[FM23] Bees of Brentford: A Taste of Honey

[karanhsingh]

Olise! How i wish united had signed him instead of the tattooed Brazilian IRL 

[lfds89]

16 horas atrás, warlock disse:

October 2025

We opened the month with an away game at high-flying Newcastle. At this point we were unbeaten in the league, but this would surely be a test:

In the event, we held our own against one of the league favourites. St. Maximin gave the home side a deserved lead, but our young Ukrainian CM popped up just before half time to equalise. Neither side could find an edge in the second half and we headed for home with a well-deserved share of the spoils. It was a quiet game for Toney, but Yehor, Sirbu, Olise and Seimen all did well.

A week later we entertained Leeds, who continue to maintain their PL status without ever looking likely to achieve much. And the result was no great surprise:

Another great performance from Olise, who was unlucky not to bag a hat-trick. But rwo goals and an assist will do very nicely, thank you, with another good display from or

ur young CMs Bergavall and Yehor against an expensively-assembled squad.

Three days later we welcomed the mighty Bayern Munich to the Community Stadium in the Champions League and no-one - least of all the media - expected us to get anything from this match. So it was doubly pleasing to prove all of the doubters wrong:

In a roughly equal game Bayern had the better possession but we had the better chances and we capitalised. Toney gave us the lead early in the second half then, with the visitors struggling to contain us, Kimmich was sent off for a wild challenge. A minute later Roony played Yehor through on goal and the youngster duly put away the chance to secure a well-deserved victory.

With little respite we then travelled across London to face a team that has often been a stone in our shoe. West Ham have never really challenged for honours in this save but are never an easy opponent and proved troublesome again:

The Hammers managed to suppress our forwards but - not for the first time - our midfielders came to the rescue as Enzo created two chances that were converted by Damsgaard and Anel,and an equaliser for the home side midway through the first half proved insufficient to for the home side.

We ended the month with a trip away to Manchester to visit City in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup. Just in case we had pretensions above our station, this was a game that brought us crashing back to earth:

We could - and arguably should - have scored more. We could - and undoubtedly should - have defended better. But when the final whistle blew we had been comprhensively outplayed. And when an opponent scores 4 from 5 shots on target then the defence and goalkeeper had a bad day. The simple fact is that we were awful.

But when it comes to the league, we are doing much better than City... and rather better than everyone else:

We remain unbeaten in the PL, and - actually - we're unbeaten in 19 games. I honestly have no clue how long we can keep this run going but the team are doing extremely well right now!

 

Great run of games! Most GD and points is promising. Is this the year you break the (not-so-bad) curse of 3rd in the Premier? Best of luck to you! Hope you can win the league! 

[Jogo Bonito]

In very good form, really liking your chances this season. 

[warlock]

1 hour ago, lfds89 said:

Is this the year

1 hour ago, Jogo Bonito said:

liking your chances this season

Thanks to you both. We're looking good so far but there's a long way to go. Fingers crossed!

[warlock]

November 2025

Was this the month it all started to go wrong? We weren't terrible but did drop too many points in the league:

A routine win at home against Norwich was reassuring, if only because it came hard on the heels of our spanking against Man City in the Carabao Cup at the end of October. And we followed that up with a handsome win away against Real Sociedad in the Champions League.

The first blow came against a stumbling Man Utd side who were just 2pts above the relegation zone. Even against a United side far from their best a trip to Old Trafford is never easy but this felt like a missed opportunity, especially after Damsgaard gave us an early lead. Next came a game against a resurgent Arsenal side who were just below us in second place. I tried to keep it tight defensively, which worked but did nullify our attacking threat. In the end I was happy with a point.

