Needless to say, he had the last laugh.

And with that, Ollie Watkins was revealed at Aston Villa. The latest Brentford star to make the step up to the top flight. These days,  the Villans rather than Wycombe or Birmingham City are the ones becoming our ‘B’ team. He joins Jota, Ezri Konsa and manager/ head coach Dean Smith in a squad that could be argued as , if not ‘ten times better’, certainly one chock full of talent. England debutant Jack Grealish the most prodigious of the stars that will be playing alongside our (former) man.

That’s about as ‘official’ as it gets.

There was nothing but good wishes from all at , err, Lionel Road when the news was announced. A low key statement from Brentford, “All the best, Ollie. The striker has this morning completed his move to @AVFCOfficial for an undisclosed fee” was followed by a much more in depth piece detailing the move. Albeit, the fee of £28million with a further £5million in add-ons was not confirmed. Kerr-chinggg! 

After the season he had, and that unmentionable final game, it was unlikely Ollie would be staying. No complaints here. Quite the opposite. He has his dream move and a well deserved reward for all the hard work and good times. Brentford have shown we are no longer the pushovers in the transfer market that we were in days gone by. Now, there is no need to sell. Just the knowledge that we help players progress, with replacements lined up, and release them when it is mutually beneficial. 

Cripes – what a price. I saw a comment that says it is the 12th highest ever paid for an English player. Aston Villa have absolutely got an international star in the making. If he can continue his goal scoring hot streak – and Dean will know what his man can do – then the England shirt will be beckoning. Neal Maupay showed last season how that step up to the top flight can be made. I fully expect more of the same from Ollie. 

There was a graphic from Sky Sports on Twitter yesterday, declaring Brentford to be ‘Masters of the transfer market’. 

Looking at it in cold, hard figures you’d be doing well to disagree. Not just with the fees but , as much, our recruitment process. How far away do all the sneers now seem? The talk of Matthew Benham’s system being nothing more than robotics and Moneyball? Of him inhabiting a Doctor Evil style ‘lair’? That one was Clem, I recall. Needless to say, he’s had the last laugh. (Matthew, rather than Clem).

Talk to the hand – a strange analogy once made about Matthew Benham’s HQ

So who next? Joel Valencia seems set for a loan out to Legia Warsaw. Talk on Said Benrahma has gone quiet. Very quiet. Is he also Aston Villa bound? Somehow, possibly, maybe sitting tight? Hey, one can dream. David Raya still seem inexorably linked with Arsenal although the club have made it absolutely clear we are not interested in even considering a sale. It’ll be telling to see what happens when we visit Birmingham City on Saturday lunchtime. For the record, I expect David to start and be with us all season.

As ever with Brentford, this is all out of our control. Stressing about it won’t do any good. Confidence in who will comes in to replace those that have moved on is something which should remain sky high. Past seasons have more than proved that, now we’ve got the Proschwitz style kinks out of the system. Ivan Toney is the latest of those to join us and I can’t wait to see how he goes in the red and white.

That’s all to come. The season proper starts on Saturday. The transfer window remains open until early October. That’s a LONG time. Urgh. Still, heads down. Teeth gritted. Move along, nothing to see here. Nothing to worry about if it does happen. He says….

Until then, it’s a case of one more ‘Good luck’ Ollie. Not that he needs it. Perhaps more a case of ‘So long and thank you for everything’. Here’s to seeing you on Match Of The Day.

And finally, don’t forget that all The Last Word season reviews remain available, for free download for your kindle e-book reader. There’s only a day or so of this to run so please help yourselves – if you want. You can pick up 2013/14 – 2017/18 here, there’s 2018/19 here whilst the latest effort (which is probably the word), covering 2019-20 is here. These are free so get in now. Once these go back to ‘regular’ price (the Amazon store gives five free days every three months) then any monies received go to the Brentford FC Community Sports Trust…

Thanks, as ever.

You can read about all this sort of stuff once more

Nick Bruzon

Seagulls follow the trawler and end up with more than sardines. Au revoir, Neal.

There was an almost inevitable end to Monday with the news finally announced that Neal Maupay has left Brentford. His non-appearance over most of the summer, followed by his absence from the squad at the weekend, left the writing somewhat on the wall and now it has been confirmed. The Premier league is the destination. Brighton and Hove Albion the choice, in a deal reported as being worth £20m. At least it wasn’t Dean Smith and Aston Villa although until that window slams shut on Thursday, one can only envisage Said Benrahma continuing to be linked with a move to the Midlands. On the plus side, we have not one but two news signings. Midfielder Dru Yearwood makes the switch from Southend United whilst French youth international attacker Bryan Mbeumo joins from Espérance Sportive Troyes Aube Champagne.  Or Troyes AC, as ‘official’ helpfully confirmed they are better known.

