I’m a defender….. get me out of here!!!

Newcastle United 3. Brentford 3. Or as I saw one correspondent put it late last night: Community Asset Stolen by Evil Despotic Sportswashing Murderous Regime FC 3 – 3 Bus Stop in Hounslow . Whatever the wrongs or potential rights of Newcastle’s new ownership, Eddie Howe saw his tenure start off at 100 mph. Albeit that with the medicating Magpies’ manager confined to a hotel room after testing positive for Covid, the club chose to replace him at the game with the spirit of Kevin Keegan. They’d have had as much joy picking Ant or Dec. Mind you, Thomas Frank opted for a similar approach. All out attack, combined with an ongoing injury crisis at the back, led to a change in formation and a game of goals, goals, goals. It finished 3-3 but such were the glut of chances it could have gone any way. In the end, a point can only be seen as positive thing, despite Brentford leading twice. Huge sighs of relief after Joelinton stumbled at the crucial moment late on rather than giving Eddie Howe the perfect get well soon gift.

It was certainly a trial of sorts for the spectators. Ouch, my heart

It was as exciting going forward as it was shambolic at the back. For all those bemoaning the absence of David Raya in nets for Brentford, Karl Darlow was the sloppier of the two ‘keepers on display. Ivan Toney’s equaliser for 1-1 on 11 minutes a great finish to a great move but one that, ultimately, went straight through the Newcastle goalie. Less shot-stopper and more shot-letter-inner. Hey, you can only take the chances that present themselves and Ivan did that with aplomb. 

It was no less than we deserved after falling behind just 75 second earlier. A cross evading Pontus and Jamaal Lascelles outmuscling Vitaly to head home unchallenged. It was as easy as they come. Fernández little hope and the dream start for the home supporters. Thank goodness for Ivan, who then did his thing after being released by Sergi. Indeed, it could have been two even sooner than it eventually was . Bryan finding himself in similar territory to that occupied by our goalscorer beat Darlow, only for the ball to bobble back off the post. There was Ivan to bundle it home home but, alas, he was fractionally offside. The flag was immediate with VAR and subsequent viewings showing there to be half a boot in it. As with his ‘goal’ against Liverpool it felt good but one where the cameras have again come to the opposition’s defence.

Soon after, we were ahead. This time, Rico Henry ghosting in unmarked at the backstick. His second in as many goals. Sergi once more the provider. Trapping it in a style it much akin to way he did against Reading when scoring ‘that’ goal, this time the second touch was followed by a left footed inswinger that took out the entire Newcastle back 2/3/4 (?). There was the marauding left-back to power home with his head and give Brentford the lead. Up in the gods, the Bees’ fans erupted. Surely there was only one way forward from here? Surely?

Alas not. Once again the game swung. With half time beckoning, Roerslev’s attempted clearance only spun as far as Joelinton who swept home first time to the bottom corner, past the despairing stretch of Ethan Pinnock,  leaving Fernández minimal chance. 2-2 and it could have been worse. Fernández and Pontus then getting in each other’s way defending a free kick. The ‘keeper spilling it under pressure but there was Ivan on the line to get it clear.  The striker helping  keep them out as well as bang them in.

The second half saw the introduction of Onyeka bang on the start of the 60-70 substitution window so favoured in days gone by. Hey, Newcastle aren’t the only ones who can channel a former manager. It worked, too. Within seconds of coming on, there was Frank the Tank with a shot -cum-cross turned past the hapless Darlow by Lascelles. It goes down as an o.g. because it was . Pure and simple. The midfielder’s ball into the box hinting at a trajectory towards the back post but the Newcastle captain made sure it wasn’t in doubt. 

The lead restored. The heart unable to take it. And moreso as it lasted less than a quarter hour. Pontus and Roerslev unable to deal with a deep cross and, again, a goal. 3-3. The uber impressive Allan Saint-Maximin nodding home for 3-3. Once again, Fernández left minimal chance to keep it out. 

Indeed, there could, probably should, have been a fourth. Maximin going on a run reminiscent of Daniel James for Swansea in the FA Cup. Eventually he freed up Joelinton who, with the goal beckoning, not for the first time this afternoon fell over at the crucial moment. Rather than unleashing waves of misery on the Bees faithful, the ball was cleared. Another point added to our total and the run of LLLL coming to an end.  

For Thomas Frank, the outcome was clear. Speaking afterwards, his belief was unshakeable. “Slightly biased, I think we had the bigger chance to win it.. but I am aware they had the big transition at the end of the game which could have killed it off for them. I think we were the team that maybe should have taken three points.”

For me, Clive, take the point and run. I’ve watched it back this morning and it really could have gone either way. A game which both teams clearly viewed as an ideal opportunity to pick up the win saw caution thrown to the wind and defence something that was as much a concept as anything of genuine practicality. For the Bees, injuries meant our hand was forced and with the best way to keep the ball out being by sticking it in at the other end, no complaints. Newcastle is as raucous a place to go and moreso yesterday. Eddie Howe missed his own coronation. Ivan Toney showing his former club what they missed out on.

