Well that was quite the weekend. As Ivan Toney warmed up for England duty by helping Brentford move another point closer to Europe and further clear in the race to be crowned the best placed football club in West London (don’t @me Chelsea and Fulham fans,the table doesn’t lie), up at Manchester United things took a surreal turn that promises to have huge repercussions.
We have, of course, all now seen the triple red carding awarded to Fulham in their FA cup defeat. Surely? The major talking point of which was Aleksandar Mitrovic sent off and shoving referee Chris Kavanagh. This, after getting himself involved in the incident that had already seen Willian dismissed for his handball on the line. Manchester United going on to win the game has probably been the least talked about moment ever since.

Mitrovic has now been formally charged. Whilst violent conduct would normally warrant a three game sentence, the FA have already set their stall out by saying, “The standard punishment which would otherwise apply to Aleksandar Mitrovic for the sending-off offence of violent conduct that he committed towards the match referee is clearly insufficient.In addition, Aleksandar Mitrovic’s behaviour and/or language was allegedly improper and/or abusive and/or insulting and/or threatening following his dismissal.”
Chris Sutton has called for a ten game ban. Others are looking for longer, citing the Paulo Di Canio red card in which referee Paul Alcock was given a shove and then stumbled backwards, falling to the ground.
The player was suspended for elven matches after that incident, which saw him leave the field of play immediately after.
Whether Alcock’s fall was exaggerated is by the by. Raising hands to an official is a footballing taboo up there with launching a kung-fu style kick on a spectator. Whatever the provocation, you just don’t do it.
Look at Mitrovic sequence now. And I have, many times already.
He got himself unnecessarily involved.
Pushed the referee.
Squared up to the referee, right in his face. Had Mr Kavanagh not stepped backwards it looked as though we were approaching headbutt territory.
Mitrovic mouths off at the referee.
Waves his finger at the referee in a style much akin to a teacher telling off a naughty pupil.
Mitrovic walks away then goes charging back for a second go at the referee.
Mitrovic has to twice be pulled and pushed away by his own team mates. Physically restrained from approaching the official.
What a terrible example to any children who may have been watching.
Surely, now, the book will be rewritten and then thrown hard in his direction? Metaphorically speaking, of course.
For all the gobbing off Brentford fans have had to endure in recent week about Ivan Toney, all of a sudden its gone very quiet over at The Cottage. There can be no defence of what was the most heinous of onfield acts. Supporter Richard Osman’s assertion that a ten game ban would be unfair, met with not unexpected short thrift.
Make no mistake, this will be talked about for years. Much as the Cantona and Di Canio incidents still are to this day. Moments where players have gone so far beyond the acceptable norm that the FA have had no choice but to take drastic action, regardless of what the provocation may have been.
One can only presume hands will be held up – in acceptance rather than at the referee – as any attempt to deny charges will only be met with further shock. Mitrovic appealing? Not really.
Even now, I can’t help but rewatch it. Wondering ‘did it really go that far?’ – yes, being the answer. Wondering at what point he thought this was appropriate or likely to make the referral change his mind. Every second longer into the incident, the hole being dug deeper.

In many ways, Brentford fans being able to watch our neighbours in self-destruct mode has been quite the tonic. A wonderful way to end a weekend that saw us sitting three points clear of Fulham and four above Chelsea. And if you want to read more about that, you can do so here in the post match debrief and top five player ratings.
Yet, at the same time, is it right to take pleasure from a display like this towards the referee? To see a player so lose his head that a gargantuan punishment is undoubtedly coming his way. To see the club also charged with failing to control their players. That’s down to personal opinion – stop sniggering at the back, please.
For now, calm has returned but the FA’s decision as to what happens next will be one the entire footballing community will be hanging on. Too lenient? Too tough? There’s no real idea as to how far they’ll go. Di Canio got the 9 games. Cantona nine months. At amateur level it’s a year.
One things for sure, we’re not going to be seeing Aleksander Mitrovic for a while.
