Brentford on a mission to defy the doubters as they embrace step into unknown after Thomas Frank exit | OneFootball

Bees confident their calculated risk will pay off as they embark on a new era under Keith Andrews

A lot of outsiders appear to have made up their minds about Brentford.

But history tells you to be mindful not to jump the gun by tipping the Bees for relegation despite them losing Thomas Frank, Bryan Mbeumo and Christian Norgaard.

The appointment of Keith Andrews, their former set-piece coach who has no previous managerial experience, is a risk. But Brentford have been here before.

They promoted from within to appoint Frank in 2018 and reaped the benefits of an individual who understood the culture of the club.

As director of football, Phil Giles put it, the club feel they would be taking just as much of a risk in appointing an external candidate with no grasp of how the club operates.

Andrews has stepped up from his role as set-piece coach

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Following the departure of Frank after seven years, the club are looking to promote continuity rather than rip up the foundations that have served them so well.

But this is still a season filled with unknowns for Brentford.

How much of a role will 35-year-old former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson, a summer arrival following his departure from Ajax, play?

Can Brentford keep hold of their all-time Premier League goalscorer Yoane Wissa? How will Andrews fare in the Premier League?

There are plenty of questions heading into the new season, but also some potentially exciting answers.

Brentford are yet to see the best of Fabio Carvalho, who has impressed during pre-season, or club-record signing Igor Thiago, after injury-hit debut campaigns.

It is a big season for Fabio Carvalho

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Get the pair firing, and suddenly Brentford's attack, reeling from the departure of Mbeumo, has a different dimension.

“So talented and so primed,” Andrews said of the pair during his pre-match press conference. “And ready after coming through a really good pre-season where they've shone. They're building momentum, confidence, rhythm in the game and understanding and relationships with other players that I've no doubt will make a huge impact.”

German forward Kevin Schade, an injury doubt heading into Sunday’s opening game against Nottingham Forest, also has another gear to find after a productive end to last season.

Meanwhile, youngsters Yehor Yarmoliuk, Yunus Konak, and Romelle Donovan are all primed to take advantage in a season of great change at a club famed for stability.

Brentford start a new era with a steadfast trust in the principles that have seen them climb from lower leagues to a fifth consecutive Premier League campaign.

To the outside, it looks like they have taken a shot in the dark.

For Brentford, these calculated risks are the reason they continue to punch above their weight.