Thomas Frank & Brentford remain the absolute perfect match after four years together

From Gtech Community Stadium - It's hard to imagine Thomas Frank managing a club that isn't Brentford. It's hard to imagine Brentford with a head coach who isn't Thomas Frank.

Both entities seem perfectly intertwined. The Bees are led by a charismatic man who is tactically flexible and embodies the supporters who cheer him on, the club a right blend of progressivism and ingenuity for the Dane to lead.

Brentford's 2-0 win at home to Brighton on Friday kicks off a weekend of celebration for Frank, whose four-year anniversary in charge of the Bees falls on Sunday.

"Last week, we lost a football match. Today, we won one football match. So it’s still snapshots but the more of these good snapshots we can put together, the bigger things we can build," Frank told 90min post-match.

"I think we have a foundation to create an even more unique club. I think it’s a unique club in many ways with what we’ve done, I’m really enjoying it here."

Up against a side both well-drilled and with new-manager-bounce potential, Brentford left their mark at both ends of the pitch to end a run of three winless matches.

To add spice to the affair, Premier League newbie Roberto De Zerbi even squared up to Frank at the end of a frantic first half. Both men were cautioned, with home fans imploring for their head coach to 'knock him out'.

That's not just a set of supporters defending their own, but a bond which transcends results and performances, wins and losses. It's a relationship which Frank has with everyone at Brentford.

"Sometimes things are just clicking. I think it’s everything from the relationship with me and the fans, me and the owner, me and the board, me and the sports director, the staff. I think there’s a good vibe about it. Plus that driven mindset to get better everyday," he added.

After succeeding Dean Smith as head coach having spent nearly two years as his assistant, Frank won just one of his opening 10 games in charge. You wouldn't have blamed the club if they pulled the trigger, but owner Matthew Benham and co realised results weren't indicative of the team's good performances. They stood by the coach and four years on, Brentford are a well-respected Premier League outfit.

Frank was blamed in some corners for the Bees' failure to achieve promotion in 2019/20, claiming his over-exuberance and over-emotional style was hurting his team at times. He stood true to himself and ended Brentford's record-long play-off hoodoo the next year after a tiny two-week post-season holiday and the loss of his two best players.

The 49-year-old doesn't detract from his team but is instead an amplifier. He is the first to admit mistakes on or off the pitch, the first to give credit, the first to pedal the 'bus stop in Hounslow' line. He is the mouthpiece of the club as much as he is their biggest fan - "I definitely am a big fan," he insisted.

After keeping Brentford well away from relegation trouble last season, Frank was nominated for the Premier League Manager of the Season award, but more alarmingly has been linked with posts at Leicester and Friday's visitors Brighton.

There's clearly a pecking order in the Premier League, a food chain where six clubs dwarf whoever the other 14 are. Surely such moves away would be pointless to a man like Frank who values things beyond results, right? Why would he want to be anywhere else?

"Thank you for that question - yeah, why?!" Frank laughed.

"That’s a good question. I think this is a lovely football club. We have achieved a lot of things over the last years [on] a wonderful, wonderful journey, and I still think it’s just a journey. There’s no end target or goal. The sky’s the limit."