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.
It’s official. My word!! Christian Eriksen is an actual Bee. Brentford official made the much anticipated announcement on Monday morning with the player signing a reported six-month contract. The Denmark international midfielder and former Ajax, Spurs and Inter Milan man goes into the squad and is now, in theory, available for Everton. For Manchester City. For the rest of our first Premier League campaign. If Pontus Jansson was a marquee signing then the acquisition of Eriksen is ten times better. What a way to start a Monday morning.
We’ve been reading the stories for the last fortnight or so. What seemed like the most ludicrous rumour slowly talking shape. Gathering substance. Early last week, a Danish film crew flew over to talk with fans in The Griffin about the possibility of the move coming to fruition. The feeling amongst those of us with an ear to the ground suggesting that, for once, this wasn’t click-bait but actually something with legs.
Then, Sunday evening, Sky Sports were amongst those running a story about how the deal was done. Extensive medical tests passed and personal terms with Brentford agreed. The signing expected to be made later in the week. Exciting news to fall asleep to and then even better to wake up with. At 8am this morning, it happened. The news confirmed. The most remarkable conclusion to the awful, awful events of Euro 2020 officially revealed. For Christian alone, let alone the supporters sure to welcome him with open arms.
The excitement around TW8 palpable. Its’ all anyone has been talking about over the winter break, that brief diversion over the weekend aside (Sergi’s new hairstyle, obv). A signing so contrary to our model that it almost defies belief. 109 caps for Denmark. 36 international goals. An attacking midfielder who is genuinely up there with the very best players in world football. And he’s coming to Brentford. That’s a fact which cannot be overstated enough. It’s simply incredible
One can’t help but think back to what happened over the summer. The raw emotion. The obvious connection. Let’s not pretend it won’t be close to everyone’s minds when he runs out with Brentford for the first time. It’s the instinctive reaction but, equally, we have to put trust in medical science. Not least Christian and his family. In the fact that this wouldn’t be allowed to happen if there was thought to be any chance of risk to the player.
If nothing else, we’ve that huge connection to CRY. Andy Scott retired early whilst we’ll never forget Rob Rowan and remain eternally thankful for his legacy. You can still donate here, btw.
For now, all we can do is look forward with excitement. With lips being licked. Let’s also remember that Christian hasn’t played since the Euros. Is it feasible to expect him to hit the ground running or will it be a cautious reintroduction to first team football? One can only assume the later. Whether Everton is too soon, who knows? Setting up the winner for Ivan at Manchester City, perhaps? Or even bagging it himself?
If nothing else, what does Thomas Frank now do with his midfield? With his entire team? The international power trio of Norgaard, Eriksen and Jensen is one the headline writers will be screaming out for. The core of the Danish midfield now at the centre of ours. Then what of Vitaly and Shandon? Of the imminent return for Josh Dasilva? From looking thinner than the laughs in an average episode of My Family (happy now, Mrs Browns Boys fan?) we’re now stuffed to the gunnels. Spoiled for choice with options that just can’t be met in full. What a lovely problem for Thomas to have. What a way to perhaps push Ivan higher up and focus on doing what he does best. To spare him from having to cover so much of that additional ground.
It was the GPG who nailed it in the build-up last night. All of a sudden, Bradley Walsh becomes only the second most famous person to sign for the Bees.
— Griffin Park Grapevine (Brentford FC) (@bfcgpg) January 30, 2022
Or the third depending on where you put Chris Kamara. One thing’s for sure, this news is unbelievable. Get used to it though. Things have just become very real. The only thing to perhaps eclispe Frank Lampard’s first game in charge of Everton at the weekend may have just happened. One thing’s for sure, the return to training could be fun today.
Now, time to go to the back of the wardrobe and dig out those 96-98 shirts….
Irony is alive and well when it comes to all things Brentford. Or life. It’s amazing how things can come back to bite you but the announcement teased on Twitter by Brentford ‘official’ last night suggested we may have a new commercial partner incoming. In the Euros, there were plaudits all round for ITV and their coverage (not a typo) following the Croatia – Spain game. This, for the performance of Emma Hayes, manager of Chelsea women, in the co-commentator’s seat. Then there’s the small matter of England – Germany.
