Well this has been a somewhat bizarre evening. Onfield, it was spent listening to Brentford dismantle Norwich City. If ever there was a polar opposite to last season’s 5-0 humbling at Carrow Road it was this as a brace from Lasse Vibe gave the Bees a first half lead that never sounded in doubt. Not even late on when Nelson Oliveira pulled one back with four minutes of injury time to go. Off field, Queens Park Rangers were doing their very best in the ‘how to make friends and influence people’ stakes after a quite blatant dig at the Bees on the programme cover for Saturday’s impending defeat by Bristol City.
Who’d be a programme editor or work in a club comms role? Thankfully, poor form in that field not something Brentford have to worry about at the moment. Sadly, the same can’t be said at the other end of the 237 bus route following the release of QPR’s matchday magazine ahead of the weekend visit from Bristol City. Clearly visible alongside a gaudy picture of Ian Holloway is an extract from a historic newspaper. Specifically one recognising the Loftus Road mob’s attempt to put us out of business in their ultimately doomed takeover attempt.
Ian Holloway and old news on the programme cover
Why would QPR do this, if not a thinly veiled attempt to stick two fingers up at their local rivals? I have to be honest, the gut reaction was to laugh. Genuinely. From a fanbase that claim to have no interest in us, this certainly suggests otherwise. Was it small penis syndrome? Jealousy of recent form? Inferiority? Insecurity? Ineptitude? Whatever the explanation, it immediately parachuted us into moral high ground. It immediately made the hoops look pathetic.
Memories of this period in our history are still very raw. Just look at the stories that were told at the recent 50 year commemoration of these events. Of how supporters came together in the face of adversity. Of how we stood our ground. Raised funds. Came together and saved our club.
So for our failed aggressors to highlight this, just weeks after once more failing to beat us in their own back yard, was at best odd and worst a cheap publicity stunt. There was just no need. Has the recent run of poor results against Brentford got to them that much?
50 years on, who now has the upper hand?
But then Ian Taylor, their head of Media & Communications, took to Twitter with an explanation and an apology. Albeit one that was about as sincere an act of contrition as South West Rail attempting to placate passengers via one of those tedious, automated announcements. Apparently, and I quote, ”We certainly didn’t set out to incite with tomorrow’s #QPR programme cover – I’m sure the likes of @markdevlin7 & @chriswickham1 would vouch that this is not our style. Thanks and apologies for any offence caused”
He goes on to add how, “We are picking out the key moments from out time at LR. This isn’t about inciting anyone – just charting our history at LR in chronological order. We apologise if this has caused offence, but this really wasn’t our intention. Earlier in the season, for our EFL Cup game, we paid tribute to Peter Gilham and Ryan Woods in the programme, wishing them our very best.”
Bulsh*t. Was that seriously the BEST justification they could come up with? If recognising a centenary in their stadium was the intention, they could have picked anything . A promotion or cup final. Perhaps even a game in the Premier League. Incredibly, they’ve done all these things – although helped massively by breaching FFP rules (hmm – when WILL that fine be paid?). Instead, they went for the most inflammatory ‘key moment’ in the last 100 years to grace the front cover.
We’re expected to believe this was nothing more than coincidence? The words Jimmy and Hill spring to mind. What next Ian, did the dog eat your homework? The lightweight explanation being given apparent justification by the fact that they were nice about us when two of our most important people were in as low a personal place as one could ever imagine being.
Jimmy. Hill.
No doubt this is all a publicity stunt to get people talking about their publication. From that respect, well done. But if those are the lengths you need to stoop to in order to get attention then it’s a desperately sad way of doing so.
Instead, let’s focus on a wonderful 2-1 win for the Bees. Norwich City away was never going to be an easy game. Moreso on a Friday night with Christmas at the forefront of many supporters’ attention. Now, we move up to 11th and clear of both our West London rivals. Highlight of the night being the pass form Romaine Sawyers to set up Lasse Vibe for the second. It was ridiculous; sublime; filthy; outrageous. Take your pick. Words can’t do it justice. Even on smudgy twitter vision it looked magnificent.
Roll on Saturday morning and the full fat Burridge version of the highlights. I can’t wait.
Nick Bruzon
BrentfordFC 
They are just pathetic jealous scum with no class the conference is to good for them we are a coming force ps how’s their new 40,000
Stadium coming along !😂😂😂😂😂spirt of ‘67 come on you bees 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝
Brentford u havent done a thing ….in the 80s/90/20 u were and still are a tiny club..we have been there done it got the t shirts…come back when you have some history thats worth talking about….
Another example of the residents at LR having absolutely no couth. After 50 years they still do not get it. still no remorse, still no regret and still absolutely no understanding of good and bad behaviour. Not sure if I hold them in contempt or pity for their blatant ignorance of how normal people conduct themselves.
Thanks David – infinitely more succinct and so much better phrased
To Ricky Harris : no hope no future only hollowhead ps you tried to do it to Fulham in the 80’s as well goodnight fool 🐝🐝🐝spirit of ‘67
If their front cover was a deliberate attempt to annoy us (and I honestly don’t think it was) it certainly ruffled a few feathers. For me I don’t understand why some fans are getting so riled by it. It’s a massive cock up by their media team as their front cover just depicts one big failure super imposed over an earlier big failure. We should be laughing at them! Rise above it bees fans and show some class… Something sadly lacking elsewhere!
An absolutely fantastic win with two astonishing goals. If they had been scored by Man City then they would be played over and over again by Sky Sports, but alas as it #TeamsLikeBrentford we will barely get a mention. Although, Paul Merson has been quoted this week as saying at Sky that ‘you should get down to Griffin park, Brentford play phenomenal football’.Two things there, Merson even being allowed to give us credit on Sky and Merson knowing the word phenomenal.
Rumours this week that Lasse Vibe will be on his way out of the club have been met with astonishment. Lasse is the best forward at the club. To move him out now, in my opinion, would be a huge mistake. Lasse loves this club and its supporters and will always go the extra mile for us, something you rarely see in today’s football.
Ian Taylor’s explanation is absolute bollocks. To say its offence is unintentional is bullshit. The front cover of a programme does not magically appear. The material would have been intentionally sourced, intentionally designed, intentionally approved and intentionally printed. Ian claims it is part of a celebration of 100 years at Loftus Road. Absolute bullshit again. He then says its ok to print this because they paid tribute to Peter Gilham & Ryan Woods, a man suffering from prostrate cancer and a player suffering the very worst of times with a bereavement of a child, is quite possibly the most disgusting part of this. Any normal human being would have passed on their thoughts at the time, but would never bring it up again as a justification for doing this.
Ian Taylor…I work in marketing & comms and if I had done this with the apology accompanying it, I would have been fired. Tony Fernandes really needs to look at whether he has the right man for the job
Hahahahhahaha you’ve taken the time to a whole article on this!! 🎣 🎣 🎣