PLinUSA chats with NYC Bees for upcoming 'Fan Origin' series

NYC Bees' Lev Riley

During the March 8 meet-up at The Red Lion, our NYC Bees took part in some interviews that will be part of the Premier League's American social media and content at #PLinUSA. Two Circles, the marketing agency that runs their channels, spoke with about a half dozen of our supporters in Greenwich Village for an upcoming Fan Origin series piece.

Florida Bee Reggie Grant

The majority of our supporters, as well as well known Floridian Bee Reggie Grant (who was visiting our establishment), participated in this feature. We'll keep you posted on when this rolls out. We are anticipating this to be live sometime in early April.

Big thanks to Thomas Hautmann who interviewed us and proactively set this up, we really appreciate it! More to come!

Newsletter: March matches, Forever Bees pod debut, road winning streak

Hello NYC Bees, the upcoming month is a shorter one with the first FIFA international window of 2025 breaking up our Premier League play. Here is everything to get you caught up from the past month, and a look ahead to the upcoming stretch!

March schedule at The Red Lion
We have two league matches in March, both in the afternoon, starting with our home game against Aston Villa on March 8. We face Bournemouth on March 15. Both watch events will be taking place at The Red Lion, 151 Bleecker St. We had some behind-the-scenes chatter on the possibility of needing to go to another venue for the March 15 game, but fortunately The Red Lion's private party event over the St. Patrick's Day weekend has been canceled. One thing of note: This is the first stretch where our games will overlap with Six Nations Rugby. We will have our back space and sound, but plan for the possibility of some crowd overlap. Hope you can join us at both watch events! See the graphic for our March itinerary.

Note to UK visitors: The March 15 kickoff listing is four hours behind West London (not five hours) because of the USA daylight saving time.

More on NYC Bees:
Social: Bluesky | Facebook | Instagram | Threads | TikTok | X
Media hub: Slidetackles.com

NYC Bees' Abhi Goyal debuts on 'Forever Bees' pod
We were thrilled to hear from NYC Bee Abhi Goyal who made his show debut on the USA-based Across the Seas but Forever Bees podcast on Feb. 6! Abhi shared his back story on becoming a Bees supporter and chatted Brentford football with co-hosts Tim Searls and Greville Waterman. Abhi followed up with some sidekick duties during Forever Bees' Feb. 18 show and was back in the mix on Feb. 27 following our Everton draw. Earlier this season, Abhi and wife Alison Roberts were on the Don't Know Much About Football podcast, so it's nice to see our NYC Brentford supporters expanding their media outreach! Great job!

If anyone else is looking to participate in the bevy of shows out there to share their Bees thoughts, contact us anytime and we'd be happy to point you in the right direction.

Bees extend road winning streak to 4
Brentford enters March with a four-game winning streak on the road, marking the club's most successful away stretch since its rise to the Premier League. The Bees' most recent road feat was a dominant 4-0 victory at Leicester City on Feb. 21. Before this vastly improved road run, Brentford had 8 losses, 2 draws and 0 wins away from Gtech this season. It should be noted, though, that every road win has been against a team in the bottom half of the PL table. Brentford's next road test is on March 15 at Bournemouth, a team that has at times flirted with a top-5 spot in the standings this season.

Brentford News & Notes
Damsgaard, Mbeumo maintain elite goal involvement rates: If you're keeping tabs on where some of our guys rank among the top league goal involvement stats, naturally Mikkel Damsgaard and Bryan Mbeumo are continuing to produce among the PL's elite this season. Damsgaard added two assists at Leicester to up his total to 10 this season. He is only behind Liverpool's Mo Salah (16) for the league lead. Mbeumo has 15 goals scored, which currently ranks fifth in the league.

Cochrane joins England coaching staff: Brentford assistant coach Justin Cochrane has been added to the England National Team coaching staff under manager Thomas Tuchel. This is a part-time role, so fortunately he will continue his Brentford duties with manager Thomas Frank. Brentford director of football Phil Giles: "The exposure to different coaches, players and opponents will no doubt be positive for Justin's ongoing development as a coach, as we envisage him being here with us for many more years to come."

Brentford Women return to Gtech in March: With a break in the men's schedule because of international football, that opened a window for the Brentford Women to make their second appearance this season at Gtech Community Stadium on March 23, when they host Bromley. The match is a significant one as both teams are vying for a coveted promotion spot, which goes to the lone winner of the London & South-East WFL Division 1 North.

