One for the Brentford shirt nerds / collectors *

Let’s cut to the chase. There’s no Brentford season review e-book this year. Thank goodness, came the cry. After 7(seven) years of doing it and raising charity funds, time has caught up. Besides, if you are truly bored its all here or in the programme and other sources. Just not handily packaged up.

That said…. anyone looking to get their hands on something special and contribute to a great cause can still do so. As we did a couple of years ago (with the Griffin Park supporter specials) an extremely limited edition pack of Top Trumps has been created. This time around – Brentford shirts. Thirty of the great (and not so good) ranked and packaged in a bona fide pack of Top Trumps cards.

And you can bid on them now – here. Any money raised from the sale (and they do have a bid so we’re looking to get at least 99p) will go to Rob Rowan’s CRY fund. There’s no charity closer to all of us at Brentford and so regardless of the quality of the end product, know that whomever wins these will be doing something amazing.

You can also find the link to Rob’s page here. We donated last year’s ebook sales whilst some of the recent donation are, frankly, stunning.

Thanks for your time and I’d be so grateful if anybody was able to get involved.

(*Delete as applicable)

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/354071339924

Nick Bruzon

Robert Rowan

Nick Bruzon

Advertisement

Who wants Harry Potter, Banana and Adam from the Bluetones this badly?

Ladies and Gentlemen – the clock is ticking. With Premier league football due to restart ‘behind closed doors’ * on Wednesday 17th June with Manchester City v Arsenal and Aston Villa v Sheffield United, it is expected that the Championship will follow suit shortly after. Brentford fans could see some return to action – even if it is rattling around an empty and almost silent stadium as we get our promotion push back on track with the game at Fulham. Advantage them, then. Rattling around an empty, silent stadium something they are no doubt used to. If Mr Benham is reading (unlikely, let’s be honest) then giving Harry Potter a temporary assignment as a trainee journalist  / ball boy may not be the worst decision ever made.

Simon’s decibel level could be an inspired reason for selecting him as a ball boy

But until then, what are you going to do? Well, this column has appeared with a little less regularity than normal in recent weeks. There’s only so much one can write about ‘that’ virus, wistful looks towards Griffin Park and wondering just what the heck is going on at present or if we may ever be able to see Brentford in action. 

Last time out, the subject at hand was the pack of ‘Griffin Park favourites’ Top Trumps I’ve created for Harry’s birthday this coming week. Primarily to cure my own excruciating boredom aswell as giving a soon to be 7(seven) year old some chance of maybe helping cope with missing all those familiar faces we’ve come to know and love on a Saturday afternoon. No Buzzette, Billy(s), Mr. Benham or Peter Gilham? No worries – they’re all here in Top Trump form. 

The cut and thrust of the article being that I’d made a couple of these up (for no other reason than if you are ordering one, may aswell get a couple to put back for emergencies / other) and one of the spare packs has been put up for auction on eBay. All monies received for this will then be given to the Brentford FC Community Sports Trust.

The thinking here being that it would be a chance to give these to a fellow fan whilst raising a few quid for the Trust – something more important to me given this season’s annual e-book may be somewhat delayed, if it appears at all. (Everyone now breathes sigh of relief).

Genuinely, double figures was my optimistic hope but with the auction due to end on Saturday afternoon around 4.30pm the current bid is sitting at £122. What?  Who?  Wow! How generous are our supporters? Is anyone that curious as to what their fictional ‘Charm’ rating is? Assuming, of course, it is a Brentford fan who currently tops the auction – safe to say it probably is. I can’t imagine the audience for these extending much beyond TW8, let’s be quite honest.

Whatever the reason and whomever it is, thank you all for indulging my nonsense in the build up. More importantly, huge thanks to all those who have put in a bid. We all know about the great work done by the CST. Even this week, looking out of the window on ‘Lockdown’ enforced ‘Work From Home’ protocol, there they were in St. Paul’s Park handing out kitbags to the local kids – at a safe distance 🙂 

If you would like the chance to get involved then the auction is here. Just as I thought these would do well to limp into double figures, I can’t see anything topping this ridiculously generous bid but if nothing else, should anyone be bored enough this afternoon then you can see the denouement of the auction at around 4.30pm this afternoon.

If nothing else, seeing Billy (Reeves) update his profile picture on Twitter has already been the highlight of my week. There may be no football at present but at least we can still enjoy ourselves.

