SlideTackles.com: September 2025

Monday, September 29, 2025

Newletter: Euphoria vs. United, Carabao Cup, challenging October

Hello again NYC Bees, the mood of this club sure changes from week to week! We're fortunately coming off a high moment with a victory against Manchester United. On the side, we're through to the Fourth Round of the Carabao Cup. Next month will be a challenging one, though! Here are some updates and pieces of news as we prep for October:

Bees face difficult home schedule in October
Our string of later kickoffs rolls into October, so that guarantees we will be meeting for everything at The Red Lion, 151 Bleecker St. Our Premier League schedule features three games this month, including two massive home matches: Manchester City (Oct. 5) and Liverpool (Oct. 25). Sandwiched in between is a weekday clash at West Ham (Oct. 20). We also advanced to the Fourth Round of the Carabao Cup, where we will take on Grimsby Town (Oct. 28). See the graphic for our full meet-up schedule at The Red Lion (Note: NYC local time is 4 hours behind the UK for that Carabao Cup fixture; all other dates are a 5-hour time difference).

Thiago, Kelleher lift Bees over MU
Brentford put in a balanced performance against the 13-time Premier League champion Manchester United to close out September. Brazilian forward Thiago recorded a first-half brace and goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher came up with a vital penalty kick save against Bruno Fernandes as the Bees notched a well-earned 3-1 victory in West London. Brentford has won back-to-back league games against United for the first time since 1937 (88 years ago). The game also marked Brentford's first game against former Bee Bryan Mbeumo, who didn't record a single shot.

Brentford News & Notes
Brentford Women advance in FA Cup qualifier: Everyone recalls the amazing run the Brentford Women displayed in last year's FA Cup. They've taken care of the first step this year, defeating Tonbridge Angels 2-0 in second-round qualifying on Sept. 21. Ilana Harris-Walters and Maddie Phillips provided the goalscoring. Next up will be Reading FC on Oct. 5 in the third-round qualifier. Should the Bees advance past Reading, that will place them in the First Round of the main 136-team competition; last season's Brentford Women advanced all the way to the Third Round.

Bees continue Carabao Cup run: It feels like so long ago, but Brentford did thrill us with a 4-2 penalty kick shootout win against Aston Villa on Sept. 16 to advance to the Fourth Round of the Carabao Cup! The star was goalkeeper Hakon Valdimarsson making two PK saves, and the winner was converted by Mikkel Damsgaard, who was making his 100th Bees appearance in all competitions. Aaron Hickey netted an impressive volley during regulation to tie the score at 1-1, a right-footed rocket into the upper left of the frame.

Report: Brentford applies for Category 1 academy status: According to Standard Sport football writer Sam Tabuteau, Brentford has formally applied for Category 1 academy status. Additionally, according to Tabuteau, Jamie Greenwood is now the interim academy director, following Stephen Torpey's departure to Manchester United.

Live on BBC Radio: Among some upcoming media opportunities for us, I am fortunate to be returning to BBC Radio for a pregame panel on Sports World in the minutes prior to Brentford's Oct. 5 home match against Manchester City! You will be able to listen live on BBC's World Service Feed. The Sports World episode will also be available HERE, but will only be a live broadcast. There is no permanent post-show recording. Also on the horizon is a return to the Shades of Blue podcast to preview the Brentford v. Man City matchup.

Quick Hits: Brentford's currently unbeaten at Gtech Community Stadium this season, in large part to Fabio Carvalho who scored a late equalizer for a 2-2 draw against Chelsea on Sept. 13. Kevin Schade scored a first-half goal to give the Bees an early lead, but unfortunately hanging onto leads has been one of the club's biggest vulnerabilities thus far. ... The Brentford Women continue their perfect start to the season in the London and South East Premier Division, the latest being a 2-1 victory over Ashford Town (Middlesex) on Sept. 28. Allison Down garnered the winner with 20 minutes remaining. ... A quick plug to Atlanta Bee Michel Cowdery, who attended the recent PL Fan Fest and also gave a nice NYC Bees shout-out during his appearance on the Across the Seas but Forever Bees podcast! If any Brentford supporters want to join that show to introduce themselves and tout their club thoughts and knowledge, we'd be happy to connect you with the show!

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

Charlie

Monday, September 1, 2025

Newsletter: Transfer chaos, Carabao Cup win, Athlon and PLinUSA hits

Hi again NYC Bees, one month in the books, and quite a bit to cover! The Yoane Wissa transfer saga reached a very ideal conclusion, and we got our first win under new manager Keith Andrews. But it's been a mixed bag of results. Here is some of the latest that has happened, and a look ahead to our schedule after the international break.

Bevy of schedule changes affect September itinerary
Before the season kicked off, we were informed of three changes to Brentford's September schedule. Under the circumstances, that means we will be meeting at The Red Lion, 151 Bleecker St., for two of the three Premier League matches. The Sept. 13 (Chelsea) and Sept. 20 (Fulham) games are now kicking off at 3 p.m. ET, and the pub has confirmed that the music lineup will hold off until after the final whistle. The one negative is the Sept. 27 match against Manchester United and Bryan Mbeumo. With the earlier kickoff (7:30 a.m. ET), that means we won't be getting together at The Red Lion for this fixture. We're also in the Third Round of the Carabao Cup this month, so stay tuned for more! See the graphic outlining these details.