Nick Bruzon
From the best shirt to the worst – with a video nod to Eric
6 SepOver the last 13 months since this column has been running, our reader may have realised I’m somewhat of a Brentford kit nerd. A quick search of this site with the word ‘kit’ will also show pieces on what we, our Championship rivals (and beyond) have worn. Likewise, some of the quirkier efforts through the ages. Hull City AFC and their tiger stripes, the Coventry City T, Spanish broccoli, beer and octopus designs being some of the best.
However, whilst reading a thread on GPG this morning in regards to Brentford shirt, it suddenly dawned on me. I’ve written about our best ever home and, equally, away shirt. There’s also been a piece published on what are, in my opinion, our worst ever away tops.
But I’ve never completed the story by talking about my least popular home effort. Until now.
By and large, our home kit has generally been pretty good over the years and so to compile a top ten or even top five would be, largely, a pointless exercise. That said, two do stand out for me and both are from recent years.
In second place is the 2012/13 effort. On the surface, I really liked this. Thick stripes, a decent shade of red and even a solitary touch of black on the shoulder was a nice touch. Then you turned it over.
Where were the stripes? Not only had they been removed ‘due to football league regulations’ (that, seemingly, Sheffield United were able to circumnavigate) but they’d been replaced by a teabag. Whilst the front of this was standard shirt material, the reverse was some sort of perforated ventex effort. It meant our female fans had their bra straps on display whilst it gave all of us the chance of gaining a polka dot sun tan.
As for the stick on ‘Skyex’ sponsor patch. It was the first appearance of this much maligned piece of low budget kit design – a trend that has continued into the Adidas regime and blighted their, otherwise, sterling efforts.
2012/13 – Fantastic front but that horrible, horrible back. No stripes; just teabags
But that’s nothing, to me, on the previous season’s effort. 2011/12 is, in my opinion, the most awful of all the shirts we’ve ever had.
It’s not just that there are too many red stripes, relative to a classic Brentford shirt, yet not enough to bring it into the cult territory of the ‘funky bee’ 1989 centenary effort. Although that’s a poor start.
Then chuck in the black collars. They’re floppy!!? Think Eric Cantona, but after a few too many Kronebourgs.
The only point of a collar on a football shirt is so as you can stand it up – preferably just at the point of entering ‘Saunder’s territory’. Nothing is more likely to put the wind up the opposition than a midfielder with a known eye for goal, making this final adjustment before striking a free kick.
Cantona shows how a collar, if it has to be incorporated into a football kit, should be treated.
So we have too many stripes and a pathetic collar but the ultimate crime is the red shoulder patches and double black trim. Adidas have their famous three stripes, so Puma decide to copy this but go one less. Why?
It’s an awful choice and this entire upper makes us look like hotel doormen. Perhaps some people like it but, personally, I won’t even have this one in my collection.
Talk about Puma seeing out their contract in style. Or lack of .
2011/12 – Marcel Eger models my worst ever Brentford shirt
Tags: 2013/14, Adam Forshaw, Adidas, advert, Alan Judge, Alex Pritchard, Au revoir, away, beer, Bees, Beesotted, best, blog, blue, book, Brentford, Brentford FC, Broccoli, Cantona, celebrated, Celebrating like they'd won the FA Cup, Chad, Championship, collar, comments, Coventry, Coventry City, Coventry Talbot, david button, design, diary, Eric Cantona, FA Cup, football, Griffin Park, Harlee Dean, Hobot, Home, Hull, Hull City, Hull City AFC, Hull Tigers, Hummel, James Tarkowski, Jon Toral, Jonathan Douglas, José Ignacio Peleteiro Ramallo, Jota, just don’t mention that penalty, kindle, kit, Kronenbourg, Marcel Eger, Marcello Trotta, Marcos Tébar Ramiro, Mark Warburton, Matthew Benham, Moses Odubajo, Natalie Sawyer, Nick Bruzon, Nike, Octopus, Osca, patch, penalty, Puma, red, Russell Slade, Sam Saunders, Saunders territory, Sheffield United, Shirt, Sky bet Championship, skyex, Spanish, sponsor, stripes, Stuart Dallas, T, Talbot, tea bag, Teabag, Tiger, tiger stripes, Toumani, Trotta, Ventex, waiter, Warbs, white, worst