Thank you. Have a great weekend. Let’s hope there is some good news on the playing front soon. 

* can we please all assume this phrase is being included by default ongoing.

Nick Bruzon

It’s about a lot more than just football. Why you should get to Griffin Park today.

We’ll keep this brief today. Brentford play Southampton in a pre-season game that has as much focus with what happens on pitch as what happens off it. And, of course, the transfer klaxon went off again yesterday – although this one’s a little different as the pre-signing of Emiliano Marcondes from Danish Superliga side FC Nordsjælland was announced.

First up though, the Southampton game. Ordinarily it would be time to trot our cliches about this being a stern test for Dean Smith and his side. An opportunity for The Bees to test Premier League aspirations against a Southampton side who we last crossed paths with back in 2010/11. A chance to reminisce about that wonderful FA Cup fifth round tie from 2005 where we held top flight Saints at St.Marys. Sadly, it wasn’t to be in the replay. Despite Eddie Hutch giving us the lead in a thrilling cup tie, two goals from Peter Crouch would eventually help them come from behind to ensure a home quarter final with Manchester United. Still, at least we had the play-offs to focus on……

Embed from Getty Images

 

But there’s so much more to this one than just football today. There can’t be anyone in the country, or beyond, who hasn’t been moved by the disaster at Grenfell Tower last month. I can’t even bring myself to use a picture of it – the images alone are simply horrific. Let alone try to contemplate what it must have been like to be there. No words can do justice to the awful, awful events. No words can change what was such a needless and tragic loss of life.

As such, it was so touching to see the club declare early on that all profits from ticket sales for today’s game would be donated to the Grenfell Tower Disaster Fund. They aren’t alone. There’ll be bucket collections outside the ground whilst The Lord Nelson pub will be donating £5 from every burger sold to the same fund.

At the time of writing (8.30am) it’s a glorious day in TW8 and we’ve got clear blue sky overhead. With pay on the gate an option we are rarely afforded these days, why not make an 11th hour decision to get down to Griffin Park ?

Chips not pictured – The Nelson Burger.

As for the on pitch options. Dean Smith has genuine competition in pretty much every position. Whilst these games are always interesting, they are as much about experimentation and as anything else and we probably shouldn’t get too excited about the result either way (unless its a win, of course). Just who on earth does Dean pick and where?

With no (public) sign of the alleged imminent bid for Jota we can expect our man to appear at some point. Speculation remains rife as to what will happen there but for a much more balanced view, don’t forget the wonderful piece that Billy Grant has written for Beesotted. This, despite being on holiday in the Far East at present. A beautifully balanced and insightful article that appeared on line yesterday, it looks at much more than just the talismanic Spaniard.

One thing Billy called in his article (and which shows just how ahead of the curve he remains compared to yours truly, the local press and other fan related publications) was in the signing of the aforementioned Dane. Whilst he (Emiliano rather than Billy) isn’t due to join us until his contract expired in January , on paper it is another exciting signing. Only time will tell what this means for our midfield and attack where Dean is literally spoilt for choice at present. However, the progressive nature of our recruitment team has been shown once more with another international U-21 coming to Griffin Park.

I’ll leave the true knowledge to the likes of Beesotted. I’m just the numpty on the terrace although was very pleased to see what seems like a season’s first on the announcement. One of the holy trinity of signing photos – see also: brandishing a scarf and wearing/holding a shirt with jeans – this time around we were treated to ‘player with pen poised over new contract’.

It promises to be an exciting time ahead although, as one Twitter observer noted, “He better play better than his Barnet looks”.

Emiliano signs. Who else has tried zooming onto the computer?

Nick Bruzon

With Alien Day seeing another entry to the pantheon of lame ‘jokes’ why not do something good instead?

No. Nooo. Nooooo. In space, no one can hear you scream. Well, sitting here home alone at 6.45am that’s exactly how it feels. It’s a rare foray away from the Brentford stuff today (albeit we’ve a Bees update at the end of this one). Indeed, upon waking there hadn’t even been an intention to write. Then I saw Twitter where something awful has happened. With the world’s weakest sci-fi/calendar related crossover joke still a week away, out of nowhere somebody has created a new one. Apparently today is Alien Day. Seriously.

