Romaine’s rocket rounds off fine win as Jota returns, youth shines and Buzzette has her own moment.

In the end there was no potato skin for the Bees and there was no cup upset as Brentford made light work of the FA Cup third round tie with Martin Allen’s Eastleigh. Yet a final scoreline of 5-1 barely tells the story of an afternoon which saw as much interest in our own tie as that involving Newcastle United and Birmingham. That game ending in a draw means we now host the Magpies this Saturday afternoon (14th) rather than a Monday night televised game two days later.

As ever, if you want the full match report then ‘official’, Beesotted, the BBC (who also have the video highlights on theirs) are your best bets. That said there were still plenty of talking points from this one, not the least of which Dean Smith’s team selection.

Given the ‘injury’ suffered by Scott Hogan in the 93rd minute at Birmingham and which the striker is apparently still suffering from he was never likely to feature in this one but, otherwise, it was as strong a line up as one could hope to see. Lessons had clearly been learned from last season with no chances being taken. The response to this decision was an emphatic one.

The Bees found the back of the net 5 times in the first half, with the pick of the bunch being the fifth. Romaine Sawyers unleashing a low shot from well outside the box that was less piledriver  and more laser guided missile. Oh, what a shot. Whoever you are playing there’s just no legislating for this sort of quality. More and more we are starting to see just what this man can do. And it’s wonderful.

Prior to this, Yoann Barbet opened proceedings from the spot before Tom Field made it two. The young left back nodding home a quite delightful ball in from that man Sawyers. Lasse Vibe grabbed the third as the Bees threatened to run riot. Instead, with goal four Eastleigh were given new hope as Daniel Bentley punched a corner onto his own bar and it was stabbed home for 3-1.

It was short lived. Instead of the Spitfires turning the tide, they were shot down by Tom Field’s second and the aforementioned rocket from Romaine. Surely things could only get better?

5-1 up at half time,  Field having what he would later tell ‘official’ was “easily the best day of my life” and Jota was yet to make it not the pitch. At the very least we were odds on to crack open those glorious brackets that come with 7(seven) goals when the second period began. Alas, it was not to be.

With Brentford winding it back we had to be content with a half hour cameo from Jota. But what a sight. The reaction from the crowd said it all as the Spaniard made his way onto the pitch, every subsequent touch being treated to a huge cheer. One can only imagine the noise had he scored whilst Peter Gilham, who had spent the first half plugging little Italian restaurants on Brentford lock, would likely have self combusted.

 Peter remains the king of effortless cool

The return of the talismanic midfielder does raise a question, though. Just how does one pronounce his name? I heard three variants yesterday:

Yacht-a : Dean Smith 

Hoe-ta : Peter Gilham

Hotter : everybody else

Answered on a postcard please, marked: Hotter

Guess who’s back? Jota returns, as seen on official Twitter

Aswell as Tom Field doing his thing, it was great to see another youngster, Chris Mepham, given his first chance in the team as he came on for captain Harlee Dean. Looking calm and composed already, if Chris makes even half the impact that Tom has done so far then good times can surely be ahead.

As for Scott Hogan, if he is genuinely injured then fair enough but nobody was buying it. At least, amongst the supporters who were convinced this omission was simply to avoid being cup tied prior to any sale.

Scott Hogan is *injured.

*not injured.

💰💰💰💰💰💰💰

— Adam Devlin (@ad_I_am) January 7, 2017

To be fair, I can sympathise with Dean for resting his star man (regardless of the state of his buttocks) although I wasn’t convinced by his subsequent talk about the player whilst undergoing Billy Reeves’ post match probing.

What can he do, though? Very much a case of damned if you do and damned if you don’t when it comes to discussing this situation. Let’s just hope that with the Newcastle United game now on Saturday he is very much recovered and still a Bee. As Dean told Billy, “I’m hoping Scott will be back in training Monday or Tuesday. It wasn’t right to risk him in today’s game.”

Yet all of that is a case of ifs, buts and maybes. At least, for now. On a day which saw the hero that is Martin Allen return to Griffin Park (where he was given a quite wonderful and fully deserved reception before , during and after the game) Brentford made it through to the fourth round of the FA Cup.

