Newsletter: Set for 2024-25, May stretch, Forever Bees, NBC

Hi NYC Bees! We're down to just three matches and have mathematically clinched our spot for a fourth Premier League season! Here's some information, news and links for you as we cap off the campaign:

... And Then There Were Three, at The Red Lion
We will be at The Red Lion for the final three games of the season in May, starting with our foe Fulham on Saturday, May 4. The Newcastle match on Sunday, May 19, closes out the campaign; anticipate a large crowd and several games being televised that day at the pub as all 10 Premier League matches are simultaneously played. We will have our normal space toward the back and will have the usual priority over any secondary match viewing requests. See the graphic for our schedule breakdown.

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Lev Riley, Charlie Corr, Tim Searls

Forever Bees, in NYC
The USA-based Across the Seas but Forever Bees has become a staple for us Brentford supporters, and that connection grew a bit stronger in April. The host, Tim Searls, made the trip to New York City and we had the pleasure of meeting him at The Red Lion for Brentford-Aston Villa! Myself and Lev Riley had previously been guests on his show, so it was great to finally connect in person! Tim spoke briefly about the trip on their April 9 show.

NYC Bees' Adam Harder (top right)

Then on April 23, NYC Bee Adam Harder joined our growing Forever Bees lineage and spoke on the podcast about the origins of his Brentford fandom. Make sure to check out his conversation on their latest episode!

Among other media opportunities this past month, I was invited back to our semi-regular spot on Premier League Fanzone, live Fridays on Peacock. I joined hosts Will Perry and Clinton Morrison for their April 19 show, leading up to our victory at Luton Town. On April 27, the NYC Bees were featured twice on the NBC broadcast of Brentford-Everton, at halftime and postgame!

I'm not sure how many more chances we'll have to get on further fan shows now that the season is nearing its conclusion, but I'll be on the lookout as always! And of course if any of you would like to participate, please let me know -- the more, the merrier!

Set for Season 4 in the Premier League
Despite our heavy dose of injuries and other hurdles, Brentford officially clinched a mathematical berth for our fourth Premier League season over the weekend! Thanks to Wolves' 2-1 victory against Luton Town, that put us outside the relegation zone pending even the most drastic results down the stretch. Later in the day, we unfortunately lost to Everton, and with that result the Toffees joined us in being safe from a bottom-three finish (they also earned a 71st straight season in England's top flight of football). With one month to go, 20th-place Sheffield United is the only club that is confirmed to be heading back down to The Championship; Nottingham Forest, Luton and Burnley are in a battle to avoid the two remaining relegation positions. Meanwhile, Leicester City, the 2015-16 Premier League champion, will be back in the top flight for 2024-25.

Brentford News & Notes
Five-star performance at Luton Town: Brentford's offense reached warp speed en route to a 5-1 victory at Luton Town on April 20. Led by a brace from Yoane Wissa, the Bees matched some history with their second five-goal performance in their three-season Premier League run. The other instance was Brentford's 5-2 win against Leeds on Sept. 3, 2022, with Ivan Toney notching a hat trick.

Wissa's first brace boosted his season goals total to a team-leading 10. He earned Premier League Team of the Week accolades alongside Bryan Mbeumo following that performance, and WhoScored.com named Wissa the PL Player of the Week.

Capital Cup winners: The Brentford FC women's team defeated Leatherhead FC 4-0 on Sunday to win the Capital Cup final! Chloe Logle notched a first-half brace, Maddie Phillips tallied from 30 yards out and Lucy Bolitho capped off the scoring in the closing minutes. Congratulations! Also worth noting, the Brentford women's B team earned promotion into the Greater London Premier Division in early April.

Quick Hits: The Premier League is going to announce its 2024-25 season schedule on June 18. Mark your calendars! ... Everton was deducted two more points for breaching the Premier League profit and sustainability rules. At the time of the April 8 ruling, that helped Brentford move up to 15th place, ahead of the Toffees. ... Last-place Sheffield United will open its 2024-25 Championship season in the minus column: The club will be deducted 2 points by the EFL for defaulting on payments to other clubs during the 2022-23 season.

Suggestions, Comments, Feedback
If you ever have any thoughts, feel free to email (brentfordnyc@gmail.com) or chat with me anytime! #COYB!

Charlie

NYC Bees featured on NBC for Brentford-Everton; 4th PL season set

The NBC Sports production crew has given the NYC Bees some strong play throughout the 2023-24 season, and we were featured once again on the NBC broadcast of Brentford-Everton on April 27. Our NYC Brentford supporters were featured twice on the day, at halftime and postgame.

Even though the Bees didn't get a result against Everton, it was a big day for Brentford as the club still mathematically clinched its spot for the 2024-25 Premier League season.

We have been on five NBC broadcasts this season, including our matches against Newcastle (Sept. 16, 2023), Everton (Sept. 23, 2023) and Arsenal (March 9, 2024), and our birthday shoutout to NBC Sports' Rebecca Lowe (Nov. 11, 2023).

NYC Bees' Harder shares Brentford fandom roots on Forever Bees pod

Adam Harder of the NYC Bees made his debut appearance on the Across the Seas but Forever Bees podcast on Tuesday, April 23. Harder has been a regular supporter at our watch events at The Red Lion since our second Premier League season. He spoke to Tim Searls and Greville Waterman about the roots of his Brentford fandom during the later stages of the club's Championship tenure, and talked about the growth that has stemmed from the experience stateside.

