“I’m not surprised if I’m honest” – Brentford’s Ben Mee on The Bee’s amazing season, David Raya and how football has changed during his career
Basking in the West London sunshine, Brentford fans punched the air as referee John Brooks blew his final whistle to conclude a memorable season for The Bees.
A 1-0 win over Champions Manchester City was confirmed, as was the club’s fourth highest ever finish in English Football.
Brentford completed the double over Manchester City, the only side to manage such a feat this season. Under the leadership of Thomas Frank, Brentford flirted with the possibility of European Football at the G-Tech Stadium.
Brentford did their part but results elsewhere did not fall in their favour, with Aston Villa stealing 7th place and a place in next year’s Uefa Conference League.
Nevertheless, it was a 9th place for plucky little Brentford, building on their 13th placed finish in their first ever season in the Premier League last year.
Not many players have been as influential to this team as Ben Mee. Arriving on a free transfer from Burnley last summer, Mee started all but one league game for the club this season and has proven crucial to the Bees success.
“There’s a great recruitment programme here, clearly” Mee said in a humorous tone.
“I’m kidding, but we have people who know what they’re doing and bring through some fantastic young players. We’ve a good manager and a good staff around him who are all working hard together so we have all the ingredients to be very successful”.
Brentford proved to be one of the best stories of the Premier League season. The West London side were a thorn in the side of the ‘top 6’, including dominant 4-0 and 3-1 victories over Manchester United and Liverpool. As mentioned, Brentford did the double over champions Man City, and picked up memorable wins away to Spurs and Chelsea.
The club’s success was surprise to many, but not Ben Mee.
“When I came here and saw the quality of players we have, I’m not surprised where we are if I’m honest.
“We’ve got an excellent set-up here at Brentford. There’s a lot of good people all pulling in the right direction and good things can happen when people do that.
“To finish in the top 10 is fantastic and to finish above Fulham as well is nice. Obviously, Chelsea haven’t had a great season but it’s nice to finish above them too!”
Mee spent 11 years at Burnley, a team known for their direct approach in the Premier League. Playing under Sean Dyche meant a lot of route one football for Mee, his fellow Burnley defenders and goalkeeper.
Things are radically different under Thomas Frank and Mee has had to adapt to a more possession heavy approach which involves playing out from the back and passing moves that consistently involve the goalkeeper.
Mee spoke glowingly about his shotstopper, David Raya. The Spanish International keeper is linked with moves away from Brentford this summer, with Manchester United amongst potential admirers. Raya has received praise not only for his shot stopping abilities but his qualities on the ball.
“Goalkeepers and their abilities on the ball is the biggest change in my time in the Premier League, without a doubt.” Mee admitted.
“David (Raya) makes crucial saves at big times. He makes good decisions with his feet as well which is important. There’s a lot of emphasis on goalkeepers with feet now, creating an extra player in the build-up play, overloading when in possession. It’s become a big part of how teams and managers want to play in today’s game.”
The only dent on Brentford’s season was the saga surrounding Ivan Toney. Toney, who netted 20 goals in this league campaign, was handed a historic ban by the FA for breaching betting rules just days before the end of the season.
Under Rule E8, the England International was banned from all football and football-related activities for eight months, running until the 16th of January 2024. A fine of £50,000 was also included.
Although a significant blow to Brentford for next season, Mee believes the squad has enough depth to deal with the loss of their star striker and spoke of the significance of Toney’s partners in the Bees attack.
“We have the players to step up as we have a good squad here. Wissa and Mbuemo have come in and got some goals so players have come in and stepped up to the mark. That’s what this squad is about as we have some really talented players”
“We need to reward these fans with good performances, and we have the squad to do it. The support has been fantastic this season both home and away and we feel like we’ve done that this season.”
