Most Brentford supporters will be surprised to learn that there was a time in the mid to late 30s when the Bees and Manchester United competed regularly on even terms and, interestingly enough, in a Division One contest in October 1936 Brentford sent United home with their tail between their legs after administering a sound 4-0 thrashing.
Brentford’s relegation from the top flight in 1947 and subsequent plummet to the depths of the Football League soon put a halt to any thoughts of a budding rivalry between the two clubs, whose next competitive meeting was not until September 1975 when they met at Old Trafford in a League Cup Second Round tie at Old Trafford, and shocked the 25,286 in attendance by having the temerity to take the lead with a thumping header by centre half Keith Lawrence from a Paul Bence free kick. Just as Bees supporters dared to dream, veteran goalkeeper Bill Glazier shattered their hopes by fumbling a Lou Macari free kick over his own goal line, before Sammy McIlroy restored the customary order of things with a second goal. There was a sting in the tail – or there really should have been – when late on, Brentford striker Dave Simmons shot wildly over an empty goal from six yards and missed a glorious opportunity to bring the Red Devils back to London for a replay and a much-needed cash injection.
Brentford manager John Docherty commented ruefully after the game: “We put up a great game and could even have won it. But the result went Manchester United’s way with two give-away goals, and in football a team has to pay for its mistakes.”
Ironically enough, these very words could also have been uttered by Thomas Frank, 47 years later, on the 19th January 2022, as the Bees let a potential victory slip through their fingers in their first ever Premier League meeting.
Manchester United’s first half performance was disgraceful, all fur coat and no knickers, as they were totally outrun, outplayed and outfought by a Bees team that played their most sparkling, vibrant attacking football of the season, took the game to their opponents, and could, and should, have converted at least a couple of the six excellent chances that fell to Mathias Jensen (x3), Vitaly Janelt, Christian Norgaard and Mads Bech Sorensen.
Unfortunately, none fell to the two players perhaps most likely to take them, in Ivan Toney and Bryan Mbeumo. Twice Jensen was put through unchallenged on goal, close enough to see the whites of David de Gea’s eyes, and twice he under hit the ball and allowed the beleaguered goalkeeper, seemingly the only United player who had turned up in the first half and had some professional pride, to save comfortably, and keep his overrun team in the game, when in all honesty he really should have been left helpless.
A 2-0 lead would not have flattered Brentford, surely United could not play as badly in the second half? Had the Bees let them off the hook?
The answer unfortunately was “yes.” Sent out early for the second half with their ears still ringing from a verbal assault by Ralf Rangnick, Manchester United were now a different proposition and cruised to an eventual 3-1 victory.
Thomas Frank was not alone in finding it hard to compute just what it was he had seen: “I’m unbelievably proud of the team and my players. The way we absolutely destroyed Manchester United in the first half was very, very impressive. We had six chances to their zero.”
Manchester United completed one of their few doubles of their deeply disappointing season when, on 2nd May, a record attendance for a Brentford league match of 73,482 watched United beat a slightly overawed and overmatched Brentford team by 3-0. As Roy Keane accurately summed up on Sky Sports: “Brentford aren’t at it.” We really needed to be at our absolute best to get something out of this game – and we weren’t.
Irrationally, perhaps, I personally felt a bit disappointed that we did not run them closer at a time when we were in top form and our hosts were struggling, but let’s also keep things in perspective. Generally, when Brentford visit the Greater Manchester area it has been to play the likes of Oldham Athletic, Bury, Stockport and Rochdale, rather than the might of Manchester United. We need to remember that this was the first time we had played United in a league game at Old Trafford since December 1946, with our only subsequent visits there being for a League Cup tie in 1975, and a pre-season friendly late last July.
I am not going to spend time describing what happened when our paths next crossed at the Gtech Community Stadium on 13th August as the events of that incredible, amazing and unforgettable day are surely etched indelibly in the memory of every Brentford fan and will doubtless remain there for evermore.