A good win against Wolfsburg in the Champions League followed, which should secure our place in the next stage of the competition. But we ended the month with a big disappointment away to Bournemouth who were sitting in mid-table:

In a match we should have won comfortably we gave up an early goal and then squandered chance after chance. This one definitely feels like two points dropped. And, inevitably, it opened the door to Arsenal who duly took their chance to claim top spot in the PL:

Heading into December, with the prospect of playing 8 games, I'm far from confident. Player fatigue and niggling injuries are starting to have an effect. And the experiment with Mbeumo as a backup striker to Toney has been a failure - after early promise, he's now made 11 appearances without a goal or assist. He might be on the transfer list before Christmas.

[Hootieleece]

2 hours ago, warlock said:

Was this the month it all started to go wrong? We weren't terrible but did drop too many points in the league:

I am happy with Preston when my month looks like that!

But also, you are by now a Top 6 team so you should be pushing for titles and a UCL berth instead of avoiding relegation.

 

Mbuemo usually plays on the Right Wing of a 4-2-3-1 When I play Brentford. Maybe you could use him there.

 

Edited June 28, 2023 by Hootieleece
added words I forgot

[warlock]

13 hours ago, Hootieleece said:

Mbuemo usually plays on the Right Wing

He started there and did pretty well in season 1, if a little inconsistent. But he missed 7 months of season 2 with a cruciate ligament injury and has never been the same since his return. Also, Roony and Olise own that AMR spot so if Mbeumo is playing anywhere it's going to be up front. Or, more probably, he's going to be playing for a different club.

[warlock]

December 2025

Another month completed, and another bag of mixed results.

We started with a visit from recently-promoted Watford. They are not the worst team in the league (that honour goes to Middlesborough) but they are struggling and I expected the team to enjoy this one. And they did:

A PoM performance from Michael Olise - a goal and two assists - set the stage for a resounding victory, especially after we conceded in the third minute through some sloppy defending.

Next, an away trip to Manchester to face City again, and this one was the reverse of the Watford fixture. We took the lead via Enzo inside 14 minutes, but City gradually ratcheted up the pressure and we conceded the equaliser shortly before halftime. For much of the second half a draw looked possible until the home side bagged the winner in the 87th minute.

Four days later Napoli came to Brentford and I was kinda resigned to another defeat but the squad still has the capacity to surprise me:

Not just a win but a well-deserved scoreline to make the Italians look very ordinary indeed.

We followed that with another home game as Spurs came to visit and demonstrated our capability for utter inconsistency. We went in at the half with a 1-0 but after the interval it was all Spurs and the 1-3 scoreline made us look very ordinary indeed.

We then enjoyed a rare 6 days rest before heading to the south coast for a trip to a Southampton side hovering just outside the European qualification spots. Goals from Toney and Damsgaard secured us the 3 points in a 2-0 victory.

Thanks to the mysteries of the fixture computer we then faced back-to-back league games against Brighton, first at home before heading back to the south coast. The Seagulls are enduring a worse season than us - after finishing in the Top 6 for the past three seasons they are now languishing in mid-table. So I was optimistic for the first game and we eventually racked up a 1-0 win, although it took an own goal from a Brighton defender to clinch it for us. That struggle at home left me far from confident for the away trip, and we turned in another miserable performance. Moussa Barrow gave Brighton the lead after just 5 minutes, although we did manage an equaliser when Toney struck shortly before the interval. But less than 10 minutes into the second half Brighton again had the lead when Solly March smashed home from the edge of the area and then, to rub salt into our wounds, Barrow scored his second in the 5th minute of added time.

We ended the month - and the year - with a visit from Newcastle who were hard on our heels in the table. This was a game where we had every right to struggle... and we won:

We were helped on our way when with barely 5 minutes gone, Anel headed a corner back cross goal and Newcastle RB Fresneda muffed his clearance and put it into the roof of his own net. We extended the lead when Ajer converted another corner before halftime and we then held off the visitors for the whole of the second half. A pleasing way to end the year but a disappointing month all told - 4 league wins but 3 defeats that saw us slip further down the table:

We're hanging on in fourth, but the three teams above us all have games in hand. Liverpool and City have resumed business as usual after their slow start, and Arsenal and Chelsea have fought their way into the mix. On a more positive note, we're doing well in the Champions League where the table has an unfamiliar look about it:

In the new year we have games against RB Leipzig and Porto to look forward to.

