2013 – a review of the year in pictures

It’s been some year for Brentford.

The Bees missed out on automatic promotion through the narrowest of margins, then obtained the usual result at the ‘W place’ in North London before finishing 2013 on a run of 34 points out of a possible 36.

Along the way we’ve had a change of manager, a change of Chairman, an epic FA cup encounter with Chelsea and the small matter of Lionel Road.

Armed with nothing more than an iPod phone and ‘screen grab’, these are my ten ‘Last Word’ defining images of 2013.

10 – Doncaster Rovers. Whilst Brentford were ultimately denied by ‘The Nag’s Head’ (Trotta’s bar) we should have seen it coming. The day started badly with Bees supporters on Soccer AM getting a season’s low score of ‘zero’ in the end of show ‘sixty second shoot out’.

Worse was to come

9 – Cardiff Beach became this year’s holiday hotspot for goalkeepers.

Farewell Simon and welcome, David Button

8 – Herr Rösler kept the players, and Billy, waiting after the Stevenage debacle. Twelve games later and the rest is history.

Nothing ‘a little chat’ couldn’t sort out

7 – The Griffin Park crowd has been noticeably louder this season. Moreso, at the death where late winners are becoming the team’s speciality.

Volume levels at Griffin Park have certainly risen this year.

6 – Lionel Road. Councillor Dhillon became a fan favourite as Matthew Benham’s dream moved one step closer when planning permission was approved.

The award winning matchday programme celebrates Lionel Road. (Other publications are available, too)

5 – It’s all your fault. Highflying Peterborough come down to earth with a bump.

Don’t cry, ‘keeper. Game,set and match. 3-2 Brentford

4 – A full house on New Road for ‘pay what you can’. Despite Keith Stroud officiating, Brentford won.

The Bees made it three out of three against Shrewsbury.

3 – This is Saunders territory. The Champions of Europe under threat as Chelsea hang on for a draw at Griffin Park.

Chelsea. Louder than Aldershot. Almost

2 – Whilst Lionel Road is the future, Griffin Park remains atmospheric.

I’ll miss Griffin Park but Lionel Road IS the future

1 – The league table, December 31^st 2013.

Thank you, BBC. Sweet, sweet viewing on their website

Brentford Bees 1 Hull Tigers 0. A result I never want to see.

““Hull City. My first Brentford game!! Thanks to Bob Booker for getting me hooked so young.”

Not my words but those of GPG user Robbee74, when I canvassed Brentford supporters for their memories of Bob back in 2010.

It may seem odd to start with another club ahead of Brentford’s game against Oldham Athletic but these are troubled times. For those unaware the owner of Hull City AFC, Doctor Assem Allam, is currently ploughinhg ahead with his decision to change the club name to Hull Tigers. Supporters are, unsurprisingly, up in arms over this and moreso given some of his inflammatory remarks about both them and the reason for his taking this course of action.

Dr. Allam has been quoted as telling The Independent that opponents to his scheme “Can die as soon as they want, as long as they leave the club for the majority who just want to watch good football.”

Charming. It’s up there with the moment that former Fulham chairman Mohamed Al-Fayed said, on deciding to erect a statue of Michael Jackson outside the club’s ground,  “If some stupid fans don’t understand and appreciate such a gift this guy gave to the world they can go to hell. I don’t want them to be fans.”

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.