Newsletter: New era, fifth PL season opens at Forest on August 17

Hello NYC Bees, it's already been a very busy offseason! Brentford moves on from the Thomas Frank era, high-profile Bryan Mbeumo and Christian Norgaard are likely departing, we'll have a new starting goalkeeper, and the 2025-26 schedule is set, with a road trip to Nottingham Forest on Aug. 17 to kick things off. Here is a recap of what's going on to catch you up!

Thomas Frank era ends, Keith Andrews takes reins
Longtime Brentford manager Thomas Frank had been linked to other clubs in recent years, and the move finally happened. Frank departs Brentford to take over at Tottenham. He leaves behind a great legacy that included our promotion to the top tier and two top-10 Premier League finishes during his seven-season managerial run. Frank wrote a letter to supporters, saying "For my family and I ... it's an experience and adventure that we will cherish for life. So, thank you."

Taking over as the club's manager is Keith Andrews, who had been brought into Brentford as the team's set-piece coach back in July of 2024. Andrews has signed for a three-year contract. "We want to have an attitude and a relentlessness of progression," Andrews said. "We really need to maintain that."

Reports indicated the likes of Ipswich's Kieran McKenna and former Ajax manager Francesco Farioli were potential candidates, but Brentford ultimately stayed in-house with Andrews, who will be a manager for the first time. Director of football Phil Giles' interview about Andrews: "He's very clear in what he wants, he's detailed, and the players and staff like and respect him. He's a perfect fit for what we were looking for."

Will this move be a gamble, or will Andrews' familiarity within the club's framework pay dividends in this transition? It's a question that will linger throughout the offseason and the opening weeks of 2025-26.

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Returning to NYC's Red Lion on Sunday, Aug. 17
The Premier League announced its 2025-26 schedule a couple weeks back, and that means a return for us at The Red Lion, 151 Bleecker St.! We'll have to wake up a little early as Brentford faces Nottingham Forest on Sunday, Aug. 17, at 9 a.m. ET. It has been confirmed that the pub will open early for us. Our season debut was originally scheduled for the date before, but Forest pushed this later to accommodate for cricket. Opta Analyst ranks Brentford's opening five-game schedule as one of the easier stretches among the PL. Following Forest, we host Aston Villa (Aug. 23), travel to recently promoted Sunderland (Aug. 30), host Chelsea (Sept. 13) and travel to Craven Cottage for Fulham (Sept. 20).

FanFest Live Brentford recap
On June 11, I joined FanFest Live and Shades of Blue for a special Brentford End of Season Report show. The live show took place a day before Thomas Frank's move to Spurs became official. We covered some season grades for elements of the club, and of course chatted about our offseason involvement. Shades of Blue uploaded a YouTube version of our chat, which is more ideal if you don't want to jump through some of the login hoops at FanFest!

Brentford News & Notes
Goalkeeper change: Kelleher in, Flekken out: Brentford opened the transfer window with a big change at goalkeeper. After leading the PL with 153 saves this past season, Mark Flekken left the club to join Bayer Leverkusen. Simultaneously, Brentford completed a deal to bring in Caoimhín Kelleher from Liverpool. The 26-year-old Irish footballer earned seven victories in 10 league appearances in 2024-25, including four clean sheets, en route to winning a Premier League trophy. Flekken's two-year stint brought out an array of supporter opinions -- some good, some tenacious! -- but you can't deny that he bailed us out on a number of occasions this past campaign. Good luck to him!

Reports: Mbeumo to Man U, Norgaard to Arsenal: Neither move is official yet, but there is a strong likelihood that Brentford will see two of its most important pieces bound for other clubs. It has been widely reported that Bryan Mbeumo is about to join Manchester United. Mbeumo, who's 25, garnered outside interest after a stellar 2024-25 season that included 20 goals and seven assists. Then there is Christian Norgaard, who is reportedly set to join Arsenal. The captain had recently reworked a contract extension with Brentford; he would have been a free agent otherwise this summer. The 31-year-old defensive midfielder tallied five goals and four assists this past season. Both players are obviously massive losses if these transactions come to fruition, so it will be interesting to see A) who can step up among our current roster and B) who the front office can bring in to replace their talent and expertise. They were key cogs during our final couple seasons in the Championship, too, so a big thank you to them for playing vital roles in getting Brentford to this level!

Brentford Women's Tier 5 opponents: Early in the month, The FA announced the club allocations for the Brentford Women, who earned promotion to the fifth tier of women's football. Brentford's division includes the likes of Ashford Town, Millwall and fellow promoted side Aylesford. The Brentford Women won 21 of 22 league games in 2024-25 to work their way up the pyramid!

New partnerships: Brentford announced several new brands and partnerships this past month. Indeed will be the official training wear partner, Cazoo is an official sleeve partner, and Cynergy Bank is -- you guessed it -- the club's banking partner. Still standing by for the new Joma kits, isn't that what we're really here for?

