It was never in Thomas Frank’s nature to lose his cool. Even after Brentford’s latest defeat in midweek – a 4-1 home defeat to Wolverhampton that left them with six defeats in their last seven games – the manager, who cut his teeth as a manager working with Denmark’s youth teams, is positive He remained optimistic.
“I said with a smile on my face that it could never be this bad, there was no way,” Frank said of his post-match conversation with defender Nathan Collins, whose mistakes gave Wolves two goals. “But the most important thing in this world of football is to stay calm and believe in the process, that’s what we do and we come out of it again, as we have done in bad times before.”
A few miles down the road in west London, a very different scenario was playing out at Stamford Bridge. Like Brentford, Crystal Palace have been struggling in recent weeks and have gone without a win in eight games after VAR ruled that Eberechi Eze awarded a late penalty which was won and converted by Chelsea’s Noni Madueke.
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Roy Hodgson made his feelings clear to referee Michael Salisbury at the final whistle and was seen spitting on the ground in frustration as he headed down the tunnel. The 76-year-old became clearly angry, not for the first time this season, when a radio station questioned him about his attitude. “Shall we talk football?” he replied. “It tells me how I look and how I feel, and then suggests there must be a reason for how I feel. “I’m not on the radio to discuss this, just ask me some questions about the game and I’ll answer them.”
The former England manager also played down suggestions that his side could be tipped into relegation danger despite being just three points ahead of 18th-placed Luton. “The difference doesn’t matter anymore, what matters is the difference at the end of the season,” he said. “It will be worse if we are actually in the relegation zone when we are not there at the moment and have to get out of there. We have had a very tough run of fixtures and we believe that with the way we play we can move ourselves further away from the relegation zone in the coming weeks and months.”
But with Hodgson, the bookies’ favourite, set to become the next Premier League manager to lose his job and with pressure mounting behind the scenes, it is doubtful he will have the chance to find out whether Palace will lose at home to Brentford on Saturday. Chairman Steve Parish is understood to be scouting potential replacements, including former Wolves manager Julen Lopetegui, and the sudden appearance of Steve Cooper following his sacking by Nottingham Forest has increased scrutiny on the oldest manager in Premier League history. Cooper is believed to have spoken to Parish in the summer about potentially taking over before Palace opted to give Hodgson a one-year contract, and he could be tempted to make a quick return to management if desired.
Lille manager Paulo Fonseca and Oliver Glasner, who is out of work after leaving Eintracht Frankfurt in the summer, have supporters in the Palace boardroom, where differences between Parish and the other three major shareholders continue. Paddy McCarthy, who was promoted to assistant manager when Hodgson returned, has also been identified as Parish’s long-term replacement but throwing him in at the deep end would take a bold decision.
Frank, who left his role as Dean Smith’s assistant when he transferred to Aston Villa in 2018, certainly has no such concerns. Brentford won just one of his first 10 games in charge but have not looked back since and enjoyed incredible success. Last year they finished ninth in their second season in the Premier League.
Frank’s side appeared to be coping without Ivan Toney, who was serving an eight-month ban for gambling offences, until Bryan Mbeumo limped off against Brighton and was ruled out for three months. They have suffered four successive defeats but need to get Toney back into action when they face Forest on January 20. It is thought that the England striker is focusing on regaining his form rather than making a possible transfer next month, despite the intense interest of Arsenal and Chelsea. If Brentford’s Premier League status is still in doubt, owner Matthew Benham will certainly not allow this valuable asset to leave until the summer.
Frank should enjoy Hodgson’s encounter at Selhurst Park in style, especially considering their previous five Premier League encounters have ended in draws. While there is no historical bad blood between the two London clubs, who did not meet in the league until Brentford’s promotion from the Third Division South meeting in 1964, their respective troubles should ensure plenty of extra excitement.
After Wolves’ defeat, Frank said, “It’s difficult but when I look around and see the fans not leaving after the match, supporting the team throughout the game, I’m happy and I want to thank them for that.” “It’s not as easy as it looks, and we need them, we need each other, and we need togetherness.”