryl-morey-beef

“The Rockets sucked for a long time, so they went out and paid James Harden a lot of money. They got better,” he said. “Then they went out and got Dwight Howard. They got better. …

“The NBA is about talent,” he went on. “All these guys who run these organizations who talk about analytics, they have one thing in common — they’re a bunch of guys who have never played the game, and they never got the girls in high school, and they just want to get in the game.”

In the same segment, he called out the Rockets’ defense. “Just because you’ve got good stats doesn’t mean you’re a good team defensively,” Barkley said. “They’re not a good defensive team. They gave up 118 points. No good team gives up 118 points.”