It has a Twitter emoji – this must be official

April 26th – Alien Day. Obviously. It even has its own Twitter emoji. But why? Why? Star Wars Day (truly, the most odious of social media gimmicks) at least has a tenuous connection. May the fourth being a hilarious spin on the famous line from the films whilst,simultaneously, being the weakest pun this side of an episode of Mrs Browns Boys. May the force/fourth be with you – how we laughed. Said absolutely no-one.

That’s bad enough, but at least there is another week to brace oursleves. Perhaps even activate the ‘mute’ filter.  Yet now, out of nowhere,  I’ve woken up to see my social media stream full of #Alienday. But what is the connection?

Well, in a no way marketing related spin (the new film Alien : Covenant is released next month) some bright spark has noted a an even looser connection than the Star Wars one. 4/26 – to put an American spin on the date – is almost the same as Planet LV-426 from the movies Alien and the wonderful sequel, Aliens.

That’s it.There isn’t even an attempt at wordplay. For Star Wars Day to have the moral high ground  – in the fact that at least anybody with a vague knowledge of popular culture might pick up on it – there must be something seriously wrong.

What next? 20th January: Space Odyssey day ? 1st March: Doctor Who day? August 29th: Terminator 2 – Judgement Day ? (Actually, I quite like that one).

Nobody will care. That’s fine. I just had to get this off my chest. Or, perhaps, out of it. D’oh!

The new ‘day’ not at all marketing related. And yes, I’ve bitten

And relax. Getting back to Brentford, we’ll start to look at the trip to Fulham tomorrow. Until then, there’s a special request – and I apologise if I sound like a cracked record but it is music related.

The charity single Welcome home, King Jota is being deleted tomorrow. Time is fast running out to download this or give the video a spin on YouTube. In itself, as enjoyable given you get to immerse yourself in Mark Fuller’s video montage containing all number of Bees supporters in cameo roles aswell as, more importantly, a homage to the luxuriantly coiffured wing wizard.

All proceeds go to charity – the single is of course raising money for Cancer Research UK. This is the last time I’ll mention it in the short term so please go out and do your thing.

Billy Reeves, Adam Bluetone, Rich Hard-FI and a cracking tune could be yours for just a 79p donation to charity. You can get it here. Please do. And why not give that video, which is almost at an incredible 3000 hits, one more play?

Jota – genius

Nick Bruzon

Welcome Home, King Jota. Majestic finish completes another derby day defeat of QPR.

Where do you start with this one? The scoreline? Brentford 3 QPR 1. The record? Three wins out of four in Brentford’s favour since our paths crossed again in the Championship. The current form guide? That’s LLLLLL for a QPR side who are by no means out of the relegation woods yet and entertain fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest next up. Or that man, Jota?

There was a welcome home, with very open arms, to the King yesterday and didn’t he repay his adoring subjects back in style? If his second goal against Derby County last time we were all at Griffin Park was something special, yesterday’s is one where words really can’t do it justice.

A delightful cross field ball from Nico found the King of Spain whose first touch, past Jake Bidwell, was simply magnificent. With the ball  travelling straight towards him he knocked it forward, mid air, already running and then picked it up once more the other side of the former Bee. Cutting into the box, as against Derby, he then shot through three defenders and past the ‘keeper for a goal that sent Griffin Park bonkers. It was a thing of absolute beauty  – from the control, at speed, on the first touch to the jinking through the defence and net rippling denouement.

As seen on / stolen from Brentford official. Nice.

Oh, the smile on his face. The noise from the crowd as the scoreboard moved up to 3-1. Former Bee and one time QPR player Les Ferdinand, sitting up in the director’s box, could only applaud the majestic finish from the Spaniard. He is quite possibly the most exciting and skillful player we’ve ever had the pleasure of watching at Griffin Park. Jota, not Les.

One could well understand the exhilaration of the moment causing him to take his shirt off and earn the mandatory yellow card. We all know the rules but nobody cared.

Let’s not overlook the pass from Nico that started the move either. Like Ryan Woods yesterday, perhaps one of the unsung heroes from this game, but the accuracy of his delivery from a good 40 yards was the catalyst to this goal.

Prior to this Yoann Barbet had given the Bees a lead in a cagey first half where, perhaps, the visitors had the slightly better chances. Daniel Bentley was called upon to make a couple of smart reaction saves, a feat repeated during a second period that saw an additional 7(seven) minutes of injury time added on. By then, though, it was far too little, far too late.