Quick hits: The folks at Premier League Fanzone brought us back for their Feb. 21 show to help preview Brentford at Leicester, live on Peacock. It was our sixth NYC Bees appearance there this season. ... We wrapped up our second season on the Shades of Blue Network. I hopped on their LIT Stream on Jan. 30 to talk about the transfer deadline, clubs undervaluing potential sales of Brentford players and more. I'm sure we'll stay involved with this Manchester City-focused outlet in 2025-26! ... We made a couple of cameos during halftime of Brentford's nationally televised matches on USA Network, first on the Brentford-Tottenham matchup on Feb. 2, followed by Leicester-Brentford on Feb. 21! Use the #MyPLMorning hashtag on social media (ideally X) to try and get your favorite Brentford photos on the NBC and USA Network broadcasts.

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 land national spot on USA Network Leicester-Brentford telecast

Our NYC Brentford supporters' group was highlighted once again on a national broadcast, this time for the Feb. 21 Leicester City v. Brentford halftime slot on USA Network!

For any Brentford fans looking to display their photos in a future NBC or USA Network broadcast, use the #MyPLMorning hashtag (on X, formerly Twitter) and you might be highlighted like us.

NYC Bees live on Peacock to preview Brentford at Leicester on PL Fanzone

With a rare Friday fixture on tap, NYC Bees co-founder Charlie Corr was invited earlier on that Feb. 21 date to help preview Brentford at Leicester City on Premier League Fanzone, live on Peacock. Hosts Will Perry and Clinton Morrison set up a group discussion prior to the Bees' impressive 4-0 win at Leicester.

This episode marked our supporters' group's sixth Fanzone appearance for the 2024-25 Premier League season. If you are ever interested in contributing to this show, or the Monday Fanzone program, please let us know and we'd be happy to make the proper connections!

NYC Bees' Abhi Goyal makes debut on Forever Bees podcast

We were back on the USA-based Across the Seas but Forever Bees podcast! NYC Bee Abhi Goyal made his show debut on Feb. 6, to share his back story on becoming a Brentford supporter and to talk about the club in its fourth Premier League campaign. The show is hosted by Maine resident Tim Searls and Londoner Greville Waterman. Check it out!

Abhi was then invited back as Tim's sidekick for the Feb. 18 episode to discuss the win over West Ham and Brentford's matchup against Leicester. Abhi and wife Alison Roberts were also on the Don't Know Much About Football podcast earlier this season, so it's great to see our NYC Brentford supporters expanding their media outreach!

If anyone wants to participate in the plethora of shows out there, contact us anytime and we'd be happy to point you in the right direction.

NYC Bees cameo on USA Network's Brentford v. Spurs broadcast

Brentford FC's NYC Bees made a national cameo appearance during the Feb. 2 broadcast against Tottenham. Our supporters' group popped up on USA Network's halftime portion of the telecast!

For all Brentford fans, make sure to use the #MyPLMorning hashtag (preferably on X, formerly Twitter) to try and get your Bees images on any televised match on NBC or USA Network.

NYC Bees guest appearance: Shades of Blue Network's LIT Stream

NYC Bees Co-Founder Charlie Corr appeared on the Jan. 30 live broadcast of Shades of Blue's LIT Stream. It capped off our second season joining their platform, which is mostly a Manchester City-focused channel and led by Crunk Chocolate.

The LIT Stream deviates from our normal game speak, but we still ended up chatting about a heavy dose of Brentford football. Topics ranged from the transfer deadline, to clubs undervaluing the potential sale of Bees players, to revered manager Thomas Frank who always seems to come up on these discussions!

For any Brentford fans interested in joining this show or others down the road to voice your fandom, please reach out and we'd be happy to make the connections.

Newsletter: February schedule, feature live on PL platforms

Hi again NYC Bees, it's been an exciting past month: The club posted its most decisive win in Premier League history. We rallied from two goals down for a result against the defending champions. Brentford has made a handful of roster moves in January. And, we're generating tens of thousands of hits with an NYC Bees-related feature on the league's social media platforms! Here's some news and updates for you.

February schedule vs. bottom half of table
Brentford's February schedule features four games against sides jockeying for position among the bottom half of the table, so it's a big chance to create some distance from them. One of the most difficult could be the Bees' home match against fellow London side Tottenham on Feb. 2, which kicks off at 9 a.m. ET on a Sunday. The Red Lion will open early for us, so that means we're at the pub for every February match! See the graphic for our full itinerary at The Red Lion, 151 Bleecker St.

