History of Brentford F.C. (1986–present)

Beginning his third full season as Brentford manager in 1986–87, Frank McLintock had yet to challenge for promotion from the Third Division, though he had slowly improved the club's league placings.[1] Before the beginning of the season, assistant manager John Docherty moved to Millwall and McLintock replaced him with former England international Steve Perryman.[2] Relegation form led to McLintock's departure from the club in January 1987 and Perryman took over, bringing in Phil Holder as his assistant.[2] Perryman's Brentford managed to claw their way to a mid-table finish.[3] Brentford flirted with the playoff positions during the 1987–88 season and in 1988–89,[4] a late run almost took the club into the playoffs.[5] The latter season was memorable more for the Bees' runs to the sixth round of the FA Cup (which ended after a 4–0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield) and to the semi-finals of the Football League Trophy.[5]

Everything looked to have gone wrong in 1989–90, but an unbeaten run in the second half of the season pulled Brentford back into mid-table.[6] Perryman resigned on the eve of the 1990–91 season and though he failed to bring success to Griffin Park,[7] his signings of goalkeeper Graham Benstead, midfielders Keith Jones, Simon Ratcliffe and forwards Dean Holdsworth and Gary Blissett, allied with the homegrown defensive trio of Keith Millen, Terry Evans and Jamie Bates, would stand Brentford in good stead in the future.

Phil Holder stepped up from assistant manager to take over the Brentford hot seat just 10 days prior to the beginning of the 1990–91 season.[8] In his first season, he took the Bees to the area finals of the Football League Trophy and into the 1991 Third Division playoffs, with the season ending after a narrow 3–2 aggregate defeat to the eventual promoted club Tranmere Rovers.[8] It was the first of a number of failed playoff campaigns for the club,[9] with the idea of end-of-season playoffs having ironically been presented to the Football League by then-Brentford chairman Martin Lange in the 1980s.[10]

1991–92 proved to be, up to that point in the club's history, arguably Brentford's best season since the club's golden era under Harry Curtis in the 1930s.[1] 11 wins from the first 16 matches put the Bees top of the Third Division and the club occupied either one of the top two positions until dropping back after four consecutive defeats in March 1992.[11] Six wins from the six final matches saw Brentford recover to win the Third Division championship on the final day and secure second-tier football for the first time since the 1953–54 season.[1][11] Much of the success was owed to 38-goal striker Dean Holdsworth, joint-top scorer in the Third Division,[12] with Gary Blissett also weighing in with 18 goals.[13]

Phil Holder's preparations for the 1992–93 season in the newly renamed First Division couldn't have been dealt a worse blow when Dean Holdsworth joined Wimbledon for a £720,000 fee in July 1992 and captain Terry Evans suffered a long-term injury on the opening day of the season.[14] Just two defeats in 11 matches put the Bees up to 10th by the end of 1992, but everything unravelled in the New Year, resulting in relegation straight back to the third-tier after a 4–1 final-day defeat to Bristol City.[15] Incoming chairman Martin Lange terminated the contracts of manager Phil Holder and assistant manager Wilf Rostron after the season.[14]

The 1993–94 season proved to be one of rebuilding for Brentford, back in the third-tier under new manager David Webb.[16] Gillingham's Nicky Forster was added to the strikeforce in June 1994 and together with strike partner Robert Taylor, the goals of the 'FT Index' fired Brentford to the top of the Second Division midway through the 1994–95 season.[17] Through till late April 1995, Brentford vied with Birmingham City for the one automatic promotion place, before a 2–0 defeat in what proved to be the deciding match at St Andrew's ended the Bees' automatic promotion challenge.[17] Brentford lost on penalties to the eventual promoted club Huddersfield Town in the 1995 Football League playoffs.[17]

A hangover ensued during the 1995–96 season,[18] before everything came good again in 1996–97.[19] Carl Asaba, previously a reserve team player bought from Dulwich Hamlet in August 1994, established himself as one of the top strikers in the Second Division, scoring 24 goals during the season.[20] Brentford occupied top spot for much of the campaign until mid-March 1997, when three consecutive defeats put the Bees back into the second automatic promotion place.[21] The strikeforce had been weakened by the £700,000 sale of Nicky Forster in January 1997 and four defeats in the final four games dropped Brentford back to 4th position and into the playoffs.[21][19] In-form Bristol City were beaten over two legs in the semi-finals, before the season ended when the Bees were "exposed and outclassed" by Crewe Alexandra in the 1997 Second Division playoff Final at Wembley Stadium.[22]

Steve Coppell managed Brentford to the 2002 Second Division playoff Final.