Quick hits: The preseason schedule is right around the corner, with Brentford confirming a couple fixtures: a road match against Queens Park Rangers on Aug. 2, followed by a home match against Bundesliga side Borussia Monchengladbach on Aug. 8. ... The Athletic reported on June 24 that English filmmaker Matthew Vaughn and South African businessman Gary Lubner are in advanced talks with the club about a minority investment. ... Former Brentford coach Lee Carsley guided the U21 England national team to the 2025 UEFA European U21 Championship crown with a 3-2 victory over Germany on June 28. ... Brentford's 2025-26 memberships are on sale. If you have any questions on this process, click on Brentford's how to guide page.

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 on Shades of Blue FanFest show to recap Brentford season

NYC Bees Co-Founder Charlie Corr joined Shades of Blue for a live FanFest show to recap the club's 2024-25 season! The show took place on June 11 and was hosted by die-hard Manchester City supporter Crunk Chocolate, who has had us on to preview Brentford-Man City and talk football on a number of occasions.

The show graded our kits, manager Thomas Frank's final Bees season, our squad, supporters and front office. We also spoke about Frank's move to Tottenham (which became official a day after this show) and the likelihood of Bryan Mbeumo's departure.

We'll be back on their platform for the 2025-26 season!

Here is a link to the YouTube upload of the show, which is easier than jumping through the login hoops at FanFest Live!

Newsletter: Top-10, Brentford Women promoted, PLinUSA and BBC spots

Hi NYC Bees, not a bad showing for Brentford as the club finished in the top 10 of the Premier League for the second time in the past three seasons! Thanks for joining us throughout the campaign at The Red Lion; hopefully the next couple months breeze by so we can start things up again for 2025-26! In the meantime, a bunch going on with us this past month, and I've got a couple group ideas/tweaks to look forward to. Here's the rundown of everything happening!

Four-game winning streak catapults Bees into top 10
Brentford's first four-game winning streak in the Premier League ultimately proved to be the difference maker in securing a top-half finish in the club's fourth PL campaign. Brentford did briefly hold an eighth-place position, but one point in the final two games pushed us down a couple spots to 10th. Nevertheless, the top half of the table and ahead of Fulham ... we'll take it! Bryan Mbeumo finished the season with 20 goals (tied for fourth-most in the PL), goalkeeper Mark Flekken led the league with 153 saves, and defender Nathan Collins was the only field player in the PL to play all 3,420 minutes this season. As a team, Brentford's 66 goals tied for fifth in the league, with Yoane Wissa (19) and Kevin Schade (11) supplying a heavy dose in the attack alongside Mbeumo. Mikkel Damsgaard tied for fourth in the PL with 10 assists. All these guys are signed through next season or later, but naturally the rumor mill is in full swing right now. Have we seen Mbeumo for the last time?

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Brentford Women earn promotion
On May 4, the Brentford Women became champions in the London & South East Regional Women's Football League Division One North! With a 4-2 victory against Clapton Community, Brentford earned promotion into the fifth tier of women's football! One week earlier, Brentford defeated Farnham Town FC in a shootout to win a second straight Capital Cup Final. At the conclusion of the season, manager Karleigh Osborne decided to step down from his role, so we will see someone else new at the helm as Brentford continues to work its way way up the footballing pyramid. Also, a quick shoutout to midfielder Mollie Holmes who announced her retirement. Congratulations everyone, it's been a memorable campaign!

PLinUSA: The Run In video series
If you've been following the #PLinUSA social media channels, then you must have spotted the NYC Bees along the way! Among the content over the past month, Alison Roberts and Lev Riley both named Mikkel Damsgaard as Brentford's top player this season in one segment. We're also thrilled that Alison has been a go-to for all of these videos, from her take on Mark Flekken for the "biggest surprise" piece, to the nearly unanimous take on Mo Salah being the league's most valuable player. All of these clips were filmed with the NYC Bees just outside The Red Lion. The PLinUSA Instagram channel has more than 1 million followers and the X (formerly Twitter) channel has 300,000-plus, so we appreciate our inclusion on these heavy-traffic platforms!

BBC Sportsworld, Forever Bees
Thanks to Brentford's success and keeping the slim European hopes alive, that meant a couple other media opportunities for us down the stretch. I had the privilege of joining BBC Radio's Sportsworld for a second time this season, prior to the Bees' season finale against Wolves on May 25. I was part of a BBC panel show for Liverpool-Brentford near the start of the season, as well. If next season's schedule aligns more heavily with their Sunday schedule, we could see an increase of opportunities with the Sportsworld program, which has an audience of 188 million globally!