View from the Braemar. QPR try to get stuck in during the first half

Jota had doubled our lead from the penalty spot following a foul on Max Colin and whilst the reply from the visitors for 2-1 was almost immediate, they’d barely finished celebrating before the Nico and Jota show graced Griffin Park. I cannot wait to hear what Mark Burridge and co on the Beesplayer team made of this one when the highlights go live at lunchtime. Until then Sky have the best of the action, including one for the visitors that definitely didn’t cross the line (who needs goal line technology?).

But, really, like Burton away (one imagines!) it was the sort of game and the sort of atmosphere where watching on TV can only part replicate the moment. A full house in the sunshine saw Dean Smith’s boys go for it as supporters and players alike delighted in returning Ian Holloway his pre-season prediction in a giftbox . With a card. Marked three points.

Even the fanzine sellers made their point to Mr Holloway

On a weekend that saw Billy Reeves, Adam Devlin and Rich Archer forming their super group Grown Men in Tears to release the wonderful ‘Welcome Home, King Jota’ for charity (and PLEASE, rush out and buy this before it is deleted on Friday – all proceeds from the 79p download go to Cancer Research UK) , there was no irony lost at the charitable donation made by QPR. To Brentford.

Another three points. A 237 derby double over our near neighbours. What was, by all accounts, a somewhat emotional post match press conference from Ian Holloway (oh, to have been with the journalists for that one). But best of all, Brentford up to 9th in the Championship table. With two games to go we’ve a very real prospect of a third top ten finish and even creeping into 8th to overtake last season’s final slot.

That’s all to look forward to though. For now, let’s just enjoy the moment once more.

WATCH: @KingJota wins our Goal of the Day poll with 30% of the votes! #SSNHQ https://t.co/HrcqdfY4F0

— Sky Sports News HQ (@SkySportsNewsHQ) April 22, 2017

Welcome home, King Jota.

Please don’t go anywhere.

A full house and returning favourite were blown away by the king

Nick Bruzon

The calm before the storm is now available. Musical perfection awaits.

We’ll keep this brief today. With Brentford due to host QPR in the first of our back-to-back West London derbies (the trip to Fulham coming next Saturday) there’ll be plenty to talk about over the next week or so. Indeed, there’s already been plenty said about this one already.

To summarise recent events: Ian Holloway and that woeful prediction, Jake Bidwell, the Bees winning 2-0 at Loftus Road in October, LLLLL (being the QPR current form guide) and a league table that sees us 10 points ahead of the neighbours. That’s of course before we even recall what happened 50 years ago.

I'm thinking a round of applause on 22nd minute would be appropriate @Beesotted pic.twitter.com/Sx4exH1QMj

— Bees Banter (@Beesbanter) April 19, 2017

There’s been plenty said about this already

All that’s for Saturday. Today sees something which in its own right is as important as the derby. No less an occasion than Billy Reeves, Adam Devlin and Richard Archer releasing their debut single as Staines supergroup Grown Men in Tears.

Yes, the  wonderful ’Welcome home, King Jota’ becomes available to download today. For one week only. By the time we play Fulham, it will be gone.

Grown Men in Tears. Archer, Devlin, Reeves (l-r) c/o The Jolly Baker, Ashford

Regular readers (should such a concept exist) may recall we spoke about this earlier in the week. That was then. This is now. And you can get it from 9am today for just 79p. Even better, the money isn’t going into the pockets of this Bluetones/Hard-FI/too much to mention power trio but , instead, towards Cancer research UK.

Do something brilliant for a wonderful charity. Download something brilliant for your iPod or other MP3 player. You can give it a spin below but who wouldn’t want to keep this forever? Rather than ordering a bag of pork scratchings with your pre-match pint tomorrow, why not put the money to better use and click ’download’ via Billy’s twitter account?

who doesn’t love a montage ?

Nick Bruzon

The Bluetones, Hard-Fi and Theaudience form Staines supergroup in honour of King Jota.