Wissa heads to Newcastle on £55 million transfer
It came down to the final day of the transfer window, but Brentford's front office patiently held firm for an appropriate fee on Yoane Wissa. Newcastle reportedly is paying £55 million for the nearly 29-year-old, ending a saga that included some childish tactics from Wissa to the club. Unlike Bryan Mbeumo, Christian Norgaard and others who outwardly displayed professional behavior during their respective transfer moves, Wissa's drama included deleting Brentford-related social media posts, a "promise" narrative on an alleged verbal deal and a rambling statement to do some damage control (making matters even worse). Fortunately the business side worked out, but Wissa has primed himself for a rude awakening when he returns to West London, and a club that did so much for him to get to this stage of his pro career.

Brentford's official site and social media channels intentionally omitted any sort of "thank you" from their messaging. That about sums up everything.

Ouattara signs, leads Bees to win in debut
You never know how quickly an incoming transfer can make an impact for Brentford, but the club did make sure to secure an important piece in the absence of Bryan Mbeumo moving forward. Dango Ouattara signed a five-year deal for a club-record fee of reportedly £42.5 million. The 23-year-old had played for Bournemouth since January of 2023, and he made a good first impression with Bees supporters. Ouattara scored the lone goal in the 12th minute of a 1-0 victory over Aston Villa on Aug. 23. That also gave new Brentford manager Keith Andrews his first win at the helm. It has been far from a smooth start overall, though, with a disappointing opening day loss at Nottingham Forest and a bitter 2-1 defeat at Sunderland, despite a lead and multiple opportunities to build a two-goal cushion.

NYC Bees land spot in Athlon Sports issue
We garnered some nice media attention as part of the Athlon Sports 2025-26 Premier League Preview issue! Football writer Michael Lewis spoke with me for his piece, Examining the PL's Booming American Fandom. And more coverage is on the way: Michael plans to join the NYC Bees at The Red Lion for the Sept. 20 Fulham-Brentford match. He'll want to chat with a few of us for an upcoming story on his Substack, View From The Front Row, so look forward to that!

Brentford News & Notes
Nelson joins on loan: Brentford secured English winger Reiss Nelson from Arsenal in the closing hours of the transfer window. The 25-year-old will be on a loan. Nelson has made 50 league appearances with Arsenal, but he has split his time over the years, joining Hoffenheim, Feyenoord and Fulham on loan stints over the course of several seasons.

Bees advance in Carabao Cup: With nine starting lineup changes, Brentford delivered in the Second Round of the Carabao Cup with a 2-0 victory at Bournemouth on Aug. 26. Fabio Carvalho and Thiago provided the goals, and backup goalkeeper Hakon Valdimarsson and his back line came through with the clean sheet. Brentford advances to the Third Round and will host Aston Villa sometime during the Sept. 15-22 stretch. Details will be provided in the coming days.

Back with Premier League in USA: Our interviews with PLinUSA are carrying into the new season! NYC Bee Alison Roberts has more or less become our Brentford spokesperson when it comes to these. To celebrate International Dog Day, Alison gave a pretty appropriate answer to "Describe your team using a dog breed!" Between just PLinUSA's Instagram and X accounts, they have a following of nearly 1.5 million people. We'll hopefully continue to be a staple on these social media channels moving forward!

Brentford Women start strong; Logie departs: New tier (5th), new division (London and South East Premier Division), same results for the Brentford Women and new head coach Carly Williams! After earning promotion, the squad opened its 2025-26 campaign with a 1-0 victory against Aylesford on Aug. 17, and they've kept that momentum going with a perfect 3-0-0 record through August. A bit of disappointing news came out, however, as Chloe Logie moved on to third-tier Real Bedford. Brentford said the team was looking into the possibility of a dual registration, but Logie will take her goal-scoring prowess solely to Bedford. She leaves behind an amazing Brentford chapter that included back-to-back Supporters' Player of the Year honors. All the best, Chloe!

Return to Forever Bees pod: Before the season got underway, I joined the Across the Seas But Forever Bees podcast on Aug. 5, to talk about our busy offseason. The show is hosted by Tim Searls (in Maine) and Greville Waterman (in London). We've made about a dozen or so appearances on this show over the years, and they're always looking for new guests. If you're ever interested in participating, please reach out and we'll connect you for a future spot!

Quick hits: Outside back Mads Roerslev, who spent six years with Brentford, signed with Championship side Southampton. Roerslev worked his way up from the B team, and he helped the Bees secure promotion with a key assist during their 2-0 victory over Swansea City in the 2021 playoff final. Good luck, Mads! ... Defender Jayden Meghoma has joined Scottish Premiership side Rangers on a season-long loan. The 19-year-old made his Premier League debut last season, and spent a stretch with Championship club Preston North End. ... Premier League Mornings Live and NBC Sports are heading to Kansas City for the Sept. 20-21 weekend, hosted by Rebecca Lowe and analysts Robbie Earle, Robbie Mustoe and Tim Howard. All 10 league matches will be broadcast in the Power & Light District, including Brentford's road match against Fulham on Sept. 20. ... An annual tradition, I wrote an updated NYC Premier League Pub Breakdown for 2025-26. The Red Lion has been and continues to be our home base, but every now and then we might have that friend who unfortunately supports another club and wants to catch the action in New York City. This little rundown should help them!

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

Charlie