More on NYC Bees:
Social: Bluesky | Facebook | Instagram | Threads | TikTok | X
Media Hub: SlideTackles.com

Feature is live: PL Matchdays Together with Guinness
The much anticipated feature on the NYC Bees, from The Red Lion, dropped in early January! COPA90 media filmed us and a few other NYC-based supporters groups in mid-December for Premier League Matchdays Together with Guinness. NYC Bees Dan Mitzelman and Alison Roberts made the final cut, and I spoke with host Nakeira West from nearby Washington Square Park. The YouTube version should surpass 100,000 hits one of these days. Check it out! We even had a couple cameos when the league posted a montage of this series on Jan. 24. It was incredibly satisfying to add some public color to this fantastic group of supporters, and fortunately the league distributed this piece to their massive followings on Instagram (77 million), X (45 million) and YouTube (8 million).

And ... more could be on the way! The Brentford front office is supposedly in the process of trying to attain all this footage and the plethora of unused footage to create a video of their own. If I hear anything more, I'll share with the group!

Mbeumo, Brentford post club's most-lopsided PL win
A defining January moment for Brentford was the club's lopsided 5-0 victory against Southampton on Jan. 4. It was the largest win in the Bees' Premier League tenure, and it happened to be a long-awaited first road victory this season. Bryan Mbeumo led the way with a brace, and manager Thomas Frank called it "one of the best performances we've had in the four years in the Premier League."

Forever Bees, Shades of Blue pods among media drop-ins
We dropped in with a couple of our familiar podcast folks in January to chat a little Brentford football. After a hiatus over the holidays, the Across the Seas But Forever Bees show returned, so I spoke with Tim Searls and Greville Waterman following our draw against Man City. Earlier in the month, I previewed Brentford-City with the Shades of Blue podcast. The first 15 minutes of their Breaking Bread show are free; the show is making some of their programming exclusive, so check out their Patreon for more of their content.

If you're ever interested in participating in some shows, whether it's a local Brentford platform like Forever Bees, to bigger programs like Premier League Fanzone live on Peacock, please let me know and I can connect you. Would love to hear some new voices out there!

Upcoming: Shades of Blue LIT Stream | Jan. 30 | 8 p.m. ET (live)

Brentford News & Notes
Statement comeback against City: In the midst of Manchester City allegedly turning a corner, the Bees disrupted the defending league champion's momentum with a 2-2 draw on Jan. 14 at Gtech Community Stadium. Brentford overcame a second-half, two-goal deficit with late tallies from Yoane Wissa and captain Christian Norgaard. It marked Brentford's first shared points against City in the Premier League.

January window, signings: Most didn't peg Brentford for being too active in the January Transfer Window, but the club has made its share of roster moves during this stretch. The most important move was the long-term commitment with midfielder Mikkel Damsgaard, who extended his contract through the 2029-30 season. Damsgaard certainly is making his case as the team's MVP for this campaign, so securing the 24-year-old with the Bees was a sound move. The transaction that probably grabbed the headlines was Brentford's loan acquisition of Michael Kayode from Serie A's Fiorentina. The 20-year-old fills a hole at right back, and the club has an option to make this transfer permanent. Shortly after the Kayode signing, Brentford loaned defender Mads Roerslev to German Bundesliga side Wolfsburg through the end of 2024-25. Keane Lewis-Potter signed a contract extension that will keep him with the club through the 2030-31 season, a nice reward for someone who has bailed us out with his versatility, to fill a massive voice in the defensive end in the midst of our ongoing injury crisis. Brentford also extended the contract for right back Aaron Hickey, who is now signed through the 2027-28 season. Hickey has been out for more than a year, and is currently trying to work his way back from a hamstring injury.

Meghoma loaned to Preston: Teenage left back and England youth international Jayden Meghoma has joined Championship side Preston North End on a loan through the end of the 2024-25 season. Meghoma has made several first-team appearances in the Carabao Cup, and a Premier League debut as a sub against Chelsea in December. Backup goalkeeper Ellery Balcombe returns to Scotland on a loan with Motherwell for the remainder of 2024-25. Defender Tristan Crama is joining Championship club Millwall, after spending four years with the Brentford B team.

Quick hits: While there were plenty of good January highlights, there was one massively disappointing one, and that was Brentford's 1-0 home loss to Plymouth Argyle in the third round of the Emirates FA Cup on Jan. 11. The game did mark the long-awaited return of left back Rico Henry, but the result dampened the moment. ... A couple of our NYC Bees photos made it into Brentford's We Make Our Own Way video. They might be tough to spot in real time, but we screenshotted those for you! ... Not Brentford-related, but a couple of us had the privilege of joining an exclusive Men In Blazers show from Football Factory on Jan. 21; always worthwhile to interact with the most influential, independent football-focused media group in North America!

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

Charlie