With Brentford travelling to Barnsley today you might expect the normal prematch nonsense. Hot off the heels of Friday’s hammering of Derby County, where a brace apiece from Lasse Vibe and the talismanic Jota saw pun writers having a field day, it would be the perfect time to ‘go again’ with the big game build up. Yet headlines including Demolition Derby. Rams to the Slaughter. Silence of the Rams. Rams Raided and my own personal winner –  Bees guilty of battering Rams etc etc etc tell you all you need to know about that one. Poor Barnsley. If Brentford put in even half that performance then the Tykes would probably be better focussing on the half time mascot race between Toby and Buzz.

So we’ll leave the football for now. At least, the on pitch stuff. One of the things I love about Brentford is that everybody knows everybody. One minute you could be outside the pub with your regular match day friends, then next you find yourself talking to jumper man, having Harry Potter bawling in your ear or Billy Grant waving a microphone in your face. You see Natalie Sawyer walking past. Chairman Cliff Crown stops for a chat. Look over there, Marcus Gayle is holding court. And isn’t that Richard Archer out of Hard-Fi talking to him? Alongside Adam Devlin from one of my all time favourite bands, The Bluetones. All we need is Cameron Diaz for a full house. Although, sadly, that’s a spot that will have to go on hold (at least, for now) due to well documented reasons.

Jumper Man – one of many familiar Brentford faces

But the point being this is all run of the mill stuff. Between 2pm and 7pm on a Saturday afternoon we’re all Brentford fans. Whoever you are and whatever happens outside the confines of Griffin Park is stuff for another day. For now, a love of the Bees unites us all as the great and good rub shoulders and enjoy the vibe.

But today we should think about what happens outside of Griffin Park because word reaches me, perhaps appropriately on Easter weekend, of a Holy Trinity coming together. A musical Holy Trinity or, if you will, a so called supergroup.

A power trio comprising Devlin (Adam, not chief executive Mark), Richard Archer and the one time musical cohort of Sophie Ellis-Bexter, Billy Reeves. The very same Billy Reeves these days more commonly known for his wonderful work with BBC Radio London.

Yes, Billy is at it again. The man who brought us the uber catchy ‘Hey! Championship!’ to celebrate our promotion from League 1 and follow up single ‘Goodbye Mark Warburton’ has now linked up with the aforementioned musical wing men to form Grown Men in Tears –   Staines’ answer to Emerson, Lake and Palmer. The product of this output is ‘Welcome Home, King Jota’  – quite possibly Billy’s finest end of season song to date.

Grown Men in Tears. (l-r) Archer, Devlin, Reeves.     c/o The Jolly Baker, Ashford

Kudos to Adam and Richard. With added glockenspiel and flamenco guitar outro it really is Billy’s crown jewel. How catchy. Oh that chorus. Oh, the namechecking in the lyrics.  “He opens up his legs, puts in a corner, for Harlee Dean’s big head” being amongst the finest and, yet, slipping into the verse as deliciously as the King himself playing the ball over.

Oh that chorus. The harmony. I Love it. Absolutely love it. What starts off with a slightly melancholic air quickly turns into an ear worm that burrows in deep and won’t let go. A perfect 3 minutes 58 seconds of music that is as silky smooth as the man himself. Even better, its all for charity with all proceeds going to Prostate Cancer UK Charity. Move fast, though – the single will only be available for one week (as a download, 79p) via Billy’s twitter page https://www.twitter.com/TheBillyReeves  and is released April 21st.

Come for the Hard-FI / Bluetones connection, stay for musical genius.

Jota – if you are reading (you aren’t) the Brentford family love you. If this doesn’t tell you, nothing will.

You can watch the video and hear the song below. Then rush out and buy it on the 21st for just 79p. Its all for charity, mate. And isn’t it brilliant?

Big love and thanks to Mark Fuller for the video montage. What a lotta Jota 

If you are concerned about prostate cancer or prostate problems then the Prostate Cancer UK charity can help. They provide a range of information and support so you can choose the services that work for you. All their services are open to men, their family and their friends. Via their ‘Men United’ campaign they are working with the Football League to raise awareness and money.

Nick Bruzon

Who has the best ever Bees moustache? Who is this year’s new entrant?

With Brentford now having a few days to wait until  we resume Championship action with Friday’s night’s TV game against Fulham, there’s time to look at a few things from the archives. Specifically with a top ‘XI’ that is a blatant rip off of a column published two years ago (albeit with one new entrant). Yet I make no apologies as it is for a great cause.