Ahead of the January transfer window it looks like we might be doing more business than I'd like. We have several players on expiring contracts and after dithering about renewals I've transfer listed several, including Christian Norgaard, Mathias Jensen, Rico Henry and Dion Drena Beljo. We already have cover for the two Danes but I'd certainly like to sign a replacement LB and a rotation option at striker. We also need a backup to Seimen in goal, but I have a target in mind for that one.

[Jogo Bonito]

A bit of a drop off in the league, but you could still be a strong contender with a bit more consistency.

Cannot be any complaints in Europe, that's really impressive.

Shame about the form of Mbeumo, sometimes FM just doesn't get the same performances from a player that we see in real life. If the Danes and Rico are also sold, that's quite a big re-set from the original cast. Good luck with that and for the matches ahead.

[warlock]

3 hours ago, Jogo Bonito said:

If the Danes and Rico are also sold, that's quite a big re-set from the original cast

Yes, and I'm sad about that. But they've all declined significantly over the last year and the coaching staff now rate all of them as Championship quality, and with expiring contracts it makes sense to try to get a fee for them (I seriously doubt Norgaard is going to attract an offer). We still have manager favourites Toney, Pinnock and Ajer, and Josh Dasilva continues to improve. Damsgaard and Hickey have been with us since the start, although they were new signings at the beginning.

There are signs that some of Europe's big clubs are chasing Damsgaard, Roony and Szoboszlai - losing any of them would be a big blow.

Football management is never a stroll in the park is it

[Jogo Bonito]

9 hours ago, warlock said:

Yes, and I'm sad about that. But they've all declined significantly over the last year and the coaching staff now rate all of them as Championship quality, and with expiring contracts it makes sense to try to get a fee for them (I seriously doubt Norgaard is going to attract an offer). We still have manager favourites Toney, Pinnock and Ajer, and Josh Dasilva continues to improve. Damsgaard and Hickey have been with us since the start, although they were new signings at the beginning.

There are signs that some of Europe's big clubs are chasing Damsgaard, Roony and Szoboszlai - losing any of them would be a big blow.

Football management is never a stroll in the park is it

That's at least six of the originals still involved then, not bad after several seasons (of progression). True that, there are always conundrums thrown up in management - football or otherwise 

[warlock]

2 hours ago, Jogo Bonito said:

there are always conundrums thrown up in management - football or otherwise 

I've dabbled a toe in management (in other spheres). Never my favourite thing. Happy to be retired now

[warlock]

January 2026

After a ropey December the question was whether we continued to struggle or could we transform our fortunes and get back to better form. Early signs weren't encouraging:

The away trip to neighbours Chelsea was always going to be tough but we never really got going, failing to register a single shot on target. New Chelsea signing Carlos Soler bagged what proved to be the winner on 40 minutes and that was that.

I was looking for a morale-booster against League 1 Walsall in the FA Cup and a handsome 6-2 victory was no less than we deserved. No sign of complacency, ruthless finishing from Toney en route to a hat-trick... a good day. But could we carry that into a home game against the Hammers? We could not.

The visitors took the lead midway through the first half, thanks to some sloppy play in the centre of our defence, before Toney put us back on level terms on the stroke of halftime. In the second half the Hammers were happy to settle for a point and despite us dominating possession, putting in 6 shots on target for an xG of 1.98, we just couldn't find the net.

I wasn't expecting much from an away trip to Leipzig; what we got was 'nothing at all'. Enzo had the ball in the net after 7 minutes but saw it ruled out for a tight offside. Then Toney gave away a penalty after 39 minutes that Timo Werner slotted away. Ten minutes after halftime Leipzig scored again and we did little in response.