I certainly refreshed my memory as when I returned home in mid-evening giddy with joy and emotion, fortified by a glass of white – rather than Thomas’s customary red – I immediately watched the entire Sky Sports recording of the game, followed by Match of the Day before retiring to my bed at 2am replaying the entire game on a tape loop in my mind!
In passing, I have previously stated that the glorious victory over Arsenal on the opening day of last season was probably the best victory in our history, and then – fickle person that I am – found myself saying exactly the same after our triumph at Stamford Bridge. Please forgive me if I now state categorically that our 4-0 shellacking of Manchester United is now firmly in top place – until hopefully something even more dramatic and noteworthy replaces it later this year – an occurrence that you would not discount given the quality of the current Brentford squad.
It was certainly a good time to play a United team totally lacking organisation, confidence, drive, passion, energy and determination. In other words, they were a total shambles. By contrast, Brentford smelled blood and had a game plan that they followed to the letter. Pressing high, never letting their opponents settle on the ball, defending in a low block, breaking quickly out of defence and fully capitalising upon set pieces. Everything went according to plan. Thomas Frank and his backroom staff again put on a coaching masterclass and it was only the fact that the Bees declared at half time owing to the incredible heat, that saved Manchester United from an even bigger drubbing as their hosts calmly and efficiently played out time before their beaten opponents gratefully slunk off the pitch at the final whistle.
The national press seized upon the result – quite naturally as it was a massive story – and almost their entire focus was on the decline and fall of the big team, Manchester United with, in some cases, their conquerors barely mentioned in passing. The Match of the Day team were a rare exception, analysing how, where and when the game was won and praising the Bees to the skies.
I listened to a plethora of Manchester United podcasts which alongside the litany of woe, groans and insults aimed at their club owners, staff, management and players, all perpetuated the “teams like Brentford” myth where it was totally against the normal order of things and ridiculous that they had lost to little old Brentford – a total nonentity of a club – which really should not be on the same pitch and in the same division as their titans and giants of the game. One particularly one-eyed broadcaster compared Brentford to an “under 8’s team” and bemoaned the fact that we actually had the gall and cheek to press his heroes and put them off their game. We should, of course, have stood back, doffed our caps and allowed them to waltz all around us on their way to our totally uncontested and undefended goal.
I am fully aware of the curse of unconscious bias but I try as hard as I can not to allow my love and admiration for the Bees to cloud my judgement. No objective observer would really have been too surprised at what transpired that late sunny afternoon. A shambolic, faded glory of a club came up against hungry opponents where everyone is on the same page and working towards a common goal. The club is run by smart people who are bright enough to allow other smart people to simply get on with their jobs, as long as they adhere to the overall pre-ordained strategy.
Manchester United should have seen the writing on the wall. Brentford lured away their highly rated Academy Head of Player Development and Coaching, Justin Cochrane who has become our Head of Coaching. Lee Dykes apparently resisted overtures from Old Trafford and remains at our club, where his exceptional efforts and achievements have been recognised by a promotion to Technical Director. Lazio goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha was also sought by Manchester United this summer as a back-up for David de Gea but instead chose to join the Bees.
The only disappointment was in losing Christian Eriksen to Old Trafford after it seemed extremely likely that he would remain at Brentford. The sensible decision for both his football career and the well-being of his family would surely have been to stay with us, as we ticked pretty much every box, but as we have come to learn, football is not a rational sport. For whatever reason, and of course money talks, he decided to leave us as was his right to do. I have got over my disappointment and genuinely wish him well – although my sense of schadenfreude was heightened by his poor performance and involvement in our second goal on his recent return with his new club.
Oh – and by the way – what do Brentford do when Eriksen decides to leave? We only go out and sign the new wunderkind of Danish football in Mikkel Damsgaard – another classic Brentford signing” according to his new Head Coach – a player who is also eight years younger than the departed Eriksen.
Perhaps by the end of the season we will all have decided that the money we would have spent on Eriksen, world class player that he is, is better spent elsewhere?
Will we finish above Manchester United this season? Who knows, but I certainly do know which club is by far the better run and organised, which is the happier place to work in and which club is far better set up to face whatever challenges the future will bring.
The answer is Brentford!