Today, November 1st, sees the beginning of the Movember campaign. Men in your place of work, your home or even Griffin Park will be undertaking that toughest of challenges – growing a moustache. Some will carry it off with all the prowess of flamboyant Queen frontman Freddie Mercury or Tom Selleck in his Magnum heyday; many will end up with barely perceptible wisps. Often, at a totally different colour to the hair on their head. Yet whatever the results, it is all being done to raise funds and awareness about men’s health – primarily the battles against testicular and prostate cancer.

Somebody near you will be engaged in this challenge and so, please, don’t look on them with scorn or disdain. Instead, why not dig deep? Nobody grows a moustache on purpose…

Yet this wasn’t always the way. Looking through the historical archives shows us how common a practice this once was at Brentford. With many people taking up Movember’s  charitable baton, what better way to recognise their forthcoming battle with bum fluff than by reviewing the top ten of moustaches sported by Brentford players through the ages.

This is a totally non-scientific study based on nothing more than personal opinion of moustache quality rather than playing ability. And so with apologies to any noticeable omissions, let’s kick things off….

10 – Roger Stanislaus. The classy left back opted for an equally classy moustache. It takes a brave man to try and carry this off but Roger did it with ease.

Forget ‘what happened next’. Remember the class

9 – Andy Ansah. These days better known for his wonderful Tekkers, in his youth Andy was as famed for his pace as he was for this effort.

Ansah – always displayed wonderful tekkers

8 – Steve Phillips. Was the goal machine from the late 70’s a possible inspiration on none other than Gary Blissett ten years later? Note the similarity in strike rates and facial hair.

The original Gary Blissett?

7 – John Smeulders. The first of three goalkeepers to make the list. Despite only a handful of appearances, his name lives on forever in the pantheon of mustachioed Bees legends.

Smeulders – played with style

6 – Gary Phillips. Another goalkeeper and another quality moustache. Little evidence of this, at least in Brentford colours, exists on the Internet. However, once seen it was never forgotten. Mercuryesque.

a photo as fuzzy as his moustache

5 – Chris Kamara. Like Andy Ansah, Chris is as well known these days for his TV work. But Chris also displayed unceasing loyalty to his moustache – something that continued throughout his playing career and can still be seen this very day. An unbelievable effort.

Unbelievable, Jeff

4 – Gordon Phillips. Was it compulsory to go for the Tom Selleck look if you played for Brentford and were a Phillips? Our third goalkeeper and third player to carry that surname, Gordon is easily the best of that group – moreso as he offsets this with a fantastic pair of sideburns.

Clean sheets but not clean shaven. Wonderful

3 – Gary Blissett. A goalscoring hero to many. A moustache icon to more. How many players can say they sealed a Championship, knocked their beloved Manchester City out of the FA Cup and even ended up in goal a few times – all despite the extra pressure of maintaining finely groomed facial hair? Seen here with former Bees commercial manager, Matt Davis.

Bliss – a hero to many. Then and now

2 – Wayne Turner. Sometimes words are not enough. Just let the picture do the talking.

Move over Terry Thomas

1 – Gordon Sweetzer. I wasn’t fortunate enough to remember seeing Gordon play and so I take a quote from Andy McCulloch to describe his on pitch personality:

““Gordon, now he would go through a brick wall. He was just crazy. He got terribly injured at times. He was a bit like me in a way – he went for things he shouldn’t have. Probably should have stepped back but you can’t with that sort of desire”.

Imagine, as a defender, that bearing down on you but with the added quality of Brentford’s best ever moustache. Absolute class.

Sorry Bliss, Chris and Wayne. Beaten by a worthy champion

Before we go, any football team needs 11 players.  Whilst he may not have made it into the top ten, there is one man at the club who transcends all style. Who has shown over the years that the moustache is still a tradition (albeit a lot less prevalent) which can be carried off by today’s modern players.

At 11, rather than his traditional 7(seven) none other than Sam Saunders.

Just imagine finding this in your Panini stickers 

 

And if anybody  would like to find out more about this year’s Movember campaign or even participate then you can do so here.

Nick Bruzon

A letter to Father Christmas. And kitman Bob

And relax. After a frenetic period of speculation, match action and the eventual appointment of Dean Smith as the new Brentford Head Coach, supporters can finally catch their breath. Fans tuning in to last night’s Southampton – Liverpool Capital One Cup action were reminded of a Griffin Park great whilst those amongst us with a kit obsession have a tough choice to make later today.