At this point I was seriously dischuffed so several players had their cards firmly marked, a team meeting was called at which I pointed out that we were much better than recent results suggested and I expected to see it, and a couple of small tactical tweaks were made, including adopting a positive mentality for home games and generally upping the tempo of our game. Going in to the away match at Leeds, Toney was running on fumes so I had little choice to bring up young striker Popovic, who had been recalled from his loan when it became clear that Mbeumo was not going to do the job. And the youngster was spectacular, ably supported by Szoboszlai as the duo combined for both goals.

Whichever of those elements triggered a reversall in our fortunes I have no idea, but we were great for the rest of the month, earning three consecutive victories for the first time since October. And the away trip to Aston Villa produced our best performance of the season:

Both sides went at it hammer and tongs but we were utterly ruthless in the first half and took a 4-0 lead into the interval. Toney clinched his hat-trick soon after the restart but Villa refused to lie down and responded with considerable pressure and two goals of their own. Eventually we put them away with a fourth for Toney and a last-minute strike from debutant Luis Brown (of whom more in the transfer update below).

So reasons for cautious optimism:

We're scoring at better than 2 goals per game, but also conceding more than 1 goal per game and in need of some improved defending. Speaking of transfers...

Transfer window

I expected more outs than ins this time around and so it proved. AML Keane Lewis-Potter left on his pre-arranged move to Stuttgart for a fee that should reach £13m - a disappointment as I had high hopes for him but after initially impressing he struggled with the step up from the Championship. Danish CM Mathias Jensen was moved on to Wolves for £3.6m, and LB  Rico Henry was allowed to go to West Ham for £6.5m. Bryan Mbeumo eventually went to Real Betis on loan and DM Norgaard also left on loan to Parma. With several youngsters also away on loan it brought our transfer income to £63m for the season.

All of which left me with a sizeable war chest with which to find a backup GK for Seimen, a backup striker for Toney, and a replacement for Henry. We had long since identified the GK prospect and he was duly signed for just £5m:

Hoyenhall was highly rated by our scouts and, since his signing, our coaches agree - a genuine 5* prospect. At 18 he already has most of the necessary attributes and should become homegrown at club.

But the search for a striker proved fruitless. First target was Fer Nino, who was with us on loan during season 1. He has since made a move to Hoffenheim in Germany and was eager to re-join and affordable. But his club refused to agree a deal mid-season. Next I turned to a more expensive option in Brighton's Evan Ferguson, who would have stretched our finances but seemed worth it. Unfortunately, he opted for Man Utd at £90m and £165k a week, which we simply couldn't afford. And we fared no better at LB, turning down a number of prospects or failing to agree terms with others.

However, we had in former Ajax youngster Jorrel Hato, a young talent capable of playing at both LCB and LB. Meanwhile, I had been tracking Arsenal's young LCB Luis Brown, who was on loan at Hibs. I initially offered to take over his loan, which Arsenal declined but their response suggested he might be available to buy. A £7.5m fee was agreed and he came in to deputise for LCB Pinnock while Hato will back up LB Hickey.

While his technical attributes need some upgrading he looks a good prospect, and is already homegrown in England. And he made an immediate impact on his debut, heading home a corner against Villa within minutes of coming on.

I also looked at upgrading other areas of the squad without success - fullbacks/wingbacks seem to be particularly hard to find at the moment and those are our problematic areas. But finding that new striker is now a top priority and we'll see if a deal can't be struck with Hoffenheim to bring Nino in this summer.

[warlock]

February 2026

MrsW is away for a few days on a business trip, which means plenty of FM time

February was a quick month with just (!) 5 games to play in 4 weeks:

We continued our good form from the end of January by going away to Everton in the FA Cup and returning home with a narrow victory. It was a even, open game and either side could have emerged as winners but young CM Bergvall pushed us over the line with a good goal inside the final 15 minutes.

Having won four on the bounce the trip to Tottenham presented us with a chance to extract revenge for our home defeat back in December and we pushed them close. Toney twice brought us back from behind but Hojlund managed a winner with 7 minutes to go. The disappointment here was a miserable performance from the defence where none of our back four rated better than a 6.5.