First up, Brentford. Let me take you back to March 2021. The home game with Nottingham Forest. Yours truly’s programme column started as follows…
“How much turmeric does one club need? Quite a lot if you are Swansea City, who announced a partnership with The Turmeric Company to become their official supplier for the rest of 2020-21. Rather than for the traditional use in flavouring curries, their products are quickly becoming the gold standard for individuals looking to support their health and wellbeing through nutrition, with their bespoke formula containing key powerful natural ingredients. Not my words, the words of Hal Robson-Kanu. The Wales international being co-founder of the company rather than an amazing leap into the world of Accidental Partridge. Good luck to them. It sounds incredible (much like mushroom based coffee – remember that from a few years ago?) although no explanation is given as to whether it negatively impacts the players’ balance when in the opposition penalty box.”
Fast forward to yesterday afternoon and this announcement from Brentford official….
What does this mean? A new commercial partner incoming? A new shirt sponsor, even? Perhaps nothing more than Matthew Benham taking control of our Twitter account once more and launching another of his cryptic clues ? The best translation I could get for that one would be us signing Tom Ince, son of Paul.
For those old enough to remember, the self-monikered ‘Guvnor’ was also one of the so-called Liverpool Spice boys alongside Robbie Fowler, Steve McManaman etc back in the 90s. For the record, the name based on hit parade topping all girl pop combo The Spice Girls rather than any laboratory made illegal substance.
We digress, as ever. What’s happening in the world of Turmeric? If it is kit related, could we see the new Brentford shirt at the same time? Will the big reveal come today? Might we go for the holy trinity of a Frank Onyeka signing photo being published, whilst wearing a Turmeric sponsored top (suddenly thinks: please, no, not the away colours…….) and brandishing a half-chewed biro?
Who knows? All we can say is that domestic news must clearly be very thing on the ground. On a personal note, and I make no apologies for mentioning this again, the season review e-book was last night up to #5 in the Amazon kindle download charts for football. The meat in a Gareth Southgate / Harry Redknapp sandwich.
The reason for continuing to push this is that ALL monies received from anyone kind enough to download one go to the Rob Rowan Memorial fund for CRY. If you could pick up a copy, it would be the most incredibly received gesture whilst may even provide a few moments of entertainment. A Last Word compendium looking back at how we made it onto the Premier league aswell as including all the programme articles from the season, columns which have never been published on line before (there may be a reason for that).As ever, the link is here.
Next up, ITV football. Cue rant about commentators. About adverts. About Hoddle Twaddle style punditry as cringey as The Spice Boys nickname. About cliche by numbers. Yet for those of us just coming in from work last night, the Croatia – Spain game brought us Emma Hayes in the co-commentator’s seat. My word, how good was she? Somebody who actually explained how the game was unfolding, what the teams were doing and the thought process around it rather than just repeating what the anchor had said or we had all just seen. A genuine breath of fresh air in a seat which has so long been the home of repetitive sound bite by numbers. With the Chelsea manager earning what felt like universal acclaim, all of a sudden ITV may not be the poison chalice it might have been when we come down to the decision of which challenge to watch the final on.
All being well, England will be present in that one. Tuesday evening’s game with Germany is about as big as it gets in terms of history. In terms of occasion. Expect mention of 1966 and penalties. Of ruthless efficiency. Of Joachim Löw sniffing his fingers, wherever they may have been moments prior. Cripes, we may aswell just get a bingo card together right now.
But also expect England to progress. For all Germany are the historic powerhouse of European football, their performances have so far been a very mixed bag. England, on the other hand, may not be setting the world on fire in terms of blockbusting wins but with 7 (seven) points out of 9 from the group stage and no goals conceded, it is perfect progression. Perfect cup football. Get another win on the board and keep going. Gareth Southgate’s game management spot on, so far.
ThePremier League is inching towards us. Fixtures are out and, by now, there can’t be any among us aware that Brentford will kick things off at home to Arsenal on Friday 13th August. Instead, with the Euros on brief hiatus we can amuse ourselves waiting for the announcement about Frank Onyeka joining from Midtjylland, figuring out how we can get into the pre-season friendly at Old Trafford, looking at who might be charging the most to watch the Bees next season (Chelsea and Manchester United amongst the not unexpected candidates) and there is, as ever season review downloads to, err, download.
We’ll start with the last point first. Today, Friday, is the last day in the current promotion that all past season reviews can be downloaded for free. If anybody wants to get the last 7(seven) or so seasons’ worth of e-books for kindle / reader then you can do so here. If I could keep them up for free I would but Amazon like to charge for their services so please, dive in today if they are of interest.
The most recent edition – 2020/21 – is also available. You can get that one here. As a new release, that does cost but its a great story (poorly told, I grant you) and, more importantly, any monies received are going to the Rob Rowan memorial fund for CRY. So please, if not for the endless frustration with Mrs Browns Boys, download a copy to help a wonderful cause.
