Feb 2017. Brentford had taken one of the boldest decisions in English football - closing the traditional academy and replacing it with a completely different approach to developing young players: Brentford B team
But would it actually work?
Beesotted spent the day with the B Team as they took on QPR, speaking to Brentford's Head of Football Operations Rob Rowan, B Team Head Coach Kevin O’Connor and first-team manager Dean Smith about the thinking behind the project.
What was the B Team trying to achieve? How would it develop players differently? How closely would it work with the first team? And, ultimately, could it produce players capable of playing for Brentford?
Listening back now, it’s fascinating to hear the thinking behind an idea that was still very much an experiment at the time – but would go on to become an important part of the Brentford model.
It’s also particularly special to hear from the much-missed Rob Rowan, who played such an important role in developing the B Team and shaping its vision. Rob was tragically taken from us far too soon in 2018, aged just 28, but his influence on Brentford and the B Team he helped build lives on
Part of Beesotted Reloaded: The Years That Shaped Brentford
.....
So where is Brentford’s next batch of ‘homegrown’ talent coming from? Billy Grant and Dave Lane from Beesotted spent a day with staff from the Brentford B team as they took on local rivals QPR - a match which featured Rico Henry in his first full run-out in well over a year - to find out
In our B team feature, we speak to Brentford’s head of football operations Rob Rowan, B team head coach Kev O’Connor and Brentford manager Dean Smith trying to find out:
What is the B team all about? Who runs the B team? What is the B team ethos? Who will be the first batch of B team players to feature in the 1st team? How important is it to have B team players training with the 1st team?
Following on from our B team feature, Billy Grant, Dave Lane and Carl Massey then discuss the Brentford B team’s impact on the current side and ask whether the experiment will be a success.
0m Intro
2m 18 sec - Beesotted speak to Head of Football Rob Rowan, 1st Team head coach Dean Smith and B Team Head Coach Kev O’Connor at the B team match against QPR at their training ground in Harlington
26 m 56 sec - Beesotted crew share their thoughts on the B team set-up
50 mins - END
Carl Massey's article on the B team which appeared on Beesotted late 2016 - https://beesotted.com/will-european-cup-win-pave-the-way-for-brentford-next-superstars/
","author_name":"Beesotted"}