Next up, Everton. At Lionel Road. Thomas needing to choose whether to stick or twist with his formation. And perhaps some sleep for yours truly. More to follow on that later….. The formation rather than the late night

The calm before the storm – a few familiar faces as part of a sell out away contingent

Nick Bruzon  

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Bees come a sloppy second to Blackburn. Get me out of here…

Blackburn Rovers 3 Brentford 2. The scoreline does’t even begin to sum up a frustrating result after the Bees had taken the lead with barely half a minute of the game gone. That we then conspired to present our hosts with three goals (and no complaints about them for taking their chances – you can only put away what is in front of you) is something out of character with the Bees and hugely disappointing.

Equally, though, with still almost an hour to play at 3-2 down Brentford had plenty of time to salvage something. Instead, the records will show that we managed 3 shots on target all game.

Listen, I’ve no issue with holding up my hands and knowing when we’ve not deserved a thing. Look at our last home game, against Fulham, and then look away fast. There was no creativity and nothing to inspire. At least this time Dean loaded his team for attack, gave Romaine Sawyers a break for the first time this season and it paid immediate dividends. Lasse Vibe releasing Scott Hogan who sprung the offside trap and ran clear on goal to make it 1-0 Brentford after a mere 33 seconds.

Likewise, Hogan’s second, to level things up at 2-2, was the culmination of a beautiful move around the Blackburn midfield that ended with the striker taking his total to ten Championship goals for the season. With parity restored at 2-2 after just a half hour, and headline writers preparing the phrase ‘goal fest’ surely we were back in the driving seat? But no. Sloppiness followed just as sloppiness had preceded.

Sam Gallagher had been earmarked as the man to watch prior to this one but it was Danny Graham who took advantage of the huge holes in the Brentford defence to equalise on the quarter hour. It was marking that would have embarrassed a league two club, let alone a tier two Championship team, and the goal machine made no mistake. Five minutes later, he’d doubled his tally and given the home side the lead from the penalty spot. It looked a pretty innocuous challenge on the TV in what were slippery conditions – just check out the skid marks – but referee Chris Kavanagh had no hesitation and the penalty was dispatched perfectly.

Bees hit the skids – did snow trail make it look worse than it was?

As for the winning goal though. The tales of Brentford centre-backs putting it past their own goalkeeper are legion. I’m not going to moan at Harlee Dean – the defensive o.g. has happened so many times before and will no doubt happen again. Indeed the biggest crime was even giving the ball away in the first instance, with the Bees in a very safe position on the half way line and taking it forward. Suddenly we were under pressure and paid the ultimate price as the ball was swept into the box.

Those of us watching back home could only mutter under the breath as this one popped up on the Sky Sports scrolly thing. Those of us wearing anoraks could only smile at the thought of Renton scoring in Edinburgh. At least one team displaying a lust for life there.

The highlights of this one are on Sky now. Alternatively, if you prefer to see whether Mark Burridge and the team can salvage anything from the game, then there are double length highlights on Bees Player now we’ve got past the 12pm curfew.

Is it any better with Mark at the helm?

As for any more of an in-depth report,  regular readers know the drill. The BBC, Brentford official or Beesotted are your places. When even official lead with : Lasse vibe on “sloppy” defeat to Blackburn Rovers then it’s fairly safe to know what you are going to get.

Besides, yours truly wasn’t even allowed anywhere near Channel 5 for the highlights last night, with the remote control having been commandeered for watching Carol Vordeman (who seems to have been rebuilt more than the Brentford defence) and Danny Baker subtly attempting to wind up a daytime TV property ‘expert’.

An act which, if we’re being honest, they largely succeeded at under the watchful eyes of Ant and Dec. If only we’d had such acumen but alas it wasn’t to be. Then again, the thought of Harlee making a meal of pig’s anus or Sam Saunders standing in an oversized fish tank with an eel merging from his shorts are not the sort of images I particularly want so perhaps we park that analogy here, with apologies.

Can there be any positives from that? And by which I mean the Blackburn game rather than ‘I’m a celebrity’… ? Well, you have to start with two wonderfully taken goals. Scott Hogan is now in double figures in the Championship, level with Glenn Murray and just one behind Dwight Gayle at Newcastle United.With the Repulic of Ireland reportedly sniffing around, he is very much the ‘man of the moment’ in the Championship. January could be stressful..

Equally, at least, we can sleep that bit easier knowing that the media team won’t be dusting off the #Novemberkings moniker which was so cringe worthily chucked around during our first Championship season.

Beyond that though, it is a case of slim pickings. On a snowy day we weren’t even granted that rare treat of an orange ball. Instead, the mid-winter yellow version is deemed sufficient and I fear that really could be it now for this nostalgic favourite. Unless, of course, the FA Cup can produce something magical.

Is the combination of snow and orange ball now a thing of the past?

