Support Brentford, enjoy the Bright Sky and do your bit

I’m going to try and write a post FA Cup final Brentford column without mentioning Russell Slade and celebrating after yesterday’s game saw Arsenal, finally, win a trophy whilst Hull City AFC won friends the world over.

Anybody who missed the match in preference for the conclusion to ‘La Liga’ lost out on witnessing one of the most thrilling finals on record. Spain may have some of the biggest names in world football but for real excitement, I’m glad I keep things ‘domestic’ as the oldest cup competition reached an inexorable climax.

That was then; this is now. Having woken up on Sunday morning to warm weather and glorious skies over TW8, the footballing excitement looks set to beat even yesterday’s thrills. It is, of course, the second (now annual) run out for the Brentford legend’s team at Griffin Park.

How the BBC website might have looked this morning. It’s not too late, chaps

This free to enter event, organised by club sponsors Skyex in aid of their ‘Bright Sky’ charity forms the denouement of the Community Day. Gates are already open (9.30am) with ‘the big game’ due to kick off at 2.30pm.

Those in attendance for last year’s game saw a competitive match with Brentford eventually running out as 6-4 winners. Can they maintain their 100% record? There’s only one place to find out.

What better way to spend a sunny afternoon than kicking back in the stand, catching up with your friends, seeing some Bees’ legends in action and, perhaps, enjoying a beer in the warm weather? Better still, its all for charity !

And if the Bees make it 2 out of 2, I’ve no doubt they’ll celebrate like they’ve won the etc etc etc

Forget Arsenal and La Liga – THIS is what it’s all about

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Big Al and ‘Hot’ Sam lead the awards as the season ends

And so the day after the on pitch season finished for Brentford, fans and players celebrated like they’d won the FA Cup (sorry, couldn’t resist one, last crack) at the awards dinner.

For sake of completion, the list of winners, starting with the most coveted is :

Hottie of the Year – Sam Saunders

Hottie of the year (right)

 

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.

Different record. Same tune. Is Sammy the new Figo?

“We. Are. Top of the League” (as it stands)

That was the sweet sound ringing around Griffin Park after Brentford swept aside Swindon Town yesterday. It was a performance, second half especially, that made victory by a single goal seem much closer than it actually was.

Moreso, it meant Brentford topped League One until the wins by Wolves (seemed comfortable, on paper, for the Molineux men) and Leyton Orient (the late, late breakfast show) had been registered. However, with the gap remaining thinner than Mark Warburton’s hairline, and Brentford now having picked up 31 points from a possible 33, the next game really cannot come soon enough.

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.

A question for YOU – win a Buzzette mug

I’ve written a few columns this year having a moan about the ‘post game’ music at Brentford.

Whilst the team is evolving and making great advances in League One, musically we still seem stuck in the mud. Frankly, if I never heard Guaglione at Griffin Park again it would be too soon.

But that’s my opinion. I could well be alone.

Which is what I’d like to find out by trying something positive (Hey – it’s Christmas). And I’m so keen that I’ll give a Buzzette mug (very kindly donated by Roger Greenaway, the last ‘caption competition’ winner) to whomever comes up with the best answer to the following question.

If you controlled Big B Radio for a day, what would you have as your music to play when:

1)The players walk out of the tunnel?

2)Brentford win?

3)The game ends in a draw?

4)The Bees go home empty handed?

You can answer by posting a comment to this article or email me at: lastwordbrentford@hotmail.com. Please submit your entries by December 31^st and then the winner will be announced before the Brentford v Port Vale game, where I’ll look to present the prize.

I’m hoping Roger will agree to be our judge. If not then I’ll ask Mrs Bruzon.

This is not an official poll but our club does listen and so if enough people answer, at the least, we’ll find out if supporters would like a change or they are happy with the…status quo.

Which brings me onto a few of my selections, to get the ball rolling (and I have also picked the brains of another club’s ‘man with the mic’). Of course, you don’t need to pick one of these but it might start the juices flowing if you would like an alternative to The Power Game / Celebrate / Guaglione.

