Nicknames, Danes and important games: all you need to know about Brentford

Match previews

30 Oct 2023

Crystal Palace return to Selhurst Park on Saturday, 30th December (15:00 GMT) to take on Brentford – and before kick-off it’s time to get the lowdown on our latest opponents…

Factfile

Manager: Thomas Frank
Position: 14th
Nickname: The Bees
Ground: Gtech Community Stadium
Founded: 1889 (134 years ago)

What’s the story?

It seems remarkable to think that Brentford waited 74 years for their return to the Premier League in 2021, given the relative ease with which they have adapted to the rigours of the top-flight.

Thomas Frank has kept his side moving forwards, after survival in their first campaign and a ninth-placed finish last season – but the new campaign has brought its own set of unique challenges.

The long-term suspension of Ivan Toney has been compounded by the injury to Bryan Mbeumo, who is set for a lengthy period on the sidelines after stepping up to become the club’s top scorer in Toney’s absence in 2023/24.

How Frank and co. adapt to this latest setback may determine whether they once again push towards the top-half and threaten to crash the fight for European places, or whether they are dragged back to reality with in a scrap to avoid being sucked into a relegation battle.

Five defeats in six games before Christmas have blighted early momentum, and after a long gap between fixtures – their meeting with Manchester City was postponed thanks to the Club World Cup – they will want to improve their fortunes heading into the new year. However, heavy defeat to Wolves at home has meant they come into the meeting at Selhurst Park with something to prove.

There has been nothing to separate the two sides since Brentford’s promotion, with all five meetings in the Premier League ending in a draw – can either earn a first league victory in this fixture for the first time since January 1964?

The boss

Hired by Brentford from Brøndby in his native Denmark in 2018, Thomas Frank has overseen a marked rise in Brentford’s fortunes after his promotion from assistant manager under Dean Smith. He earned promotion in 2020, and secured Brentford a first Premier League top-half finish by finishing ninth last season.

Boot in both camps

Jeff Schlupp joined Brentford on a one-month loan deal from Leicester in 2011, scoring six goals in nine league appearances before returning to break into the title winning side.

Record against Palace

Five Premier League meetings, five draws – up to now, these two cannot be separated. A 1-1 draw at the Gtech earlier this season means it is up for grabs once again.

The last time a side triumphed in the league was in 1964, when Peter Burridge scored the only goal as the Glaziers picked up a valuable three points.

Did you know?

Their nickname, ‘The Bees’, may have no obvious connection, but it is thought to have come near the start of their history as a group of students from the nearby Borough Road College arrived to watch their friend, Joe Gettins, play. When they chanted the college’s mantra ‘Buck up, B’s’, (thought to be short for ‘Borough’), local journalists mistook the word for ‘Bees’, and the name has stuck since, with the club adding a bee to their crest in 1972.

They were elected into the Football League in 1920, and soon embarked on a golden pre-war period under legendary manager Harry Curtis (more on that later) before the outbreak of World War II put a stop to domestic football.

Decline followed in the post-war years, with financial difficulties limiting progress and stymying success. In 1967, Queens Park Rangers reached a deal to move into Griffin Park, with Loftus Road to be redeveloped as housing and Brentford to cease to exist. When the news leaked out, fans protested and raised funds, securing their financial future and keeping them in situ where they belonged.

Match details

Saturday, 30th December
15:00 GMT
Selhurst Park
Live audio commentary on Palace TV+

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