But I’m going to start, briefly, at St. Marys – simply because of the one sided scoreline that saw Liverpool run out with an astounding 1-6 victory. Even more so given the speed with which Southampton opened proceedings – Sadio Mane grabbing the opening goal with less than 40 seconds on the clock to give the home side an early lead.

For me this was significant for several reasons – not least the ongoing quest for brackets. Liverpool grabbing their sixth in the 86^th minute left us with that delicious possibility of the videprinter ticking over to 7(seven). Sadly, it wasn’t to be but that period is a moment that always adds an extra frisson of excitement to any game for neutrals (or is that just me?).

For us Bees, there was additional significance in this being The Saints heaviest home defeat since going down 6-0 to Brentford back in March 1959. That, a game where the legendary Jim Towers did his very best to single-handedly inflict brackets as he bagged four goals.

His reward – having to walk home, as Jim himself explained in a ‘Where Are They Now’ interview a few years ago “By the time we got back to Brentford all the buses had finished and I didn’t have a car in those days. I had to make my own way home after scoring four goals. I don’t think Jermaine Defoe had to do that!”

Say what you want about Liverpool, but they looked good doing it last night. The black ‘third’ shirt is another trait they share with Brentford as the Bolton game saw our equivalent get another airing on Monday. I have to be honest that my own initial enthusiasm for our blue ‘away’ kit has worn off a tad but this new one is a stunner.

There’s none of the superfluous trim that has blighted previous efforts – specifically our last attempt back in 2009-10 where we had more additional gold than Mr. T.

Pity the fool who wears this one

This is just simple black and white with a wonderful hint of silver. And I want one. Badly. Indeed, from talking to Brentford fans it seems I’m not alone in this respect and so can only imagine a series of hastily scribbled notes are being written to Father Christmas.

But equally, much though we love it, fans are also aware that this shirt is not on general sale. The only way to get one as things stand (aside from being Sam Saunders) is via the charity auctions in aid of the Royal British Legion which end today.

This really is a wonderful way to raise money for a great cause although, regrettably, the current prices are probably a leap too far for yours truly. Nice though these are, Mrs. Bruzon would probably have my guts if I came home for Christmas with Sam’s match worn shirt for me and no budget left for anything beyond some magic beans for her.

Given the chances of getting one through general release are as likely as seeing a bracketing, perhaps the marketing chaps or Kitman Bob might have next season’s ‘away’ shirt under their noses without even realising it.

I can’t wait….

The ‘3rd’ kit is proving very popular amongst fans I’ve spoken to

Nick Bruzon

Stuart Dallas to Leeds United? Get on your bike.

With Brentford due to play a final warm up at Norwich City today, our team selection could have more significance than anybody realises. With both Leeds United (Stuart Dallas) and Hull City (Andre Gray and Moses Odubajo) coveting several of our bigger name players according to rumour, it will be interesting to see how many of them feature. And specifically because Marinus told Beesplayer last week that this line up would feature 90% of the team he has pencilled in to kick off the season opener against Ipswich Town on August 8.

Much as I am still intrigued by the amount of noise being generated from quote free rumours (with a journalistic, “I understand / “sources close to the club”” being about as ‘solid’ as it gets), reading the comments from Friday’s article the Leeds supporters are convinced that the Stuart Dallas story is nailed on. Phil Hay of the Yorkshire Evening Post, apparently, a writer who only deals in certainty when it comes to impending transfers – I guess the journalistic equivalent of our own Beesotted.

To read the rest of this article, season 2015/16 is now available to download onto Kindle (and other electronic reading device) in full, as :   Ready. Steady. Go Again. : Brentford FC season review 2015 – 2016

Thanks for reading and all your comments over the course of the season. For now, it’s the annual clean up to make more space on the site for the inevitable follow up. However, ‘close season’ will continue in full, further along.

But wait, like all the best infomercials, there’s more. The last three seasons of the Last Word : Celebrating like they’d won the FA Cup; Tales from the football village and Ready. Steady. Go Again are also available in one combined volume as: 

Brentford Football Club – The Bees are going up. Season reviews: 2013/14, 2014/15 & 2015/16 

We did. And we still are ! 

Its all about the kit, man. And the Bees.