Brentford boss Thomas Frank defines what a d*ckhead is and why he won’t tolerate them

Brentford boss Thomas Frank defines what a d*ckhead is and why he won’t tolerate them, in an interview on the High Performance podcast.

You have to praise what Brentford are all about, what they have done on and off the pitch, maintaining their stay in the Premier League, guiding them to 13th, 9th and 16th-placed finishes in Brentford’s first three top flight campaigns and currently sit 9th.

A lot of that to thank is also down to the Thomas Frank, who is currently going viral for the speech he gave to his players after the win against Newcastle.

Here is is defining what a d*ckhead is – and why he won’t tolerate them. He also reveals the one thing you’ve all got WRONG about Brentford…

Damian: “You mentioned the no d*ckhead policy, what is a d*ckhead?”

Thomas: “A d*ckhead is, what you can say, it’s difficult to explain but definitely a person that don’t care about his teammates or staff members that I think is not respectful, in general to everyone high and low, treat people the same way I think, that’s the most difficult thing for me.

“If I see especially people that got more money status everything and they treat people lower than themselves in a different way I can’t stand it, yeah that’s very very difficult for me and I don’t care who it is I’ll just instantly okay lost him, because I think that’s very important you do that in life.

Jake: “So what was interesting there was when you talk about someone that throws their weight around and their status and you say boom gone.

“There will people watching this that operate in environments where they are the leader and there are d*ckhead that have somehow made it into the culture, what advice have you got for them on how you can deal with that?”

Thomas: “I think the easy ones get rid of them that’s difficult but I also a big believer that you need to give people chances to improve and get better and you only get the chance to improve and get better if you if someone tried to help you.

“And that’s of course give them guidelines of this behaviour, is not good, the way people sees you is maybe arrogant or you lose them, during the way, all that and give them examples of how they act, and then I think it’s important that you act yourself in a good way you need to lead by example of course the classic one, but you definitely need to approach them I think that’s the biggest thing and give them a chance to to change it and if they can’t of course, need to leave.”

You can watch the interview in full via the YouTube video above, here are the timestamps…

0:00 Introduction
0:55 Secret Sauce
4:50 Performance Culture
12:10 1st Minute Approach
14:05 Addressing The Problem
18:15 Recruitment & Leadership
27:19 Dealing With D***heads
29:30 Lessons From Managers
36:24 Standing Out
39:51 Logic Over Emotion
41:57 Leaving Brentford?
49:09 Quick-Fire Questions

The High Performance Podcast team say: “Thomas Frank is the brilliant mind behind Brentford’s remarkable journey in the Premier League. Known for his innovative thinking and people-first leadership, Thomas has taken the club from strength to strength, earning respect as one of football’s most exciting managers.

“In this episode, Jake and Damian dive into Thomas’s unique approach to leadership and culture-building. He reveals the unseen factors behind Brentford’s success, from empowering cultural architects within the team to creating an environment of belief and optimism that fuels high performance.

“Thomas also opens up about the role of data in his coaching strategy, explaining how it shapes decisions and impacts the club’s growth. He shares lessons learned from other Premier League coaches and reflects on the pivotal moments where his influence truly changed the course for Brentford.

“This episode offers an exclusive insight into the mindset and strategies driving success both on and off the pitch, exploring Thomas’ views on leadership, innovation, and cultivating a winning culture in one of the world’s most competitive leagues.”

In 2019, a year after he took over at the club, he also mentioned how he did not want “dickheads” in the squad.

“It’s so important for us to have good people,” he told the Guardian. “No dickheads, only good people.

“It’s not because we don’t want personality or an edge, but we want people who actually care.”

He said: “I know it’s part of the strategy and I buy into that. Part of my challenge is to always prepare the next player to come in. But that’s part of who we are.

“To earn the profit we have done in the last few years and still progress is unique. So far, we’ve been good at doing that.”