Brentford 2 Celta Vigo 1 . With our attention split between Griffin Park and Dulwich Hamlet yesterday, those who opted for the First XI over the B-Team were treated to a fine performance. The first half especially, with The Bees dominating last season’s Europa League semi-finalists (as we seem contractually obliged to call them). With the warm up to the Championship now complete, Brentford remain unbeaten heading into those first few games with Sheffield United and Nottingham Forest.
As ever, for your big match reports go to ‘Official’ or the likes of Beesotted and the BBC. I’m just the numpty on the terrace although to my eyes the stand out points were:
Jota. Obviously. Looked wonderful in the rain, something he would later say really assists his game, and scored that delightful free kick from the heart of Saunders territory to double our lead. It was an absolute beauty, curled over the wall and into the net to double our lead before half time.
Jota does his thing in the rain against Celta Vigo
And if you’d like to read more whilst helping the Brentford FC Community Sports Trust …. the rest of this article can now be found in the Kindle e-book Ten Times Better. Brentford FC Season review: 2017/18. Inspired by ‘that’ interview it contains the least bad of these columns in one, handy volume as it looks at our own campaign as well as wider divisional life and the promotion / relegation races.
As a bonus there’s a whole host of new material. New that is, for my pages. Specifically, all the programme articles submitted (both home and away where, if nothing else, you can get the original versions of both Birmingham City and Millwall).
In addition, There Is No Plan B. Brentford FC Season reviews: 2013/14 – 2017/18 takes us all the way back to the start of this latest leg in the journey. That penalty. League One. Harlee Dean was a hero. Jota was something we thought happened to the temperature for one week in July. Alan Judge had joined on loan whilst the Marinus Experiment was something nobody had contemplated. Bringing things bang up to date by the inclusion of this year’s volume alongside the four previously published campaign round ups, it has five seasons in one weighty tome. As weighty as a download can be, that is.
Relive the memories. See how often the same material gets regurgitated. Remind yourself about the likes of Betinho, Martin Fillo, Javi Venta and Marcos Tebar. Certainly, if there’s no Marcos Tea Bar at Lionel Road it will be an opportunity missed.
All proceeds from any sales will go to the Community Sports Trust. For less than the cost of a half / pint respectively, they may help while away some time on the commute. By the pool on holiday. In the bathroom. Who knows? It will certainly do some good for the Trust, whose work has been well documented at Griffin Park but you can read all about it on their site.
And if that wasn’t enough, I’ve been given something very special. A 2017/18 third team shirt with Lewis Macleod’s squad number on the reverse in the EFL typeface. Anyone with half an interest in Bees kits will know that these were never made available in the club shop. Anyone who has read any of this before will know what a kit nerd yours truly is so when I say this is rare, take that in good faith!
To be in with a chance of owning it, download a copy of either before the end of June 2018 and you’ll go into a draw to win this. Just DM/tweet me (@NickBruzon) a copy of your purchase confirmation mail and I’ll add your name to the list before selecting a random Bees fan to win this on July 1st.
Nick Bruzon
BrentfordFC 
Dear All
First, the football. This was my first pre-season game, and my conclusion was that we look in way better shape that the last two years, and equally the Warburton season when the team seemed to take time to believe that it belonged in the Championship. All very promising, though one hopes Canós’ ankle is not too bad.
Dean Smith has one hell of a decision on his hands about who should start next week. However, not selecting Woods would be an absolutely shocking decision in my view.
The recruitment has been excellent for sure. I have said things about the DOFs in the past, but armed with a bit of money they seem to have done excellent business this time round. Twelve months ago I certainly underestimated how the absence of transfer money for Judge affected our recruitment, and the previous January a decision was made not to pay inflated prices; it did look questionable for a few months before a corner was turned spectacularly. I get the impression that some lessons have been learnt from the last two years on all sides.
Many of the Celta fans were from their London-based ‘peña’. Having said that, when I was flying from Vigo the other day (I jest not) there were some Celta fans on the flight.
