With England limping out of the World Cup, watching any more of it seems a bit of a hollow exercise. The football over the weekend was very exciting (see: Germany, Ghana, Iran, Argentina, USA and Portugal) with even Algeria – South Korea, hardly the most scintillating prospect in advance, getting the blood pumping.
But these thrills are muted by the fact that every potential upset no longer has a knock on that could impact Roy’s Boys.
I’ve used this before but it is the archetypal example of my favourite analogy, a Timothy Dalton ‘Bond film’. The rest of the crew and cast may be the same, the action and the sound are identical but, ultimately, without the one-liners and raised eyebrow of Roger Moore it all seems to be lacking something.
Like Dalton, the World Cup still has a stunning supporting cast and incredible action but with our team of Victor Tourjanskys gone (and do check him out), it is definitely lacking a safari suit clad bite.
England are reduced to a Tourjansky-esque cameo role on Tuesday
Brentford wise, things are just as downbeat on the surface. No real news coming out of the club, but rumour central in other sources. With Marcello Trotta, allegedly, no longer in the frame for a return, you may also be surprised to read that, “Bristol City boss Steve Cotterill is targeting highly-rated Brentford striker Will Grigg.”
Not my words (I’d have given him the respect of prefacing them with “Northern Ireland International”) but those of the Bristol Post. You can read the full story here but it would leave us rather short in the ‘striker’ position if we were to accept the supposed bid of £300,000….
Moreso given the talk about Clayton Donaldson being a shoe in to join Birmingham City, now his contract has expired.
I remember a similar situation the last time we escaped ‘tier 3’ to join the Championship back in 1992. Then, goal hero Dean Holdsworth was sold off on the cheap to Wimbledon and we were left with Murray Jones in his place. Ultimately, a packet of Murray mints would have done a better job as, despite a sterling effort, the former Grimsby man failed to find his eye for goal and Gary Blissett was left to do the work of two players.
However, if Brentford clear the decks up top (and it is a big IF – these are only cyber rumours at present) then this time I have a feeling things will be different. We’ve been too long looking to escape this division to then go and throw it all away.
Warbs and Frank McParland have a stunning knack for unearthing talent – just look who has come into the club in the last year or two. I’d hate to lose Clayton but, if it was to happen, then I’m confident that they have somebody lined up.
Now, does anybody have Lionel Messi’s phone number?
‘Celebrating like they’d won the FA Cup…..’ – The story of Brentford’s season 2013/14 – amongst other things – is now available as a digital book . Featuring the best of the not so bad columns from the last ten months, and some new content, you can download it here for your kindle / digital device
BrentfordFC 
I have to say im rather enjoying this World Cup. Id almost given up on the international scene after 2006 & 2010 and had got much more into the Champions League believing it to be more of a World Cup then the World Cup. So I started watching this World Cup just to have a bit of a peek and have been surprised at how open the football has been, and consequently how bad the defending has been. I must apologise to Harlee Dean for my many criticisms of his lack of concentration. It appears world class defenders are also regularly afflicted with the same problem.
Ive never really been a supporter of Ing-er-land and watch their games out of curiosity rather than pride or despair. This year im following Switzerland (sweepstake team) and have adorned my office wall with posters of emmental cheese, cuckoo clocks, Ursula Andress and Steve McQueen attempting that jump.
This year’s World Cup is more similar to recent FA Cup’s rather than Champions League where the underdog has prevailed so far, and I look forward to a final of Costa Rica v Switzerland with pre match entertainment of the pelting of rotten fruit at Sepp Blatter! Long may it continue.