How on earth did he do that? I’m not even sure he knows

There was great news coming out of the club yesterday with the announcement that Toumani Diagouraga has signed a contract extension to keep him at Griffin Park until 2017. Already one of our longest serving players since joining in January 2010, The long legged midfield player is now approaching 200 games for The Bees in all competitions (that’s the club’s line, not mine, from the official press release)”.

To read the rest of this article, season 2014/15 is now available to download onto Kindle (and other electronic reading device) in full. Containing additional material and even some (poor) editing, you can get it here for less than the cost of a Griffin Park matchday programme or Balti Pie.

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

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Tangerine dream becomes a Halloween nightmare.

You have to feel for Blackpool supporters. With chairman Karl Oyston doing his best to make friends and influence people, the visit of play off chasing Ipswich Town on Saturday coincided with the arrival of new manager, Lee Clark. And where new managers and controversial owners go, Clem from the Football League show is sure to follow.

To read the rest of this article, season 2014/15 is now available to download onto Kindle (and other electronic reading device) in full. Containing additional material and even some (poor) editing, you can get it here for less than the cost of a Griffin Park matchday programme or Balti Pie.

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

Could Warbs line up the ultimate double striker swoop?

With Will Grigg’s departure from Brentford to MK Dons (albeit on loan) confirmed the day after his ‘no show’ at Boreham Wood, the obvious question remains – who’s next in at Griffin Park? The Championship is getting closer and, as it stands, we seem to be lacking options up top.

Well, the rumour mill is going into ‘overdrive’ in regards to Scott Hogan of Rochdale. Stories are circulating on Sunday morning of a deal being agreed with a £750,000 price tag attached. How accurate, if at all, these will prove to be remains to be seen but, as it stands, (publically) he remains a Rochdale player.

However, Scott is someone that comes with a great reputation. Leeds United have, reportedly, also been keen and it is no surprise as to why. 17 goals in 32 games is a strike rate that speaks for itself and, rightly, earned Hogan a place in last season’s Division Two PFA team of the year.

Hogan – could he be a new Brentford hero?

The Bees back room staff have, generally, a fantastic eye for picking young talent and he sounds like just the sort of player to plug the gap at top. We have assembled a team with phenomenal attacking options from midfield – Alex Pritchard from Tottenham being the latest to join – but the set up is still crying out for somebody to round it off.

I can have no doubt that Grigg’s departure (along with the loss of Clayton, release of Farid and non return, as it stands, of Marcello) is all part of making way for an imminent new signing. Mark Warburton’s comment that “Will is too good to be regarded as a number two” is surely further indication of this.

However, as it stands, Matthew Benhan is yet to set twitter buzzing with another of his infamous ‘cryptic clues’. Hogan’s Heroes? Some WWE wrestling? Although then we could really be entering the realms of Beesplayer pun fantasy – with a double swoop to also include Zenit St. Petersburg’s Brazilian international?

With Hulk-Hogan in the team, surely the Bees would be unstoppable ?

And if you can’t wait for the new season, why not catch up on the last one? ‘Celebrating like they’d won the FA Cup…..’ (The story of Brentford’s 2013/14 promotion campaign, amongst other football related chatter) – is now available as a digital book. Featuring the best of the not so bad columns from last season, and some new content, you can download it here for your kindle / digital device.

Hulk Hogan. It’ll never happen – but Beesplayer would go into meltdown

Some people are on the pitch, again

The big story from last night’s Scottish football (surely, an oxymoron if ever there was one) saw Brentford loanee Farid El Alagui spend the evening as an unused substitute for Dundee United. In other news, Celtic won the title.

Reading the reports and looking at the pictures  you’d think Celtic had won the FA Cup, the way their fans celebrated. Mind you, they’ve got form at this sort of thing, as Brentford fans may well remember from the pre-season ‘home’ friendly at Griffin Park.

To lose once in thirty league games at any level is an impressive feat but, ultimately, they are the thoroughbred in a one horse race. All it really means is that this season’s thoroughbred has the chance to become next season’s seaside donkey in the Champion’s League.

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.

More strikers than London Transport – but who pays the penalty ?

Awaiting today’s League One action between Brentford and Carlisle, I proceeded to torture myself by watching last night’s game between Hibernian and Dundee United. I say ‘watch’ – refusal to sign up for a second subscription channel meant it was actually a case of going ‘old school’ and following the game on the internet equivalent of the now, sadly departed, ceefax.

The reason for this sudden interest in Scottish football was for, primarily, self-serving purposes rather than any particular desire to see who might limp into second place in the final table.

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.

Thanks Fulham! Trotta’s (independent) trade pays dividends for Brentford.

Are you going to Carlisle with Brentford tomorrow? One person whom we can say should be is Marcello Trotta after the club broke the habit of a lifetime and commented on speculation, telling us that:

” Contrary to earlier suggestions, Marcello is not required to join up until Saturday evening.

Therefore he can play in Brentford’s Sky Bet League One match against Carlisle United on Saturday.”

This can only be good news for The Bees. Since returning from Fulham for a second loan spell, Trotta really has found form. Previous criticism leveled about the Italian’s perceived ‘laziness’ has been well and truly dispelled.

The player affectionately known to the Griffin Park faithful as ‘Rodney’ can now be seen putting himself about with more energy than the Duracell Bunny on a Red Bull binge.

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.

The best thing I’ve heard since Captain Kirk picked up a microphone.

It’s official. The best thing I’ve heard since William Shatner’s cover version of Pulp’s ‘Common People’ single.

Waking up this morning I was greeted by one of the Captain Kirk actor’s many, stunning, forays into pop music (c/o Christian O’Connell on Absolute Radio) along with the news that Warbs been named League One ‘Manager of the Month’ for December.

Mark’s award is fully deserved, with a 100% record over the period in question since he took over at Brentford from Uwe. I’m too lazy to leaf through the record books  but I’d imagine you can probably count on the fingers of ,erm, one finger the amount of times a club has won the award in successive months – with different managers!

Mark isn’t alone in being recognised, though.

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.

Farewell Farid. Hello Alan. Plus something very special from the sticker book.

I wrote yesterday about the brief moment I thought Brentford had signed X-factor judge Louis Walsh. Of course, we hadn’t, but just hours later we then went and secured a real ‘Judge’  – midfielder Alan – on loan from Blackburn Rovers.

Nominated as the 2012/13 League One player of the season, his record speaks for itself and is anything but criminal. That said, given yesterday’s similar story about Sam Saunders being put forward for December’s monthly award (and rightly so), I imagine that at first the Blackburn man will have to be content on the bench.

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.

More loan action for Brentford…and our rivals?

With the  transfer window now officially open, the rumour mill is in full effect.

In the case of Brentford, for once the talk is about players coming in rather than those who could be snapped up by teams in the Premiership or Championship. So far.

Top of the list is Arsenal striker Chuba Akpom. Whilst the club is yet to say anything definitive this is being widely reported in various media sources. Even Matthew Benham, as he has also done with Blackburn winger Alan Judge, has now started to follow the Arsenal youngster on twitter.

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.

Sammy’s Christmas Cracker (and Brentford cult hero news)

It was Liverpool manager Bill Shankly who famous declared, ““We beat them four nil — and they were lucky to get nil”.

Perhaps Brentford aren’t, quite, at the level of the Anfield supermen at their prime but they are getting closer each day. Yesterday’s ‘lucky’ recipients of the nil were Preston North End, with the boys from Griffin Park putting them to the sword by three clear goals in a table topping clash that saw the gap to first place in League One shrink to a solitary point.

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.