Walk out music: London Calling – The Clash;  Shoot to Thrill/Thunderstruck- AC/DC; One to Another – The Charlatans; Hard to Beat – Hard-Fi; Run to the hills – Iron Maiden; The Final Countdown – Europe

Win music: Rocking all over the world – Status Quo; Mr Brightside – The Killers

Draw music: Movin on up – Primal Scream  ; Burning Heart – Survivor

Lose  Music: Don’t look back in Anger – Oasis; Ain’t no pleasing you – Chas and Dave; Down,Down – Status Quo; Times like these  – Foo Fighters; Hard to explain – The Strokes

Over to you…

Could THIS replace Guaglione?

An open letter to Matthew Benham…and Banksy

Could the ‘post-Uwe’ Brentford revolution be starting already?

Since the announcement was made about Herr Rösler joining Wigan, club owner Matthew Benham has been on prolific ‘social media’ form.

Firstly, with the return of a ‘cryptic clue’ that, as before, had me flummoxed. A ‘YouTube’ video link to ‘Coutances – Soundtrack (The Science of Sleep)’, performed by Dick Annegarn has left me no wiser as to what Matthew is trying to imply. Quite how this ties in to Mark Warburton (assuming it is him named as our manager this morning) I have no idea. However, this was merely the tip of the Benham inspired twitter frenzy.

Not surprisingly, given the current stories about Sam Sodje and DJ Campbell being involved in alleged betting offences, Matthew has had more than a few things to say on the subject. As the owner of smartodds.co.uk he, if anyone, should have an opinion on this subject and his comments make very interesting reading. There can’t be many Brentford supporters on twitter who don’t follow him but just incase, you can find these on @matthew_benham.

So far so good but what really piqued my curiosity were his comments in regards to the music at home games. The catalyst for this being the request from @tinpotgamer, asking, “Also, please don’t have two home ends. It’s on a par with goal music and giant flags.”

The response was almost immediate and as direct as you could hope “there will never, ever, ever be goal music”.

This was, pun alert, ‘music to my ears’. I love watching the Bees and there can be very little, Keith Stroud aside, to ruin my enjoyment. That said – win, lose or draw the one thing to consistently upset me is our tired selection of full time ‘exit music’. I’ve ranted about ‘Guaglione’ and ‘Celebrate’ before – tired dirges that are on a par with Robbie Williams and his ‘Let me entertain you’ for the songs most likely to be heard in a football stadium (see also: Queen: We are the champions – although never after a Brentford play off campaign).

So, with Matthew on a rich vein of public interaction, this was the time to put the point directly to the man at the top. “On that note, could we also retire the awful ‘Guaglione/Celebrate’ as our ‘sad/happy’ post game walk out music?”, I asked.

The resulting reply was a joy to behold. A positive. To quote: “yep, music needs a shake up for sure, before the game, when players walk out, ht, ft, only ‘hey jude’ sacrosanct”

Could we have heard the last of (not so) Kool and the gang? Has Guaglione parped its last moribund farewell? One can only hope. Come Oldham on Saturday I’ll be paying extra attention to the Ealing Road P.A. – and not just, for once, because it is largely unintelligible.

The other discussion I had on Monday night was one regarding the roof on the Bill Axbey stand. Talking in the pub to fellow supporter Colin Campbell we came up with a couple of suggestions as to what could be done with the ‘Fly Qatar Airlines’ advert that still, presumably now rent free, occupies Europe’s largest advertising board. If they won’t stump up the cash to extend the lease (and, to be fair, why would they) then rather than repaint the entire roof, why not just add our own ‘DON’T’ (possibly at a jaunty angle) at the front end of their slogan? Given the amount of airline traffic that passes overhead, it might get somebody’s attention.

Alternatively, I lay down a challenge to the street artist, Banksy. Whilst, normally, there is nothing big or clever about graffiti, I’d happily see if he could sneak in under cover of darkness to decorate this space in his own unique style. It’s a win-win scenario. He gets the chance to decorate the largest ‘canvas’ possible; we inherit a piece of art, possibly worth more than Griffin Park itself.

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.