Next up, corporate hospitality. Trevor from the GPG has been sharing some of these on social media. It’s mentioned more for curiosity than any genuine shock value. We all know the cost of football keeps on going up and up. The stories of our ‘elite’ clubs are well documented. So no surprises as to what comes next but if you are able to get a ‘regular’ ticket for next season then the following options are also available.
Manchester United – £600 to see Brentford in action. Their ‘No.7’ package includes a luxury, padded seat as well as blankets to take pitch side . Plus champagne, five course dining and the usual bar options.
Arsenal – £1440 for a pair of Heritage tickets. Includes cocktails, five course dining and bar. No mention of blankets
Chelsea – £840 for the Diamonsd suite which includes a four course meal, balcony seat and complimentary bar. At that price, and they’d want to be less complimentary and more kissing my butt for three hours.
Does anyone charge more? Possibly. Life’s too short to plough through the websites of the other 19 other clubs in the league. Good luck to them. Good luck to those who can afford it. This is hardly some ‘Watchdog’ style expose. Free market economy and all that. For me, with an ST at Lionel Road still coming in at less than one ‘top price’ game at Manchester United (let alone elsewhere) I know where my money is going. All being well, we’ll be able to travel away this season and can then take our place with the rest of our fans once more.
Cripes, I’ve missed away games so much during lockdown and can;t wait to get back on the road. Even if it is a Monday night shlep to Burnley. £600+ is a leap too far though. If it comes to that then it’ll be a case of dodgy internet feed or hoping the game is on TV .
Otherwise, there’s not much going on. The waiting game continues. Primarily for the nre kit. In your own time, ‘official’. The transfer rumour mill is relatively quiet beyond our wondering if Frank Onyeka will chose state of the art pen or a half chewed BIC. Fantasy football is now up and running, with the Brentford squad available. Ivan Toney is, apparently, in the top five of all selections. At that price, no real surprise. He’s almost cheaper than VIP treatment at Chelsea.
Exciting times. Brentford now know we’ll be first up in the Premier League. Our opening game, the visit of Arsenal to Lionel Road, now brought forward for TV and will be played under lights on Friday 13th August. A fixture list already bristling with early season promise – Liverpool, Chelsea and Leicester City all due in TW8 before the clocks change – now sees the third placed Bees with an opportunity to top the pack and send Arsenal bottom of the fledgling table. It’s going to immense. We all loved Griffin Park, no question, but if we learned one thing last season it is that our new home at Lionel Road is a cauldron of noise. Just ask Bournemouth. And that was with 4,200 present. Imagine the noise when full? Imagine walking out of there on the Friday night, sitting at the top of the Premier League… One can dream.
How did we get here? That’s not something posed in any metaphysical sense but more asked to reflect on how we are even able to entertain the lunacy that is us talking about topping the Premier League. Our little bus stop in Hounslow could be sitting above the likes of Liverpool, Champions of Europe Chelsea and the other 17 (seventeen) illustrious names we’ll be playing. I mean, we are already but points in the bag are ten times better than alphabetical order. All we need to do is beat Arsenal. Easy. In theory.
And to answer the question….well, it’s that time of year once more. Season review time. As ever, the collected ‘Last Word’ posts aswell as all the match day programme blog columns (not previously published online) have been collated in e-book form for our 2020/21 retrospective.
A look back at the strangest of Championship seasons. One played out in mostly silence (barring the ‘200’ we smuggled in for the QPR game) from that opening fixture against Birmingham City in September through to the play-off final at Wembley and beyond.
Normally the few quid it raises is then given to the Brentford FC Community Sports Trust although things are a little different this time around. Should anybody be kind enough to download a copy, any and all monies received from this / previous volumes will be going to Rob Rowan’s memorial fund.
There can’t be anyone associated with Brentford who isn’t aware of Rob’s work as Technical Director or his tragic passing from an undiagnosed heart condition at the age of just 28. His family have been supporting CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young) since his passing, a charity whose aims include preventing young sudden cardiac deaths through awareness, screening and research aswell as providing bereavement counselling for affected families.
Rob’s memorial will fund future screenings to allow young people between ages of 14-35 to be checked for free (something the government doesn’t currently support).
A first screening was held at Syon Park back in 2019 although the pandemic has meant that these have been unable to be held since. The next intent being to hold a full weekend in Fife, Scotland, and another in Brentford (hopefully at the new stadium) allowing over 400 young people to be screened.Dates for those are hoped to be known soon.
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