The free signings this club must pick up in the current window.

Is there really such a thing as a free lunch? I can’t answer, I can’t answer that (as popular music’s Bros once sang whilst pondering the question as to whether they would ever reach the heights of popular acclaim). But there is such a thing as a free book and this one’s for you, Brentford fans. A gift that may be as entertaining and welcome as an interview with Harlee Dean or, equally, as full of nonsense as an interview with.. 

However, with the next Championship campaign bearing down on us we’ve reached ‘that’ time of year. The chance to use the phrase “And if you’d like to read more” as the Last Word review of the previous season hits the e-book shelves. This time around is no different but, also, it is…

The latest effort went live yesterday. You can find ‘Farewell, Griffin Park’ in the usual places (or just follow this link) for your kindle or other e-book reader. It’ll set you back £1.99 and contains all the nonsense from these pages in one consolidated format along with all the articles submitted for the matchday programme in their original format. There are typos and grammatical errors, despite the best endeavours of yours truly, but it is meant as a bit of fun. Any/all money received (stranger things have happened) goes to the Brentford FC Community Sports Trust although if you hold fire it should be available free for a five day period very shortly.

And that’s what we have done for the previous two efforts. If you fancy the six previous seasons of nonsense or the chance to see how often we moan about eXpresso, Mrs. Browns Boys, the England ‘supporters band and Star Wars Day (along with all the usual football chat) then they are available for nothing. For free. For a few more days at least.

You can pick up both ‘There Is No Plan B – Brentford FC season reviews: 2013/14 – 2017/18’ and also ‘The Jaffa cake Shirt – Brentford FC season review: 2018/19‘ for free. Now. Help yourselves. All you need is the ability to follow a hyperlink and an electronic device to read them on.

Hey, there needs to be some way to fill the time between now and the transfer window creaking shut.

Enjoy. Or moan about the typos. Either way, the chance to relive the highs (and, err, lows) may help kill a bit of time until we are allowed back inside a ground.

Thank you.

Nick Bruzon

Coming soon. To a skip near you. As Bees prepare for Wigan, FA continue the clear out.

Brentford prepare for the visit of Wigan Athletic on Saturday with the topic of conversation being the ongoing corruption saga being revealed by the Telegraph. Following Tuesday’s news about Sam Allardyce, it is an investigation which has spread to the Championship with QPR boss Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink “devastated” after it had been suggested during the week that he was involved. With the Loftus Road outfit planning what they describe as “A thorough investigation”, Barnsley have already taken the action of sacking assistant manager Tommy Wright after he was filmed accepting a £5,000 payment.

Pretty much everybody has had their opinion on this story already. Equally, though, there are as many questions as answers out there. Supporters up and down the land are now wondering who will be next to be named, who will be found guilty and is their own club clean?

To read the rest of this article, season 2016/17 is now available for download on e-book in the retrospective: Welcome Home, King Jota (Brentford FC season review 2016/17)

 Priced at just £1.99, all sales are being donated to the Brentford FC Community Sports Trust.

Likewise any sales from the previous titles – Celebrating like they’d won the FA Cup (2013/14), Tales from the football village (2014/15) and Ready. Steady. Go Again. (2015/16) – are also now going to the BFCCST. 

Containing the least bad of the blogs from May 2016 to May 2017 along with a smattering of new material, you can pick it up, here. Its all for a great cause and,hey, you may even enjoy it…..

 

Will Grigg missed out on a home debut hat trick. Form went south from there

 

Ryan had to settle for a place at the (Marcos) Teabar (Thanks: Tim Griffiths)

 

Coming soon. To a skip near you.

Nick Bruzon

If it worked for Tony, could it work for Bob ?

With the season just a few days away, there was good news for Brentford fans yesterday c/o new club sponsors 888sport. Free coach travel to the likes of Aston Villa, Derby County and Bristol City will be the order of the day. There was equally good news for those with an interest in the Bees kit (please, stay with me) as they also released a video “showcasing the Club’s unsung hero, Bob Oteng, the First Team Kitman”

“Bob is the big dog. He’s probably the most revered, the most celebrated  kit man probably not only in English football, probably European football, probably touching across America.” They aren’t my words, although I’d agree with them, but those of club masseur, Chris Domoney. And with them, the tone for the short film is set.

There can’t be many who haven’t seen it yet but , should you be in the dark, then it’s available below.

Sponsors @888sport also released this video showcasing the Club's unsung hero, Bob Oteng, the First Team Kitman:https://t.co/eRU0qCP24V

— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) August 2, 2016

Whilst Chris goes on to make the (surely) tongue in cheek comment that , “There is an annual Bob festival in Colombia where once a year people dress up in Bob the kit man masks…” it did get me thinking about away trips. And I’m not alone.

Bees Player commentator par-excellence Mark Burridge took to Twitter to suggest,  “How about an away game with @ganodecafe10 ‘ face masks’ @Beesotted – you guys are good at this stuff! “. A legend amongst Brentford fans and anything but unsung (at least, in TW8, where his BBGiveaway has fans gripped every weekend) what a way to further add to his legendary status? Mark, Beesotted – over to you. Just name the date.

If this was to happen, it wouldn’t be the first time, either. Amongst the Brentford fans attending Saturday’s Tony Craig testimonial at Millwall were four Tony Craigs. Or, at least, four fans in the aforementioned style of headgear. If it worked for Tony then surely it can work for Bob….

If it worked for Tony, could it work for Bob?

And talking of away games (seamless, just seamless) the club announced what it described as “An unprecedented start” to our relationship with the new chief sponsor. Namely, free away travel to several games this season. With the Aston Villa trip, and the prospect of a new ground, now on a Wednesday night this will certainly take a lot of the pain out of that one for many supporters.

I love the travel aspect of an away trip normally. Frankly, the 90 minutes of football is quite often the least enjoyable aspect of a great day out. But a midweek trip, with holiday time at work nothing but a fleeting memory, means that games late in the calendar year do present more of a logistical challenge. This, before you even look at the cost of train tickets.

So the prospect for a free coach direct from Brentford to Villa Park and back again is an offer that, I am sure, will only be very well received. Thank you.

Full details are on the club site.

Nick Bruzon