Thomas Frank is on the brink of leading Brentford to their highest league finish in 85 years, a remarkable feat for a man who was unknown in the UK when he joined the club as assistant head coach in 2016. But Frank had already spent two decades honing his craft, starting with his hometown club Frederiksvaerk’s under-8s. He then went on to become coach of Denmark Under-17s, taking them to the 2011 European Championships.
At the tournament, Denmark beat Serbia, France and an England team featuring Jordan Pickford and Raheem Sterling. Lee Rochester Sorensen, who was part of that Denmark U17 side, remembers Frank as a coach who was always looking to improve and had a plan for every step of the way. He was also fair, dropping players if they didn’t perform.
Prior to matches, Frank ran light practice sessions to test his players’ defensive prowess on set-pieces. He was not immune to losing his temper either, as Rochester Sorensen found out when he scored a free-kick in training.
Denmark reached the semi-finals of the tournament before eventually losing to Germany. They also played in that year’s Under-17s World Cup in Mexico.
In 2013, Frank was offered a first-team coaching role at Danish Superliga giants Brondby. Martin Ornskov, who joined the club to help take it back to the top, remembers Frank as a nice guy who could get angry if his players didn’t perform. He was also collaborative, discussing solutions with his players during games.
Frank failed to bring back the glory days to Brondby, with the club finishing no higher than third during his three seasons in charge. But he was still highly sought after and joined Brentford as assistant head coach in December 2016.
He replaced Dean Smith as the Bees’ boss in October 2018 and ended the club’s top-flight exile via the play-offs in 2021. Now more experienced still, Frank has his side in the shake-up for European qualification and has distanced himself from the managerial vacancy at Tottenham. It appears he believes there is more to achieve at Gtech Community Stadium – and if Frank’s career trajectory over the years is anything to go by, that is very good news for the future of Brentford.