“Any likelihood?” asks Michael Caulfield, Brentford’s sports activities psychologist, and with that Paisley, a lurcher-whippet with a marble-cake coat, hops out of the boot of his automobile on the coaching floor. He stops for a chat with the groundstaff, on their fingers and knees repairing black netting chewed by city foxes on this a part of west London.

“When a fox sees Paisley, they scarper off to Surbiton,” Caulfield says, strolling previous the place he calls Augusta, by which he means the stainless pitches in entrance of the Robert Rowan Efficiency Centre named after their technical director who died six years in the past. “It sounds pathetic however I walked previous his portrait this morning and went: ‘1-1 final evening [against Sheffield Wednesday], penalties, you wouldn’t imagine it, however we obtained there. Hope we get a house draw.’”

Quickly Caulfield is speaking about his distinctive, open-air workplace. “There are 4 benches right here now, two – for the academy – are having an official opening subsequent week,” he says. The primary spot, he provides, was a “crappy tin bench” exterior the unique coaching pavilion. He sought an improve, ordering a picket one, including a plaque that reads: ‘Michael’s Bench; Simply sit and discuss, or simply sit.’

“Probably the most shifting factor was Robert’s widow, Suzanne, rang and mentioned: ‘Can we come and sit on the bench?’ I might have crammed the bottom up with tears. We had quarter-hour within the sunshine. Some days nobody comes close to me however the subsequent day you may’t get on there. That was the entire level of it, to create an area the place you may simply sit there and go: ‘It’s shit.’ Or: ‘Wasn’t that incredible?’”

Sir AP McCoy, who led Caulfield to retrain as a psychologist whereas he was chief govt of the Skilled Jockeys Affiliation, has visited. The All Blacks, too. “They almost broke it,” he smiles. It’s on these benches the place he will get to work, chatting with gamers and employees, normally with a lightweight contact. Generally they stroll and discuss, Paisley in tow; Keane Lewis-Potter and Aaron Hickey discovered it useful when injured. Mads Roerslev took Paisley for a stroll the day after Brentford’s 4-3 win over Ipswich. A reproduction bench adopted on the request of the B staff.

“I informed them they may determine what can be on the plaque. They got here again with one thing sensible: ‘Michael’s Different Bench.’ I might have gone to Saatchi and Saatchi, Google, Elon Musk, AI, all of the gurus of the world and they might have provide you with one thing as uninteresting as flu.”

In a manner, that speaks to the simplicity of Caulfield’s work. “Myself and Thomas [Frank] usually sit down and have a little bit of lunch. After he signed his new contract [as manager in 2022], he mentioned: ‘I’m jealous of you, Michael. You don’t perceive, you’ve obtained one factor I’ll by no means, ever have and, by the way in which, that goes for most individuals on this constructing.’ I mentioned: ‘Go on then’ … ‘Time.’ And that’s my innovation.

“I’ve obtained time and I create time for others to have time. I’m all the time working in the direction of that second when the music stops, so for Monday, when it’s purple and white stripes v Fulham’s white and black shorts, 11 v 11. I’m attempting to maintain that pleasure and soul in soccer.”

The palette of dialog is wealthy and diversified; his earlier canine, Shankly, a lurcher-greyhound, who acted as Caulfield’s sidekick throughout his spells at Middlesbrough, Hull and right here. “The concept was you’ll by no means stroll alone,” he says.

Rising besotted with soccer – “the best meritocracy on this planet” – after his first recreation, West Ham 1-3 Manchester United at Upton Park in 1967; the Brentford Lifeline Society, which Caulfield pays into, £2 every week. “I imply, you attempt to get out of that,” he laughs. Morecambe and Sensible; Maggie Smith.

Working on the darts in Bolton, the dressage at Badminton; David Raya’s journey from Barcelona to Blackburn and Arsenal, through Brentford and Southport, Bryan Mbeumo’s artistry. “I’ve requested him to do a print for me as a result of he paints fantastically, great watercolours,” Caulfield says. “And he enjoys a tinkle on the piano. He’s a pleasant man, who occurs to be excellent at soccer.” Solely Erling Haaland has scored extra league targets than Mbeumo this season.

Caulfield says he can not take credit score for Brentford’s quick begins or joyous crescendos. Brentford scored contained in the opening 40 seconds of three successive matches after which 75 seconds into the fourth recreation of that run, a 5-3 win in opposition to Wolves. Mbeumo scored a 96th-minute winner in opposition to Ipswich and so they prevailed on penalties on Tuesday.

“If I’ve helped, then it’s by 0.00001% recurring,” he says. “We did discover out, as a result of solely we might know this, that once we obtained the third objective [inside a minute], that hadn’t occurred in a single million video games. Soccer continues to be based mostly round dialog, connection, emotion, understanding. Now you can analyse the sport in unbelievable element and thought. If you may get these two married, you’re on to one thing.”

Caulfield, who radiates heat, rewinds to his first day, halfway by way of 2016-17, a number of days earlier than Frank joined Dean Smith’s employees. Brentford have been 18th within the Championship. Then, his function comprised half a day every week, now it’s three, two with the primary staff, one with the B staff. “We had simply been whopped 5-0 by Norwich,” he says. “Everybody thought they introduced me in due to the end result. So, within the assembly room after coaching, 25 chairs, me within the center. I used to be doing the Tony Blair,” he says, drily, “that’s why I put on a jacket.

“I mentioned: ‘I’m terrified. That is as unhealthy because it will get for me, introducing myself to you after a 5-0 defeat. I’m standing right here dressed like this in entrance of you … Don’t assume for one minute I’m having fun with this, so I’d be actually, actually honoured if one in all you can ask a query. Can one in all you save my life?’ Then a hand goes up. Lasse Vibe. ‘Can we belief you?’ he mentioned. I might really feel 25 pairs of eyes going: ‘You higher reply this effectively, in any other case you’re performed.’ I mentioned: ‘Nicely, you’ve already made your thoughts up anyway, however I hope you may.’ OK, good.”

How does Caulfield assume the gamers and employees view his function? He pauses for thought. “They settle for it, they perceive it, they admire it, I feel, however additionally they query it as effectively. It’s nice as a result of they problem me.”

‘Anxiousness, racism, divorce, miscarriages, it’s an absolute A-Z – it’s a VAR-free zone’