Brentford FC Head Coach Thomas Frank celebrates his 48th birthday today, Saturday 9 October. He is only the second person to manage Brentford in the top flight and is about to celebrate three years in charge of The Bees. He has been at the helm for just over 150 games and has won almost half of them, including the Sky Bet Championship Play-Off Final in May.

In the middle of a trio of landmarks, Thomas spoke at length to Mail on Sunday reporter Rob Draper. The pair first met in August at a Club function and spoke just before Brentford beat West Ham United in the Premier League last weekend. In a piece, also available online, one of the topics discussed as Thomas' journey to the Premier League.

"When I started coaching at 20 years old in grassroots, I never saw myself 27 years later in the Premier League," said Thomas. "That was never an aim back then. I wanted to coach Under-17 teams, then coach Under-17s team in the best league in Denmark, then maybe full-time coach, then dreaming about being youth national team coach.

"I got the job and, in those five years [with Denmark], maybe in last year I was thinking maybe I could coach senior pros? I didn’t even play academy level. Arsene Wenger was a little bit the same. But I was glad to see other managers [like Rafa Benitez and Jose Mourinho] who came through similar routes and I hope I inspire other coaches that it’s possible."

The interview also touched upon Thomas' time away from football and his coaching education. There are also references to Rob predicting Brentford to be relegated this season. Read it here.