Earlier in the month, I joined the Across the Seas But Forever Bees folks after Brentford's victory against Manchester United. We made five appearances on Forever Bees this past season, and they are always looking for potential interviewees. It's a very laid-back environment, with Tim Searls hosting from Maine and Greville Waterman from London. If you'd like to participate, please let me know and I'd be happy to help you connect!

Brentford News & Notes
Damsgaard, Player of the Year: During Brentford's 2024-25 end-of-season awards, there was one very clear-cut accolade: Mikkel Damsgaard was named the Player of the Year by both the supporters and players! Among some of the other noteworthy awards, Bryan Mbeumo garnered Goal of the Season for his opening tally against Tottenham, when the club had the knack for finding a string of first-minute goals. Maddie Phillips was the Brentford Players' Women's Player of the Year and Chloe Logie earned Supporters' Player of the Year for a second straight campaign.

Kayode joins Brentford on permanent deal: Brentford activated the €17.5 million clause for defender Michael Kayode on May 28 to join the club on a permanent deal, and he is now signed through the 2029-2030 season. Kayode joined the team on loan from Fiorentina back in late January, and he provided a huge upswing at right back. It is a no-brainer move for Brentford, which has been heavily injured at outside back for the better part of a couple seasons.

Quick hits: It has been known for quite some time, but Brentford finally made it official that it is partnering with Spanish brand Joma Sport to serve as the official kit partner starting in July. ... Prior to the club's home finale, defender Ben Mee announced he would be leaving Brentford. Mee was an absolutely crucial piece for the Bees in securing their ninth-place finish in the Premier League table a couple seasons ago.  ... The Brentford FC social media channels included the NYC Bees in their April 30 Fan Spotlight series. ... Mark your calendar, the Premier League will be announcing next season's schedule on June 18!

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

Charlie

BBC Radio appearance: Sportsworld, live on PL season's final day

We made our second appearance on BBC Radio's Sportsworld on Sunday, May 25, before Brentford's season finale at Wolves. NYC Bees Co-Founder Charlie Corr was on a five-minute, live segment to chat about Brentford's small European chances, the club's strong offense, the futures of Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa, and manager Thomas Frank. Sportsworld regularly provides pregame coverage of Sunday's Premier League action, and the show's global audience is approximately 188 million worldwide!

For future reference, the Sportsworld program is available on the BBC World Service feed:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live/bbc_world_service

Earlier this season, we took part in a BBC Sports live panel prior to Brentford at Liverpool on Aug. 25, with a discussion led by Nashat Ladha and George Addo.

NYC Bees' Alison Roberts weighs in on league MVP with PLinUSA

Even though it wasn't a Brentford-related answer, the NYC Bees' Alison Roberts once again landed a spot on the #PLinUSA Run In video series to discuss the Premier League's most valuable player on May 24!

Alison and just about the rest of the interviewees were quick to name Liverpool's Mo Salah as the top player in 2024-25. The interview was conducted earlier this season from outside The Red Lion in Greenwich Village, and this clip was the fourth installment that our New York City Brentford fanbase has been a part of.

PLinUSA has more than 1 million Instagram followers and more than 300,000 X (formerly Twitter) followers, so our group's been involved in some significant media outreach over the past month!

NYC Bees name Damsgaard MVP on PLinUSA The Run In series

NYC Bees Lev Riley and Alison Roberts were featured in PLinUSA's latest The Run In video series, this time featuring our choices for Brentford's Player of the Season.

The vote was unanimous, with Lev and Alison both praising midfielder Mikkel Damsgaard as Brentford's Most Valuable Player for 2024-25. Later that day, May 20, Brentford held its actual awards ceremony, with supporters and players all voting for Damsgaard.

Our PLinUSA appearance is part of a bevy of interviews conducted outside The Red Lion in Greenwich Village earlier this season!

NYC Bees join Forever Bees ahead of extending 4-game winning streak

Following an impressive Brentford showing against Manchester United, NYC Bees Co-Founder Charlie Corr joined the USA-based Across the Seas But Forever Bees podcast, hosted by Tim Searls and Greville Waterman.

The crew discussed the team's strong run during the May 6 show, and subsequently Brentford would go on to post its first four-game winning streak in the Premier League!

The Forever Bees show marked our group's fifth appearance during the 2024-25 season. If anybody stateside is interested in joining the podcast in 2025-26, please let us know as it has become a staple of talking Brentford football and also introducing folks to the fans backing this wonderful club!

NYC Bees' Alison Roberts chats with PLinUSA for 'biggest surprise' clip

Brentford supporter Alison Roberts represented the NYC Bees with an appearance on PLinUSA's latest video about the biggest surprises of the 2024-25 Premier League season!

Alison's praise for Brentford goalkeeper Mark Flekken made the cut. The video is from a bevy of interviews we conducted with PLinUSA from outside The Red Lion in Greenwich Village. We've appreciated the regular clips of our supporters on the league's social media platforms!

Check it out!