Brentford

Thomas Frank arrived at Brentford in 2018 to find a club that had spent decades circling the top flight without reaching it, and in 2021 he took them there through the play-offs — the first time Brentford had played in England's top division since 1947. Before him, Harry Curtis spent more than two decades in charge, from 1926 to 1949, and got closer than anyone: fifth place in the old First Division in 1935/36, still the club's best finish at the highest level.

The club traces back to 10 October 1889, when a group of rowing club members decided to form a football side; a meeting six days later made it official, and the name has never changed. The nickname came a few years later almost by accident — students at Borough Road College chanted "Buck up Bs!", and the press printed it as "Buck up bees!"

For 116 years Brentford played at Griffin Park, a ground reached from four different streets, before moving in September 2020 to the Gtech Community Stadium, which holds 17,250. Before Griffin Park, the club had shifted between a string of temporary pitches around the town, including a field behind Clifden House and a spot on Boston Park Cricket Ground.

West London derbies against Fulham and Queens Park Rangers carry particular weight, the QPR fixture sharpened by a 1967 takeover attempt that Brentford supporters have not forgotten. Jim Towers remains the club's record scorer with 163 goals, while Ken Coote made more appearances than anyone else in the shirt, 559 in all. None of it has yet produced major silverware at the top level — the honours list runs through lower-division titles and the 2021 play-off final rather than anything higher — but Brentford enter this season looking to build on their established place in the Premier League under Frank's successor, with Ivan Toney's departure leaving a gap the club has had to plan around at the top of the pitch.