The visit of Liverpool, who were sitting immediately above us in the table looked like a nailed-on defeat but, not for the first time, the team surprised me and dug out a hard-fought draw. Highlighting once again our infinite capacity for inconsistency, all of the defenders were superb while the visitors had our front three wrapped up for the duration. An unexpected point!

We saw out the month with a comfortable win against Southampton and made progress in the FA Cup against Forest.

March 2026

Another 5-game month but this time all matches were jammed into a two-week spell. And there was more evidence that we were recovering our dominant form from the beginning of the season. Consecutive draws - at home to league-leaders City and away to Newcastle in the Champions League R16 - both represented excellent results, and we backed them up with another win away at Watford.

Four days later came one of our biggest results of the season. With progress in the Champions League on the line, we handed out a spanking to moneybags Newcastle with our front three lethal in front of goal and excellent performances throughout the team. It has to be counted a disappointment that we have so rarely shown what we're capable of since the end of last year.

Our final game of the month was a trip across London to West Ham. When we played the Hammers at home in January they held us to a goalless draw so I was out for revenge - and an FA Cup semi-final place. Unfortunately, Toney had used up all his goals for the month but a stellar performance from Olise - setting up Dasilva before bagging a goal of his own - gave us a comfortable win.

So we have a Champions League quarter-final against Milan, and an FA Cup semi-final against Man United to come in April. I don't think we can repeat our 3rd place finish in the league unless one or both of Liverpool and Arsenal collapse:

But I'd gladly exchange league position for the FA Cup!

On a final note, how important has Ivan Toney been this year? This important:

He now has 32 goals in all competitions, 21 in the league and just one behind Haaland.

[Jogo Bonito]

A very strong season, still challenging the bigger teams near the top of the league but going really well in all other competitions too. Toney has been back to his best, nice to see that!

Good luck against Milan and Man Utd.

[karanhsingh]

Great to still be involved in the cups! Good luck 

[SixPointer]

Cup double would be unbelievable for the bees!

[john1]

Some huge impressive results

[warlock]

April 2026

I'm afraid the best wishes and positive vibes were not enough:

The away trip to Arsenal always promised to be tough and, although we held our own for much of the match, Martinelli got free at the back post from a freekick on the hour mark to give the home side the win. We offered nothing in reply - four shots on goal, none on target.

The following game against United gave me hopes for the month's greater challenges. We were excellent, especially having gone behind to an Evan Ferguson goal after 13 minutes. But it proved to be a false dawn - in our biggest games of the season we bottled it.

The two legs against Milan were a shambles and the aggregate 1-7 defeat was no more than we deserved. We were better against United in the FA Cup, taking an early lead but allowing United to equalise before half-time. The second half was an even battle with United having more shots but us ahead on xG. And then heartbreak in the dying seconds:

The wins against Bournemouth and Boro were little consolation, although they have secured us another Top 4 finish and possibly third (again!) if Liverpool slip and the Bees don't. But I'm afraid this adventure is over - if we had managed to win either of the cups I might have stayed for another season, but there's a strong sense of "running to stand still". Third place in season 1 was, I humbly submit, a magnificent achievement and delivering three consecutive seasons in the Champions League was pretty good, too. But four seasons matches my longest ever FM save and it's time for something new.

Thanks to everyone who has read, commented and offered support; it was much appreciated. I hope you'll follow the next adventure, which will be posted shortly.

[karanhsingh]

Yikes - tough luck in the cups there mate 

[lfds89]

With 8 games in a month, it's only possible to get results with 22 first-team players and it's very hard to build that kind of team. I'm already sweating with 5/6...

 

Great save, I enjoyed following it. Looking forward to the next one.

[Jogo Bonito]

Ouch! All that promise, but although you fell just short it's still been a great run and you had a much longer crack with them this time 

I'll be heading off to your other thread