Frank McParland said his first year as Brentford FC Sporting Director had been a “very enjoyable” one.
Frank joined The Bees in December last year, taking over as Sporting Director when Mark Warburton, who had previously held that role, became Brentford Manager.
Frank said he enjoyed working with Mark, his assistant David Weir and the other coaches as well as Brentford Owner Matthew Benham.
The Bees won promotion from Sky Bet League One last season, a few months after Frank arrived, and now sit fifth in the Championship.
Frank said he was happy with the players brought in and the improvement made by those that were here when he arrived.
“From a personal point of view it has been a very enjoyable year,” said Frank, speaking to Bees Player.
“The work is very enjoyable and I like working with the owner, Matthew, Warbs, David Weir and the coaching staff.
“I have been getting used to the Sporting Director role again, which is really interesting.
“Warbs has got us up and it is great to be in the Championship.
“The players we have brought in have done really well and the ones that were here when we got here, I feel we have seen a marked improvement.
“It has been a very enjoyable time.”
Frank had been Director of Academy and Head of Player Development at Liverpool until last November.
He had previously worked at Anfield as Chief Scout from 2003 to 2007, was General Manager at Bolton Wanderers from 2007 to 2008 and Chief Scout at Watford until 2009.
Frank said the majority of his time was spent looking at players but he also managed the staff in the football department.
He said the majority of his time so far was working with the First Team but he was now spending more time with the Academy.
“My background has always been in scouting,” Frank explained.
“Whether I have been Academy Director at Liverpool or Sporting Director here I have always been involved in the players we bring in.
“I do contracts, looking after the players that are here.
“We have a massive staff here and they come under me.
“We have the medial side, analysis, the Academy.
“It’s a full-time job.
“I work closely with Matthew and we discuss on a daily basis our own players and players that might interest us.
“That is the biggest part of my job.
“You never know everything, I am still getting there.
“I am watching the Academy more and getting to know the staff and players.
“I have spent much of the first year with the First Team.”
Frank said success on the field was the best way to judge player recruitment and even if players brought in were not playing it might be because they had forced improvements in others in the squad.
Frank said he wanted to see players come through from Brentford’s Academy and was working with Academy Director Ose Aibangee.
He said he was involved in the arrival of Lee Carsley as Development Squad Manager and admitted there was work to do with some of the older players.
But he added the indoor facility at Uxbridge High School was of the highest quality.
“You can judge if you are successful by how many players come in and play in the team regularly,” said Frank.
“Sometimes the ones you bring in can’t get in because the ones you have already got are doing so well.
“It is not about 11 players, every game Warbs makes three subs.
“You need people on the bench to bring in and players coming through the Academy.
“That is the next big thing for me and I am working closely with Ose.
“We have made changes and brought Lee Carsley in.
“He has been a wonderful appointment for us with his experience and the way he is with the players.
“Success is about how you do on the pitch and how you play.
“We are really happy.
“There are bits to do in the Academy.
“Ose is the man in charge and I am there to support him.
“He is very happy with the younger age groups.
“I was involved a lot with the appointment of Lee, along with Ose, Matthew, Warbs and David.
“We are Category Two and we are doing well but there is work to be done with the older players.
“The building at Uxbridge is fantastic.
“We had something similar at Liverpool but our one is a different scale.
“Matthew has put a lot of money in.”
The Transfer Window will open in the next two weeks but Frank said he did not expect to do a lot of business.
“Any business we do has to improve us,” said Frank.
“The players are doing ever so well; we will only bring players in that will improve things.
“I can’t see us doing lots of business in January.
“I think we have been surprised at how well the team has done.
“This league is a strong league; we have done better than we thought.
“That is credit to the staff and players.
“Some of the football I have seen is as good as any team I have ever been at.
“Speaking to fans they tell me it’s the best football they have seen.
“Warbs should be prod of the way his team plays.”
Frank said he hoped to stay at Brentford through the move to a new stadium, at Lionel Road South, and wanted to end his career in West London.
“Football is a fluid industry but I would love this to be my last job,” he said.
“I will always be a friend of the Club.
“I have a great relationship with everybody.
“The Board have been very supportive.
“I would love to still be involved when we go to the new stadium but in football, you never know what can happen.”
A full interview with Frank McParland is available here for Bees Player subscribers.