It’s hard to reconcile Thomas Frank’s first few games in charge of Brentford to where he and they find themselves now.
Three years ago today, Frank took charge of the Bees and after 10 matches he had lost eight.
To the west London club’s credit, there was no knee-jerk reaction to what was a horrendous start, and that loyalty to the manager has paid dividends.
His knowledge of the Danish youth football scene has stood him in good stead in terms of the knowledge of which players to buy that would add value to the first team.
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His management style is totally in tune with the times, and though he has very clear ideas as to how he wants his teams to play, which is generally on the front foot and being brave enough to have a go, he will listen to and take stock of the opinions of others.
It’s precisely that concoction of single-minded belief without ego that has landed Brentford where they find themselves today, disrupting the Premier League during their first season in the English top-flight.
The form of Ivan Toney and others seems to have caught some of the Premier League’s big boys, most notably Liverpool and Arsenal, on the hop.
Anyone who has followed the Bees over the last couple of seasons, however, won’t be in the least bit surprised.