The reaction on Twitter to one Brentford fan offering congratulations to Fulham for wining promotion to the top flight last night (albeit, looking as though it was as much a dig at QPR as anything else) was entirely understandable and expected. This most pointless of local rivals. A club who have spent the last five years going up and down more often than the lifts at the Burj Khalifa. For whom their main goal threat is the ultimate flat track bully. Aleksandar Mitrović may have bagged a few in the Championship but seems to become Aleksandar Meerkat when he steps up a level to the Premier League. A place where goalscoring has been anything but ‘simples’.
My initial reaction to the news of their promotion was that classic Partridge shrug.
Having slept on things and reconsidered then its actually all good. Bear with me…
There’s a chance to laugh at neutral stands. Gin bars. Statues of Michael Jackson. Clackers. Foam fingers. Run out music for the warm up. An(other) inevitable relegation. Six points for the Bees. Perhaps even a second column from ‘Fulham fan’ Brian Guest and his Spall 87-88 Bees away shirt. The full story on that one is here. Oh, and did we mention neutral stands?
That’s before we get to a local game – the cost of a return ticket from Brentford to Putney sure to save a few pennies from the season long travel budget.
Before we get to reflect on Stuart Dallas scoring ‘that’ goal in ‘that’ 4-1 at the Cottage.
To Jota in the last minute. To Neal Maupay doing that amazing thing in the 89th.
To the closest I ever got to winning the Big Bob giveaway – Sam Saunders scoring in the 5th rather than 7th minute (Scott Hogan grabbing our second at that point) in what eventually became the 3-0 at Griffin Park. The game when Tom Field made a shock debut.
Or to the 4-0 HT lead that was the precursor to our eventual promotion from Division Three at Peterborough.
Safe to say that there’s plenty to milk and enjoy about the return of the Fulham game next season. With Brentford still pushing for a top ten finish, securing mathematical safety is the first order of business. That said, I’m still more focussed on another mathematical possibility – a place in Europe. Albeit that relies on the Bees winning those final five games and Manchester United (amongst others) losing the same amount. Although on last night’s showing and their abject display at Everton, nothing would surprise me on that front.
All that’s to come. I’d offer congratulations to Fulham but why? No quarter given. No encouragement needed. Just another league double to dream of.
Nick Bruzon
BrentfordFC 
At least that 6 points nailed on for next season!
I was brought to my 1st game during the late 70’s fight back against the QPR takeover, and for much of the early years Reading were the local rivals, and like Watford we rarely got much. So Fulham just are not that significant in the rivalry stakes, after all Craven Cottage was a fairly happy hunting ground.
So many of these rivalries seem to reflect the daft idea that you are not a proper supporter if you don’t hate someone. Learn the lesson. QPR left us behind, going on to their greatest era, Reading moved on under Madejski, and Watford were raised on high by EJ. Even Fulham were elevated by Mr Harrods. It is clear; if you want success, get Bees fans to hate you.
So in that respect, I am fairly fond of Fulham, I rather respect Reading, and I would quiet happily feck QPR.
Oh, and yes, Well done Fulham.