Harder is the third person among our NYC fanbase to join the American-based podcast, joining Levar Riley and Charlie Corr among the show participants. Check out Adam's story!

If anyone else would like to connect with Searls and Waterman, please reach out and we'd be happy to connect you to them for a future episode.

NYC Bees chat Mbeumo, Frank, Brentford-Luton on PL Fanzone

NYC Bees co-founder Charlie Corr made a fifth appearance this season on the weekly Premier League Fanzone, live on Peacock on Friday, April 19. The conversation covered Brentford's near-safety from relegation, the impact of Bryan Mbeumo, whether Thomas Frank ever felt the heat during this tough season, and what type of result is necessary against the Bees' opponent Luton Town on April 20.

If you are ever interested in participating in this international show, please reach out. They likely are set for their designated supporters and calls for the remainder of the 2023-24 season, but every year they're looking for additional voices.

Forever Bees' Searls touts Red Lion visit in NYC during latest show

Tim Searls, host of the American-based Across the Seas but Forever Bees podcast, recently stopped into New York City and visited the NYC Bees at The Red Lion on April 6 for Brentford-Aston Villa. He mentioned the visit during his latest podcast on April 10 (approximately 22 minutes into the show).

U.S. supporters have regularly participated on Searls' program as he regularly ties in our local fandom with commentary about the Bees. NYC Bees co-founder Charlie Corr has been on the show several times, and Levar Riley was our group's first participant on the show.

A big thanks to Tim for what he and Greville Waterman have done with this show. We'll certainly continue to participate in this podcast down the road.

Newsletter: April Slate, PL Fanzone, NBC, Toney Rewriting History

Hi NYC Bees! It's crunch time over the final eight matches, but hopefully we'll have a brighter outlook in the coming weeks! Some information, news and links for you:

Five-Match April Slate at The Red Lion
After our one-game side trip for the Manchester United match, we are back in full force at The Red Lion throughout April. We're getting together for all five matches, opening with two games in a four-day stretch: Brighton on Wednesday, April 3, and then Aston Villa on Saturday, April 6. With multiple matchups against teams below us in the table, we certainly create our own destiny in avoiding the relegation zone when all is said and done.

See the graphic for our schedule breakdown.

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Returns to PL Fanzone, LIT Stream, NBC Again
We had multiple appearances on the media side this past month. I returned to the Premier League Fanzone show live on Peacock a couple times, prior to Brentford-Burnley and then before our clash with Manchester United. On March 28, I connected again with our good friends at Shades of Blue (USA-based Manchester City show) for their LIT Stream to chat about Ivan Toney's international accomplishments, Thomas Frank and more (I joined about 30 minutes into the program). We made it on the NBC broadcast for a fourth time this season, during halftime of the Brentford-Arsenal match. It was also nice to see our upstate neighbors, the Saratoga Bees and Brian O'Connell, debut on the Across the Seas But Forever Bees podcast on March 1. O'Connell and the crew had joined us at The Red Lion to cap off the 2022-23 season!

Ping me if you're ever interested in participating on any fan shows, there are certainly plenty of opportunities out there!

PL Mornings Live in Nashville
Brentford is hosting a fan event during Premier League Mornings Live 2024 on Saturday, April 6, at Tennessee Brew Works in Nashville. Register here on Brentford's official site.

Brentford News & Notes
Toney rewriting history: Forward Ivan Toney has done something no Brentford player has done before, scoring a goal for England's national team during a 2-2 draw against Belgium on March 26. Not only did he convert a first-half penalty kick, but Toney is now the first Brentford player to earn multiple England caps. The only other active Bees to ever see the pitch for the national squad were Billy Scott (1936) and Les Smith (1939). It's remarkable how Toney is rewriting so much history with his ties to Brentford, a club that was formed only a couple decades after the formation of The Football Association.

Mbeumo returns; others to follow?: The injury bug has unfortunately been the one constant of the 2023-24 season, but there is some hope around the corner. Bryan Mbeumo (ankle) is actually one of the first instances where he got back quicker than projected, making a couple appearances this past month before and after the international window. Mbeumo still hasn't started, but hopefully that will change in the coming days. But now the question is, who else on the mend will make it back for this critical stretch of games? Thomas Frank said that Kevin Schade (groin) "has been progressing well" and has been in full training for the past couple weeks. Ethan Pinnock (ankle) and Christian Norgaard (back) are apparently moving the right direction with their recovery, but it's unclear if they are close enough for the opening April matches.

Thomas Frank on 1-1 draw vs. Man U: "I'm so, so, so happy that we got at least a point. If not, I probably would have lost faith in the football gods."

Quick Hits: Defender Kristoffer Ajer has scored a goal in back-to-back matches: The late equalizer against Manchester United and a shorthanded tally against Burnley. Ajer called the Man U match "one of our best games in the Premier League." ... On March 18, Nottingham Forest was deducted four points for breaking the Premier League's Sustainability Rules. That dropped them down to 18th place and into the relegation zone at the time. Forest and Luton Town are currently 17th and 18th, respectively, in the standings with 22 points. Brentford is 15th with 27 points.

Suggestions, Comments, Feedback
If you ever have any thoughts, feel free to email (brentfordnyc@gmail.com) or chat with me anytime! #COYB!

Charlie