I feel for Dru and Bryan. Both look like more shrewd acquisitions from Matthew and the Directors of football. Southend and Troyes’ loss, very much our gain given how well our acquisitions over the last few years have turned out. Yet all anybody is talking about today is Brighton and Neal.

Oh, how we loved him. The shithousery – there’s no other word for it. The speed. The work rate. The aerial prowess from one so small. The goals. The balls. Oh my, the size of those balls. What a way to celebrate not once but twice against Leeds United. Both times, right in the faces of their rabid support. 

And that equaliser at Fulham wasn’t bad either. ‘Limbs’ as I believe the kids call it. What a moment. What a celebration. What a photo from Mark Fuller. What a way to seal your place in club legend. To ensure that whatever came next (what stamp at Aston Villa ?) could never tarnish your reputation. Would only make you even more universally loved.

What balls

Yet it was a love that seemed to go both ways. Talk to Neal and he would only enthuse about all things Griffin Park. Promises were made at the end of last season about his return for this one. Sadly, now, things have moved on somewhat. Money talks but so do agents, it would seem.

And whilst that may be bleedin’ obvious, the Twitter thread published on Monday night by the GPG makes for very interesting reading as to how this all played out. About how things have changed as this marriage made in footballing heaven between player and club has ended in the Bees being jilted for the Seagulls.

Do read the thread. In full. It starts below and makes for a fascinating insight as to what went on with this one. There’s no animosity towards player, Brentford or Brighton – for what it’s worth. But, as has been noted part way through, “ In this day of low morals in football these days – I’m glad that we demonstrated that we are a decent club with manners. The fact that we have done right by the player demonstrates to future signings that we provide a potential route to PL, it keeps us in business of course.”  

A LONG THREAD:

Some notes on the Maupay exit.

How does this sit with us? We know the model. We know the rules. We have pocketed substantial sums from the deal (as usual). But is this one different? pic.twitter.com/w6mvGGYgG1

— GriffinParkGrapevine (@bfcgpg) August 5, 2019

There’s not much else to say at this point. There’s a genuine feeling of good luck to Neal, from me. Of course I’m absolutely gutted to see him go. No question. I was itching to see him stay put for one more season. To guide us to the top flight. Now that responsibility rests elsewhere.

In my heart of hearts I really did think he might stay until January. Mind you, I think the same about Said and Ollie. At least the latter started on Saturday and looked formidable during that opening salvo. I’m sure Dean Smith is opening the Aston Villa cheque book we speak but I’m also, perhaps naively, thinking this really is it . 

We’ve sold Ezri. We’ve sold Romaine. Of course we’ve sold Neal. We’ve also invested very wisely with the likes of Jansson, Jensen, Pinnock and Norgaard now joined by Blackwood and Mbeumo. Keep Benrahma and Watkins amongst their ranks and we will remain more than a force to be reckoned with.

Sell either/or and, you know what, there’ll be no meltdown from me. As with Neal this evening,  I would be gutted with further departures. Yet our DOFs and Matthew Benham have shown us time and again that they are three steps ahead of everybody else when it comes to doing the business.

I really didn’t think it could get any more depressing than selling Jota and Maxime to Birmingham City (and Harlee makes three) but we survived. We got stronger despite the crushing blow of seeing our hero put out to pasture. That trust is there and I cannot wait to see how the next chapter in the Brentford story plays out.

Until then, we’ll always have Fulham.

What a moment. Thank you, Neal

Nick Bruzon

Bees in ecstasy. Leeds in meltdown. Matthew Benham amazes Brentford, again.

I’m lost for words. Last night really did happen. Social media has been in meltdown after THE news was confirmed. Of course it had been rumoured but deep down, did we honestly expect it to happen? Well, it has. It wasn’t a dream. Brentford have seen September’s game at Barnsley moved back a day after it was picked by satellite channel Sky Sports Leeds United  for live TV coverage. And in other Elland Road related news, we’ve only gone and signed Pontus Jansson. This is not a typo. This is not a drill. Repeat – we’ve only gone and signed Pontus Jansson.