So what next for the Bees? A win would be nice, for one thing. That wonderful victory over QPR has been our only real bright spark in a 7(seven) game run that has otherwise seen four defeats and two 0-0 draws.

Tablewise, we are now just into the bottom half. Five points shy of the play-off zone and six ahead of the basement clubs. With Blackburn, Wigan and surely doomed Rotherham United (already 11 points and vastly inferior goal difference off safety) still occupying those places, that’s not even a situation worth contemplating .

Yet, equally, complacency won’t win you games or keep you up. Look at Newcastle United last season. And Aston Villa. No club is too safe or too big to go down. Keep losing and that’ll happen. Not anything to worry about for now, that’s for sure, but a swift return to winning ways will be a good thing.

As the interview with Dean Smith on Brentford official noted:

Next Saturday The Bees return to Griffin Park to host Gary Rowett’s Birmingham City with Dean saying that he wants to see a response after consecutive losses.

“Next week’s game takes on extra importance because, after back to back defeats, we have to bounce back,” said Dean. “

Never a truer word and so important it had to be mentioned twice..

Nick Bruzon

After a week of nothing but Bake Off, could we sting the Wolves ?

What a slow week. No football for Brentford beyond the forthcoming game at Wolves to look forward to. Whilst our next opponents have had two trips to Newcastle United in the space of four days to (hopefully) run down the energy levels a bit, the Bees have had that 5-0 win home over Preston followed by, well, nothing. My Twitter has been wall to wall tears and questions about the Great British Bake Off (which we’ll get to, briefly, where possible new hosts are named)  and not much more.

Of course, Wolves will be in high spirits following their last league trip, that 2-0 win at Newcastle that probably surprised just about everybody outside of the Black Country. Indeed, manager Walter Zenga was quoted afterwards as saying, “the spirit of the team, how they approached the game, how they started the game, how they played is a big answer to everybody.”.

To read the rest of this article, season 2016/17 is now available for download on e-book in the retrospective: Welcome Home, King Jota (Brentford FC season review 2016/17)

 Priced at just £1.99, all sales are being donated to the Brentford FC Community Sports Trust.

Likewise any sales from the previous titles – Celebrating like they’d won the FA Cup (2013/14), Tales from the football village (2014/15) and Ready. Steady. Go Again. (2015/16) – are also now going to the BFCCST. 

Containing the least bad of the blogs from May 2016 to May 2017 along with a smattering of new material, you can pick it up, here. Its all for a great cause and,hey, you may even enjoy it…..

 

Zenga in his playing prime

 

A stunning programme cover – grab yours at the ground

 

Judy and Anton – you can’t buy chemistry like this

Nick Bruzon 

Some people are on the pitch (quite a few, actually)

As strokes of marketing genius go, it’s up there with White Star Line’s ‘Lifeboats to passenger’ ratio on the Titanic.

This summer’s rather odd Celtic affair showed Brentford doing what they do best, and worst, in equal measure. Arranging a prestige ‘friendly fixture’ and then, seemingly, try to alienate their entire fanbase in a way that could only have been bettered had Matthew Benham decided to make Mark Chapman, rather than Cliff Crown, our new chairman following Greg Dyke’s ascension to the role of F.A. Chairman.

We’ve all got an opinion on what happened in the build up and there’s no real point trawling through it all over again.  Personally, I chose not to attend. That said, as an exercise in filling Griffin Park it was by and large successful (although not to the point of the apparent 9000 ‘break even’ figure reportedly required). Likewise, the performance of the team, and moreso off the back of the Millwall game, has already raised expectation levels – and rightly so, it would seem (although Harlee Dean and Simon Moore may beg to differ as they are now forced to spend time on the physio’s table).

However, as an exercise in winning over your existing fanbase don’t expect the diplomatic corps to come calling in TW8 anytime soon. Whilst one club figure took to cyberspace after the game to say the atmosphere was preferable to that against Millwall, my own take on it was, and still is, that dozens of away fans boozing in our local parks from 9.30am, numerous flares in the ground, repeated pitch invasions and the home support allowed to be massively outnumbered as a result of ticketing arrangements is not the sort of atmosphere I’m particularly looking for.

Moreso, when three days later the Celtic supporters were still attempting to justify their post match pitch invasion. Cripes, the way they carried on was worse than when the Loftus Road mob beat Chelsea last campaign. Being blunt, this was a match against an English third tier side that they were very lucky to win. Not the Champion’s League final.

But back to some more of the (off-field) positives from pre-season, so far.  Those that did go to see Celtic reserves certainly seemed to enjoy the game. Ant or Dec of ‘Ant and Dec’ fame was in attendance ………..

To read the rest of this article, season 2013/14 is now available to download onto Kindle, in full. Containing previously unseen content, you can do so here for less than the cost of one matchday programme.

 Thanks for reading over the course of the campaign. For now I need to make space on this page for any follow up.  The ‘close season’ / World Cup columns continue in full, further on in this site.