Less than a week before the beginning of the 1997–98 season, a consortium led by manager David Webb bought a majority shareholding in the club, with Webb subsequently stepping down as manager to take up the role of chief executive.[23] All of the club's transfer business was conducted within 9 days of the beginning of the season and the low-cost replacements for the stars of the previous season proved not to be of standard.[23] Webb's replacement Eddie May was sacked in early November and Micky Adams was appointed as manager of a club that had just dropped into the relegation zone.[24] Despite a host of new signings and a mass clear out during the second half of the season, Adams fared worse than his predecessor and Brentford were relegated to the Third Division on the final day of the season.[24]

In June 1998, former Crystal Palace chairman Ron Noades assumed ownership of Brentford and made wholesale changes throughout the club, installing himself as chairman-manager, supported by a three-man coaching team.[25] Excellent home form, big-money signings and a 16-match unbeaten run to close out the season saw the Bees win the 1998–99 Third Division championship on the final day, after beating Cambridge United 1–0 in a "winner takes all" match at the Abbey Stadium.[25] The 1999–00 and 2000–01 seasons proved to be forgettable back in the Second Division, with a need to balance the books leading to a number of player sales and things came to a head when chairman Noades resigned as manager after an FA Cup first round defeat to Kingstonian on 20 November 2000.[26][27] Brentford reached the 2001 Football League Trophy Final under Ray Lewington, but were defeated 2–1 by Port Vale at the Millennium Stadium.[28]

Steve Coppell was appointed manager in May 2001 and the team raced out of the blocks,[29] establishing itself as promotion contenders after reaching the top of the Second Division in October 2001.[30] Circumstances transpired that to secure automatic promotion, Brentford needed to beat second-place Reading at Griffin Park on the final day, with the Royals needing only a draw.[31] The Bees took the lead through Martin Rowlands, but were pegged back by Jamie Cureton and forced to settle for a place in the 2002 Second Division playoffs.[31] Huddersfield Town were dispatched in the semi-finals,[32] but a resolute Stoke City defence proved too hard to break down in the final, with the Potters running out 2–0 winners.[33]

Just under a month after the 2002 Second Division playoff Final defeat, Steve Coppell quit as Brentford manager.[34] In the wake of the ITV Digital collapse, the financial restraints placed on the club by chairman Ron Noades left Coppell's replacement Wally Downes with an inexperienced squad and administration was narrowly avoided in August 2002.[35][36][37] Despite a promising start, the 2002–03 season petered out into mid-table mediocrity and in late March 2003,[38] chairman Noades quit the club and handed control to supporters' trust Bees United.[39] More poor form followed in 2003–04 and a run of seven defeats in 9 matches led to Downes' sacking in March 2004.[35] Former Barnet manager Martin Allen took over and immediately turned things around,[40] finally accomplishing "The Great Escape" from relegation on the final day of the season.[41][42]

Having built a "two bob" team of journeymen, free transfers, youngsters and loanees, manager Martin Allen produced two roller coaster seasons in the newly renamed League One.[43] In 2004–05, Brentford took Premier League club Southampton to a replay in the FA Cup fifth round and snuck into the 2005 League One playoffs, but were overpowered by Sheffield Wednesday in the semi-finals.[44] 2005–06 saw another run to the FA Cup fifth round,[45] with Premier League strugglers Sunderland being beaten at Griffin Park by two DJ Campbell goals in the fourth round,[46] though the subsequent £500,000 sale of Campbell to Birmingham City robbed the team of potency up front.[47] The Bees were easily defeated 3–1 in the fifth round by Charlton Athletic, but too many draws late in the season dropped the club to a 3rd-place finish and a matchup with Swansea City in the 2006 League One playoffs, which resulted in yet another semi-final defeat.[48] The fallout after the playoff exit mirrored that of four years previously, with the manager quitting due to financial constraints and key players being sold,[49] despite changes behind the scenes in January 2006 which had seen Bees United (helped by loans, donations and supporter Matthew Benham) buy former chairman Ron Noades' majority shareholding.[50][51] Bees United's acquisition of the shares also secured the future of Griffin Park, which had looked under serious threat five years earlier.[27][52]