Seriously, I’m in shock. We’d talked about the possibility of this rumour being confirmed earlier in the week but to see it come to fruition is about as huge statement of intent and future direction as they come from Matthew Benham. This has so bucked the trend of our usual transfer strategy that I’m struggling to get my head around the news. Yet at the same time, can’t pretend to be anything short of ecstatic about  the Swedish defender joining the fun at Griffin Park.

This is a HUGE signing. A proven player and another player who, like Henrik Dalsgaard of Brentford (remember that from 2018) reached the knockout stages of the World Cup. Indeed, he has  captained the national side on more than one occasion en-route to winning this current total of 20 caps.

Leeds United fans are in meltdown. Brentford fans living the dream. The news was the only thing stopping TV’s Love Island completing a whitewash of trending topics on Twitter last night as the news broke. We’d suspected something was about to happen when Matthew Benham posted a cryptic video clue  – the duel scene from the brilliant Curb Your Enthusiasm. As ever, no idea, beyond a rumoured second (err dual) signing due soon. Then official shared what seemed to be either confirmation that incoming was imminent or Peter Gilham had gone old school on his Tyrolean blog and was reverting to pen & paper. 

That was it. Surely this was all but confirmed. Short of Pontus being revealed whilst wearing the new away kit, this couldn’t have been any more exciting. And then it happened. Twitter exploded. That was just in Leeds where Brentford is still trending this morning.

The words ‘f**king brentford’ were used almost as much as the three letters, FFS. It was just ‘tinpot’ and ‘pub side’ short of a full house in ‘clubs like Brentford’ bingo. Bees fans in raptures. Leeds supporters devastated. The final aftershock of the Aston Villa equaliser being felt, even now.

Hey, who cares? This is our gain and very much so. Thomas Frank summarised things beautifully when talking to official, as he noted “Everyone knows about the Brentford model but to develop the young players we have here, we also need experience and quality in the squad to get the perfect balance. To have someone with his CV turn down other offers to join us shows where we stand as a club now.”

As for director of football Phil Giles, he was also on point to confirm what we’d all talked about – this being contrary to our usual methodology. His own update included the confirmation that “Pontus is not a player we have been tracking for some time. In fact, it was only very recently that we were alerted to his availability and reacted quickly to the opportunity.”

But sometimes, when opportunity knocks, you need to go for it. What a way for Matthew Benham and his team to do that. What a marker to lay down to the rest of the division. What a prospect awaits – especially if we can hang on to the likes of Neal Maupay. Imagine the pair of them in the same team. Talk about bite!!  Talk about passion!! Talk about the celebration should we continue that unbeaten / winging run against Leeds United. That ‘away’ trip, five games in on August 21st, has just cranked up another few notches and then some. It was already ripe for being a fine encounter following October’s 1-1 draw – the one where Neal scored that goal, did that celebration and Pontus, of course, broke our hearts late on.

At the end of the day (Clive) Brentford have just stepped up a level. On the day that Aston Villa paid £25million for Tyrone Mings from Bournemouth, we’ve proven once more that we are kings of the cut price transfer. Relatively speaking – a rumoured £5m no small change and easily a club record. Yet to acquire a player of this quality really says where we are now at. No longer below the radar but very much sticking our heads above the parapet. And I can’t wait to see who takes a shot at us first. 

As the fallout continues, there’ll no doubt be enough material for the GPG to write a sequel to what was the best video in sometime – F**king Brentford. This one did the rounds in a precursor to the transfer news being confirmed. And now it has happened, expect more to follow.

I have to be honest, this is still somewhat bizarre news for so many reasons. But it is also brilliant news. For so many reasons. What a way to strengthen our squad. To tell our rivals that we aren’t here for the ride – not that this has ver been the case. To really inspire the fans ahead of our final season at Griffin Park. Is this the season that we really go for it? The next few weeks, and any outbound activity, will be very telling. At the same time, our transfer strategy has more than proven its worth over the years. Could this be the one that takes us to the next level? I can’t wait to find out. 2019/20 was always going to be exciting – now it’s gone nuclear. And not just on the Leeds twitter feed. Fair to say that Peter Gilham’s tour diary might be quite an interesting one today.

As for the other news of the day, we have our first TV game of the season. The trip to Oakwell will now take place on Sunday 29th September at 1.30pm Barnsley v Brentford isn’t one that seems an obvious draw but Sky have picked us. Perhaps, as with the Jansson signing, the Bees are finally being seen to have come of age as a Championship club.

