Fan Talk with Natalie Sawyer: Frank has Bees buzzing like never before

TalkSPORT host and former Sky Sports News presenter Natalie Sawyer is confident the good times can keep on rolling for her beloved Brentford, as long as Thomas Frank stays put in West London.

Meant to Bee

I went to my first Brentford game when I was seven years old.

Football wasn't a generational thing in my family at all. We only went down as a trip for my brother's birthday because it was our local ground — but my whole family fell in love instantly.

Obviously I've seen an amazing rise all the way from League Two to the Premier League and I'm grateful for having witnessed those tougher times.

When we lose a Premier League game, it still hurts. But I can remind myself that we've had far rougher results over the years!

Moving to a new stadium and flying up the leagues, it would've been easy to lose that feeling of being a community club but I actually think that's something we've maitained exceptionally well.

We may be mixing it with the big clubs but we're still little old Brentford.

Frank-ly phenomenal

The job Thomas Frank has done has been miraculous. 

Nobody gave us a chance in our first Premier League season and we ended up finishing 13th. Then last season, we ended up in the top half and for a long time looked like we may sneak into Europe.

He deserves all the plaudits he gets because we are punching well above our weight — and I also think he encapsulates Brentford as a club.

I'm very privileged to have had conversations with him and he's even spoken about potentially never having the same feeling at another club.

The relationship he has built with the fans, the players, the coaches, everyone at the club. He knows that may not be repeatable elsewhere.

But I know we must enjoy the moment with Thomas. I'm always worried another club is going to come and poach him but hopefully not for a while yet!

Toney's tribulations

As everyone knows, we'll be starting next season without our key man in Ivan Toney, who serves a ban for breaching betting rules until mid-January.

I know I'm biased, but I do feel the whole situation was handled appallingly.

When you read the summary of the case and the charges, you can see how the panel have decided upon a ban but there are certain elements I'm really not comfortable with.

The way it was leaked via the papers was so poor. Then going forward, I don't like the fact he can't train or that he's not allowed to take part in footballing activities away from the pitch. 

It seems very counter-productive to me. That said, he has to serve his punishment and clearly he's going to be a big miss for us. 

He's our top scorer and a big game player, so we have to fill that void.

Tempered expectations

I was dreaming of a European adventure last season — my passport was out and my bags were packed by the door!

In all seriousness, I'm not sure our squad is quite big enough to cope with a continental campaign just yet, though from a fan perspective it would be amazing.

Can we push for those heights next season? I'm not sure. 

I'm expecting a bit of a drop-off. Other teams have strengthened and we have to replace Toney's goals, which will be a real challenge.

But one thing about this Brentford side is that they let us fans dream big. Long may it continue!

Natalie Sawyer was talking to Matthew Hill