I have to say I thought the crowd was pathetic for what was quite a prestigious friendly, though I realise some people might have gone to Dulwich instead.
Nice to see all the Spanish clichés coming out at half-time. Vigo from the windswept, rain-battered Celtic region of Galicia where the folk play bagpipes, so what do we have at half-time? A bit of flamenco from the Gypsy Kings (who are from France anyway) and the Latino Spanish Stroll from the 1970s. Oh well. That legendary steward at the away end was doing his usual good-humoured stuff at the end with the Celta fans and suggested the weather was a bit different from ‘sunny Spain’ until one of them suggested that it was very familiar to them. Probably explains why Jota does so well in the rain.
And finally, I am more than a little perturbed by the reappearance of that shocking ‘Saturday Afternon Red Army’ song. If ever there was a collection of clichés put together to form a ‘song’ that was it. Saturday afternoon/Red army/Griffin Park/I wanna be there/Loud and proud/Brentford till I die/The Barcelona of the lower leagues/We are Bees/You reds/London War Cup final winners in 1942/Pub on all four corners/Hey Jude. OK I exaggerate a little, but it was a right old dirge at a pretty depressing time for the club. Even Mad Billy Reeves promotion ‘anthem’ was better than that.
Anyway, on that note I bid you farewell.
Regards
Gordon
Just to say, the selection of “Bamboleo” was from me and had nothing to do with Spain and flamenco and everything to do with the fact that the eponymous line would work just as well with “Ka-mo-he-lo”, in tribute to the excellent Mokotjo. Unfortunately, (for me anyway) I can’t claim the idea. Someone else had suggested it on Twitter a day or so before he signed.
Thanks for the ongoing column Nick and hope you up the ante as the season kicks in. I wouldn’t want to choose the team at any time but at this time lets just enjoy the moment with what appears to be possibly the best talent pool in recent Bees history. I have been a fan for over 50 years and have never been so taken with our potential.
Not sure if you have seen this morning’s papers but Rod Liddel in The Times sport section reckons Burton,Barnsley and Bolton are candidates for relegation and Notts Forest could be in the mix. He says of Brentford – ” My dark horse tip for relegation is amiable Brentford. It is nigh on impossible to compete in the Championship if you have no prachute payments and low wekly attendences. ” All comments welcome but at least he finds us ‘amiable’ ! All comments invited .
Anyway here’s to us all in the coming season and that top six finish if not top 2 to 3.
Coyb… WannaBee
As a postscript, I apologise for suggesting that the ‘loud and proud’ cliché appears in ‘Saturday Afternoon Red Army’. I got it wrong – it comes in the next track ‘I am the crowd’…
I am sure if I could be bothered to listen to more than 30 seconds of each dirge I could find ‘Brentford till I die’ to complete the set.
Does Robb Johnson perform with the Sheffield Wednesday/England band in his spare time?
Regards
Gordon
I was there yesterday and for the most part was entertained by what i saw. I thought first 35 mins we were excellent (though Celta werent great) and stiffled their build up play well. Canos and Rico were linking up well and causing all sorts of problems. Then Canos got injured and we finished the first half on the back foot. We looked quite jaded in the 2nd half, especially Josh who was instumental in the first half and wasn’t at the races from the kickoff 2nd. The front 2 weren’t pressing, allowed Celta to develop from deep and we got a little out muscled for the goal (and similar situation a couple of minutes before the first goal). After that scare we picked up the tempo again and finished pretty well.
So it was entertaining but a bit mixed. I hope we can play for 90mins next week and if we can throughout this season we WILL be formidable. We just need to make sure we keep going and not slacken off / lose concentration. We’ve got the depth of squad this time to rotate when players get tired so am very hopeful of something special.
A quick shout out to the Celta fans. There werent2 many but they made some noise and was suitably impressed when they applauded not only their players but ours to as they walked past them back to the changing rooms. Fair play!