Uwe’s Nearly Men Ready For Another Tilt At The Title

With Football League hostilities set to resume this weekend, we test the readiness of each of the Capital’s representatives ahead of the new campaign.

Today gives us the chance to touch down at Griffin Park and see how Brentford are faring in their bid to banish the anguish of last season’s final day by gaining promotion from League One at the third attempt.

2013-14 Preview: Brentford

When you see your side miss out on the Championship twice in a matter of weeks, before losing arguably your two best players from that campaign, one of whom is sold on the eve of the new season having played 52 times last year, even the toughest of competitors might consider anxiously limping, head bowed, back to their corner, if not throwing in the towel then and there.

But there is a sense of quiet optimism at Brentford, borne out of their methodical approach to the game and reflected in the calm demeanour of their manager, Uwe Rosler, which suggests that, if they continue to box clever, it is simply a matter of time before the bell rings to signify the club’s objectives have been met.

As a man who has seen his playing days numbered due to a cancer diagnosis at 34, with a cross-continent career in management and now two full seasons behind him in the Griffin Park dugout, Rosler would appear to have the requisite experience to take on the challenge of rebuilding the team in the wake of such setbacks and lead them to the next level.

Having experienced League One play-off heartache in 2002, 2005 and 2006, the Bees were the width of a crossbar from promotion on matchday 46 against Doncaster, on a day which could have seen them crowned Champions, before succumbing to Yeovil at Wembley in May. As a result, influential playmaker Harry Forrester has followed their opponents on that cruel and dramatic final day into the Championship, while goalkeeper Simon Moore has gone one better and been snapped up by Premier League new boys Cardiff City; the deal going through just in time for the keeper to witness his old charges defeat his new employers in a hotly contested friendly in London last night.

However, Rosler merely views these developments in a positive light:

“When I first arrived at Brentford two years ago we struggled to sell a player to a League One club, most of the players that left went into League Two.

“We have now sold a player to a Premier League club.

“That is a testament to the squad we have put together, to the coaches, to the back room team, to the medical department, the fitness department, the analysts.

“They all played a part in Simon’s development.

A modern structure exists at the club - with board, management, scouts and youth coaches working in tandem, always keen to emphasise the efforts of each other’s departments - that has helped develop a clear overall strategy which allows them to react quickly and pragmatically when a situation such as that involving Moore’s sudden exit presents itself, and this is outlined by Sporting Director Mark Warburton:

“Of course it is naturally seen as a negative to lose a player of Simon's ability at such a critical time of the season.

“However, this should in fact be seen as another positive step for the club overall, with one of our talented young players moving on to Premier League level at the tender age of 23.

“This is why we place players of such quality on secure contracts, seeking to ensure we benefit from their developing talents in the seasons ahead.

“If we do lose a player such as Simon, it is because it is right for him and right financially for Brentford.

“We will always have to fight to keep our key performers, but as we develop as a Club and hopefully achieve our aims and ambitions, such fights will be easier to win.

The club have been decisive in their replacement of their departed heroes, enlisting the services of custodian David Button from Charlton on a two-year deal, who made his debut between the posts in the victory over Cardiff as the Bees came back from two goals down to prevail 3-2 against the top flight side. The experienced Rich Lee, once a Dragons’ Den contestant, also remains part of the set-up and is ready to be thrown into the fray if required.

Replacing the all-round input of Forrester has perhaps not proved quite as straightforward but, again, the club have been innovative in addressing the issue, bringing in a blend of youth and experience with the signings of ex-Swindon skipper Alan McCormack and highly rated 20-year-old Chelsea loanee George Saville to plug the gap in the middle of the park.

Rather than experiencing a loss of firepower, the club have managed to keep hold of 24-goal striker Clayton Donaldson, despite the 29-year-old striker being linked with Barnsley and Wolverhampton Wanderers during the close-season and have added not only Conor McAleny, scorer of a well-taken brace last night, on loan from Everton, but also Walsall’s top scorer Will Grigg, 22, which, with Farid El Alagui set to return from injury for the development squad at the weekend, completes an imposing array of attacking talent.

The bees also made waves by obtaining the signature of 37-year-old former Villareal right back Javi Venta, who played in both legs of the 2006 Champions League semi-final against Arsenal and will provide a little extra nouse and know-how at the back this year. Czech winger Martin Fillo, 27, another man with experience at the top level with three international caps to his name, has also joined from Viktoria Plzen after working with Rosler at Norweigen side Viking FK. 

Going into their competitive curtain-raiser at Vale Park on Saturday, Bees supporters will have high hopes for this experimental squad and, through the guidance of the enigmatic Rosler and his fellow forward-thinkers, they will expect their side to pull no punches and make amends for last season’s near miss to belatedly graduate from one of the toughest divisions around and begin the next phase of the master plan.