So that’s the state of the TW8 nation this morning. Whilst I’ve no doubt this one will rumble on, there’s not much else to say beyond kindly asking you once more to please download the e-book for your kindle, iPod telephone or other electronic reading device (which you can do, here, with all proceeds go to the Brentford FC Community Sports Trust. Now we really can all leave each other to enjoy the next few days*. Regardless of what happens off pitch.

*Please note. I reserve the right to bother you all once more should anything further happen.

Nick Bruzon

Enough of this West Ham nonsense. Bees need to focus on Chelsea

Brentford, of course, are due to visit Premier League leaders Chelsea on Saturday (and how often can you say that?) as the Bees continue their FA Cup campaign with a fourth round tie (and how often can you say that?). Yet at what should be a time of maximum excitement, I still can’t help but feel distracted by the ongoing Scott Hogan stories. West Ham? Watford? Other? Nowhere?

With the transfer window due to slam shut(tm) in less than a week, where will Scott be in 7(seven) days time? And will he even feature on Saturday as we look to take a step closer to the W place in North London?

Another Wembley dream continues this Saturday

To be quite honest, I’m getting royally cheesed off with all of this now. West Ham are in pole position yet, in what would seem to be a display of arch-hypocrisy given their (understandable) stance over Dimitri Payet, we are no further on as Brentford’s valuation is yet to be met.

The Bees have made no secret of the fact that every player has a value – meet it and we’ll sell. Don’t and he’s ours. And, as such, should be playing against Chelsea on Saturday.

But he won’t. Everybody will be left sitting in limbo as West Ham dither and hamstrings will likely tighten once more. Scott failed to make it off the bench against Newcastle United and wasn’t even named in the 18 for the debacle at Wigan Athletic on Saturday. It was a decision that left Phil Giles fuming, livid and raging after agents had advised him of the potential riches elsewhere. With stories emerging yesterday of the 5% of any transfer he’ll earn as signing on bonus, what man wouldn’t have his head turned by that sort of cash?

Everybody will be left sitting in limbo as the Bees will be unable to finalise any potential incoming transfer plans. On January 3rd Phil’s fellow co-director, Rasmus Ankersen, confirmed that Brentford related transfer news was ‘in progress’ yet, three weeks later there’s only tumbleweed blowing across the Griffin Park forecourt.

To be fair to Rasmus, he didn’t say in which direction. This could simply have been an oblique reference to outward activity and he was giving us all an exclusive on Scott’s departure.

Progress, apparently, still ,erm, in progress

I don’t envy anybody involved in this situation. Whilst, normally, summer is the time for our main transfer movements to lose a player of Scott’s calibre half way through the season would impact any team. Likewise, one would presume that some sort of replacement would need to come in immediately. Whilst promotion is now a pipe dream and relegation is surely too extreme to consider, complacency is the mother of all fu@k ups. More importantly though, we’ve got a cup run to try and focus on. Starting with the small matter of Chelsea away.

The image of Harlee Dean lifting that trophy on 7th May is one I still have in my mind’s eye. Could it happen? Well, the bookies have us at anything form 12-1 to 18-1. And that’s just to beat Chelsea. But this is the FA Cup where anything is possible. Our hosts have come unstuck in the past whilst the trophy remains synonymous with the words ‘shock’ and ‘upset’ – to this day

That said, things would be a lot easier if we know exactly who is in our squad. Preferably, that includes Scott Hogan. Realistically, I’ve already said goodbye.

Let’s just get this done so as we can focus on the football.

Will cup romance be limited to dreams of Buzzette?

Nick Bruzon

A Long journey South as Bees capitulate at Turf Moor

Whilst Brentford may be anything from £6.5m – to £10m better off (depending on what you read) this weekend, points-wise we were left very much empty handed after going down 1-0 at Burnley. And it was a win, I’m afraid to say, that Burnley very much deserved from where I was sitting (the away stand at Turf Moor).

The action is about to begin at Turf Moor – and doesn’t more turf look great?

Being quite honest, one first half chance for Lasse Vibe aside, all the Andre Grays in the world would have made no real difference to Brentford. Don’t put this loss down to his absence. We were so obsessed with passing the ball backwards and sideways between the defence and goalkeeper, it is no wonder the stats showed such high pass completion or 62% possession.

Hanging on to the ball at the back is all well and good, and we did that part very well, but the lack of any imagination, movement, cut and/or thrust when we tried to take it forward was, ultimately, what did for us. At 0-0 away from home this works but having conceded such a simple goal from a set piece, where Philipp Hoffman failed to get his man, something needed to change. And it didn’t.