Leroy Rosenior was named as Brentford manager in June 2006 and despite a seven-match unbeaten start to the 2006–07 season,[53] the rot set in and Rosenior was sacked and replaced by youth team manager Scott Fitzgerald in November 2006.[54] Fitzgerald fared even worse and left the club after Brentford's relegation was confirmed on 9 April 2007.[55] Head of youth Barry Quin took caretaker charge for the remainder of the season,[55] which culminated in a bottom-place finish in League One, the first time the Bees had finished a season bottom of a division of the Football League.[1] Despite the relegation, the club's finances had been improved after Matthew Benham paid nearly £3 million to take over some of the club's debts in January 2007.[56]

Former England international Terry Butcher was installed as manager on 24 April 2007 and took over first team affairs two weeks later.[57] Despite flirting with the League Two playoffs early in the 2007–08 season, dreadful form, which pointed to relegation into non-league football,[58] led to Butcher's departure by mutual consent in December 2007.[59] Assistant manager Andy Scott took over and turned things round,[60] though hopes of a late charge into the playoffs were extinguished by a run of 10 defeats in the final 15 matches.[58] Scott improved the squad for the 2008–09 season and by December 2008,[61] Brentford were well-established in the automatic promotion places.[62] The Bees sealed the League Two title after victory in the penultimate match of the season versus Darlington.[63]

Prior to the beginning of the 2009–10 League One season, it was announced that supporter Matthew Benham had reached an agreement with supporters' trust Bees United, whereby he would invest significant amounts of capital over a five-year period.[51] Brentford started and ended 2009–10 strongly, finishing in 9th place.[64] 2010–11 became memorable for Brentford's cup exploits, going on a run to the fourth round of the League Cup (beating Premier League Everton on penalties along the way) and reaching the 2011 Football League Trophy Final, which was lost 1–0 to Carlisle United.[65] In March 2011, Matthew Benham agreed to invest £1m a year into the club, for a minimum of three seasons.[66] Uwe Rösler was appointed as Brentford manager in June 2011, with Mark Warburton, previously first team coach, taking over the role of sporting director as part of a restructure behind the scenes at the club.[67] 2011–12 proved to be a season of transition and in June 2012, Matthew Benham became the majority shareholder of the club, acquiring 96% of the shares.[68]

Brentford came within a penalty kick of automatic promotion to the Championship on the final day of the 2012–13 season, losing 1–0 to promotion rivals Doncaster Rovers at Griffin Park, who only needed a draw to secure automatic promotion, a scenario which mirrored that of the final-day match versus Reading 11 years previously.[69] The Bees recovered to beat Swindon Town on penalties in the 2013 playoff semi-finals after drawing 4–4 on aggregate,[70] but the season came to an end after a 2–1 defeat to Yeovil Town in the final.[9] A hangover ensued early in the 2013–14 season, but after a heated discussion between management and players after a defeat to Stevenage in mid-October 2013,[71] Brentford went on a club-record 19 match unbeaten run in League One,[72] even weathering the storm caused by the departure of Uwe Rösler in early December 2013.[73] Mark Warburton carried on Rösler's good work and led Brentford to a runners'-up finish and automatic promotion to the Championship.[1][74] Earlier in 2014, Matthew Benham had acquired 100% ownership of the club – his funding having been vital to Brentford's rise from League Two in 2007 to the Championship in 2014.[68]

An unexpected 5th-place finish was attained in Brentford's first season in the second-tier since 1992–93, but the Bees were comfortably beaten by Middlesbrough in the 2015 playoff semi-finals.[75] An overhaul of the management and recruitment structure of the club at the end of the season led to the departure of manager Mark Warburton,[76] who was replaced by Marinus Dijkhuizen.[77] Dijkhuizen lasted just 9 matches before being replaced by interim manager Lee Carsley,[78] who stabilised the team's form before the appointment of Dean Smith in November 2015.[79] Smith solidified Brentford's Championship status with consecutive top-10 finishes in the following three seasons.[1] At the end of the 2015–16 season, the reality that Brentford "can't win by outspending the competition, so we have to out-think them" led to the scrapping of the club's academy and Development Squad and the adoption of a B team as the way to develop its own players.[80] After a season of consolidation, Dean Smith's replacement Thomas Frank took Brentford to the 2020 Championship play-off Final,[81] which was lost 2–1 to West London rivals Fulham.[82] During the 2020 off-season, the club moved out of Griffin Park (its home ground for 116 years) and into the Brentford Community Stadium, a 17,250-capacity all-seater stadium built on a triangle of land 0.6 miles to the east.[83][84]