The introduction of Maxime Colin and switch of Alan McCormack to centre mid was certainly a start. The new right back has already won over plenty of fans based on his display and it was easy to see why. The problem is that it was too little, too late. Equally, Marinus almost had his hands tied given the sudden dearth of midfield options as a result of recent transfer activity and injury.

The style of football we were looking to play was just too static, too slow and bereft of any sense of urgency. Burnley hardly pushed us but then they had no need to. Being fair, up to the point of the Vibe chance, where he made a magnificent run onto a beautiful through ball from Kerschbaumer, we’d probably been the better of two cagey sides.

Certainly Marinus, in his interview with BBC Billy Reeves, deemed it our best passage of play since he has been here. But then Burnley scored from the simplest of set pieces and, with Brentford unable to step it up, the home side looked comfortable.

This was the sort of game crying out for a Sam Sanders, Jota or Moses to pick up the ball and run at this opposition. Our current run of form with injuries certainly hasn’t helped the cause, that’s for sure, but its no excuse. There were still plenty of good enough players out there but our obsession with sideways passing (something I thought had died with the departure of Jonathan Douglas) was what ultimately did for Brentford.

Positives included the debut of Max Colin (somebody whose name constantly puts me in mind of Christopher Walken’s character from Roger Moore’s final Bond effort, ‘A View to a Kill’) at right back and the ability to switch Alan Mac to centre mid. I thought Harlee and Tarks looked very solid at the back whilst the former added additional threat up top when we finally started to ‘go for it’ in the final five minutes. The pitch was immaculate whilst, points wise, we are in the same position after three games as we were last season.

Max Zorin – better placed at Turf…Moore ??

Those BBC stats also show we had 7(seven) shots, including 4 on target. There was Lasse’s chance, Alan Judge came close with a free kick and a slow-mo effort from The Hoff in the first half that almost fooled everybody except Tom Heaton in the Burnley goal. However, other than that I struggle to recall him being overly stretched.

Look. It wasn’t a great performance and I do have to wonder about the choice of tactics that seemed, for all the world, to be the mark of a side a side playing for a 0-0 or hoping to snatch something on the break. It’s a shame we didn’t have the courage to play more open football as the Kerschbaumer pass to Vibe showed how easily the opposition could be opened up, with the right movement.

Likewise a few more crosses, had Philipp Hoffman got into second gear to try and meet those that were delivered, would always have been welcome.

The flipside is that we are only three games into a new season and have both a new head coach and a new look squad. Our cause hasn’t been helped by horrendous bad luck when it comes to injury whilst, and you have to remember, Brentford don’t have a divine right to win every game.

Perhaps it is more a commentary on how far we have come and how quickly that we can be genuinely disappointed about losing a game in the Championship. To a team that were gracing the Premiership last season. It wasn’t so long ago that a trip up North was to the likes of Tranmere Rovers, who lost 0-2 at home to Boreham Wood in the conference yesterday, so some perspective is definitely needed.

Talking to Burnley fans before and after the game, word on the street is that the Bees were looking at a loan for Chris Long, as part of the deal that took Andre to Burnley. Interestingly, he played no part in proceedings yesterday and so one does have to wonder if there is any truth in that?

Brentford fans know just what he can do when the ball is in that final third of the field and Chris would be a great acquisition if we could get hold of him. But, equally, why would Burnley have bought the player in the first instance only to then immediately ‘get rid’?

Chris Long – could he be back again?

Marinus, in the aforementioned interview with Billy, denied any definitive attempt so far to make a move on anybody but, equally, acknowledged that it was as position we need to cover. You can catch that in full, here.

Off field, those of us able to get back in time might have caught ‘Football League Tonight’ on Channel 5. With the show now in week three, the car crash that was the season opener seems an eternity ago as further changes were in evidence upon catching up with that today.

Only Adam Virgo and the awkward looking audience remain from those elements so heavily criticised in the season opener. Even the kebab shop poles that housed the 70’s style ‘league ladders’ have now been replaced by a 21^st Century computer graphic showing the Championship table.

A compute graphic now replaces a kebab shop skewer

I understand that Channel 5 need to try and be different but, equally, they need to give the audience what they want. Well done for changing so much, so quickly.

They’ve made a decision to stick with the audience that hang around like a bunch of spare parts and so I can only imagine that is here to stay. You know what? I kind of like that aspect now. It still isn’t up to the package put together by Sky but for ‘terrestrial’ viewers, Kelly Cates and George Riley are starting to steam up the blind side.

Let’s hope Brentford can do the same thing next time out at home to Reading.

And as a side note, anybody wanting another, very interesting, insight on the Andre Gray transfer and cost would do well to check out Billy The Bee’s latest Beesotted article. It makes for an intriguing read…

Billy The Bee – Mr Grant has a great take on events

Nick Bruzon

The day’s top tweets as Bristol City beat Hull City and West Ham to Andre. Allegedly

So the rumours are true. After weeks of speculation and leaked news the story we’d all been waiting on was confirmed. Brentford have dug up their pitch. Oh, and a £9million bid has, apparently been accepted from Bristol City for Andre Gray. Yes, Bristol City.

We can only start at Ashton Gate where the BBC have run the story saying that Brentford have accepted an offer in the region of three Lewis Grabbans for the ‘in demand’ striker. With Hull City long leading the running and even West Ham seen as 11^th hour party poopers, could the Bristol story have any truth to it?

Andre – remains a Bee (for now)

Certainly the club have been very open in their pursuit of Dwight Gayle before being publically snubbed by the Crystal Palace star. But with the ‘out door’ still swinging, their attention has turned to Andre in a move that has taken pretty much everybody by surprise. For a club that has just come up from League One, and lost both Championship games so far, to wave a cheque of this size under Matthew Benham’s nose seems almost crazy.

It is a price tag that has shocked even their own fans with social media in meltdown at the ‘news’. Considering Brentford paid just half a million for the player last year it would represent a stunning return and one which any club would struggle to resist. So which way will Matthew jump – cash in or look to hang on to one of his prize assets?

Tweet of the day from one shocked City fan

The above effort from @cardiniho_10 on Twitter surpassed my previous ‘tweet of the day’. One which had appeared in conjunction with the latest medical update from Bees head of medical, Neil Greig. Was he being ‘naughty’ with his choice of phrase to describe the prognosis for Lewis Macleod? Or was this nothing more than an accident for the midfielder who, of course, suffered a relapse after ‘tripping over a twig?

We’ll never know for sure, but fairplay to the wag on the New Road who spotted this.

The previous ‘tweet of the day’

Getting back to Andre, though. Personally I’d love him to stay but £9m is just an incredible amount, if true. And whilst the ‘story’ has appeared on the BBC, it was in another of those infamous quote free stories that seem to be doing the rounds at the moment.

Yet if this is true, what’s in it for Andre? Well, the obvious answer is money. Bristol City are definitely building for the future but in terms of immediate success, the player would be leaving a club who reached the Championship play offs last time out (and have started just as brightly now) for one who have definitely had a shock adjusting to life in a higher division. Even Hull City or West Ham, whilst equally unpalatable for Bees fans, could be deemed ‘big clubs’ with recent Premiership grounding

Good luck to him. If Andre genuinely believes his best chance for future success is at Ashton Gate then who am I to argue with his logic. But do remember that as of Tuesday night these stories remain just that – stories. However, Wednesday promises to be a very interesting day.

One area where Bristol City definitely have the advantage over the Bees is in their playing surface.For a start, they have one. Our own game with Birmingham City was cancelled as a result of the shoddy pitch at Griffin Park finally having the repair work take place.

Anyone wandering past Griffin Park on Tuesday would have seen the ‘turf’ removed and work well underway. They might also have seen two visitors from Texas who were looking forward to taking in the Birmingham game as part of a sojourn in the UK. Alas, it wasn’t to be and, instead, their visit to TW8 consisted of nothing more than a photo outside the Director’s gate.

Sadly, I’d imagine this is one set of travel refunds the club won’t be able to process. That said, if we do pocket £9million in the next few days then perhaps we could stretch to a seat in the Director’s box – even for just one game.

All the way from Texas to TW8 then run out by a dodgy pitch

Nick Bruzon

The big Forshaw question(s)

Only at Brentford ! With Saturday’s game against Middlesbrough already taking the expectation levels to fever pitch, things went through the roof yesterday with Adam Forshaw making a much anticipated transfer to our opponents following what they describe as “a brief stint at Championship rivals Wigan”.

A mere 17 games (that’s approximately a quarter of one, million, pounds per appearance) followed by a reported cut price sale, suggest that things didn’t work out too well .

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 on.