As supporters held their traditional tin foil trophies aloft, even Buzzette got in on the act – waving the pizza box based trophy from yesterday’s column around Griffin Park. This, something even Match of the Day would later pick up on.

Let’s just hope she hasn’t got pepperoni on her paws this morning.

Were you at an FA Cup game today?

Share your photos and videos with us – use the hashtag #nogutsnoglory pic.twitter.com/QBnV7wo1I5

— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) January 7, 2017

Nick Bruzon

Tin foil ready? Potato skins ready? A shot at FA Cup glory awaits….

Finally. The FA Cup third round is here. Brentford host Eastleigh on Saturday afternoon boosted by West Ham suffering a home humping at the hands of Manchester City last night. With the hapless Hammers going down in a game that very much threatened brackets at one stage – City having to settle for 5 rather than 7(seven) – their cup campaign is over. Which, as the principal suitors for goal machine Scott Hogan, can only be good news for the Bees – at least, in the short term.

That’s of no concern to Dean Smith. He has already told BBC Radio London that “If Scott Hogan is fit to play then naturally he will be in the team… If he is not then I won’t risk him. That is not because of any potential move away.”

There you go. Convinced? That said, I do wonder how much last night’s result from the West Ham Olympic stadium may have helped his fitness?

The one thing Dean can’t do, whomever he picks, is underestimate Eastleigh. The non-leaguers represent a huge potato skin for the Bees to slip up on. Putting the Martin Allen factor to one side, let’s not forget how they held Bolton in last year’s third round. Only an 87th minute equaliser from former Bee Darren Pratley sparing the (then) Championship side’s blushes. Even then, they still ran them close in the replay – taking the lead and later levelling things up before Pratley, again, popped up with the decisive goal in five.

Chuck in our own capitulation to Walsall the same weekend and only a fool would take the third round for granted.  Ours and Eastleigh’s were certainly picked out as ties that told the story of the round (the Spitfires even having a quagmire – sorry, pitch- inspection live on Football Focus). Yet as the minnows covered themselves in glory, for the Bees it was a case of wanting to slink away after being dumped out on a woeful afternoon.

Young Bees and Eastleigh fans tell the story of last year’s 3rd round on the BBC (trophy friends?)

Dean has also spoken of that defeat this week, saying how “It was horrible for me because I wanted to play a full strength team but it was followed immediately by games against two teams (Middlesbrough and Burnley) who went on to get promoted.”.

Whilst hindsight is a wonderful thing, it was a strategy that saw the Bees lose both games anyway. 0-1 to our, so called, bogey team and then 1-3 to Burnley. The latter, in particular, featuring as one-sided a first half as you could fear to see before the Bees were able to make a fight of it at 0-3 down

But with a 9 day break unto our next game, at home to Newcastle United, Dean doesn’t have that issue this time around. So will he go full strength or make some changes?

I’d still expect the latter. I’d still expect Brentford to win. And if the likes of Alan McCormack, KK ,Sam Saunders or even (oh, please) Jota are included than that’s as much a case of picking hungry players with more than a point to prove and more than the ability to perform.

I said it yesterday and I’ll say it again. With tickets available on the day and starting from just £10 for adults where else are you gong to go? Ikea? Westfield? The mother-in-law’s?

Surely it can only be Griffin Park?

See you there.  But not before doing a bit of work with some glue, a roll of tin foil and the pizza box from the XXL I was forced to order last night given the lack of cardboard in our house.

The sacrifices you make for a shot at FA Cup glory….

The FA Cup smelling of pizza will be ours

Nick Bruzon

As both managers speak, who will come out on top in FA Cup third round and who will start?

Brentford begin their FA Cup campaign on Saturday and it couldn’t be more intriguing if it tried. Martin Allen, a man who needs no introduction to Bees’ fans, brings his non-league Eastleigh side to Griffin Park for a third round tie that has so much to offer. But where to start ? And who will start?

Staff wise, the two names on everybody’s lips at the moment are Jota and Hogan. The former having returned from his loan in Spain this week with supporters desperate to see this most popular of players back in the red and white. One can only imagine the roof will come off when his name is announced, let alone when / if he makes it onto the pitch. Is it too soon? Could it be the perfect opportunity to reintegrate him to the first team? What a lovely decision Dean has to make.

As for Scott Hogan, stories are flying around thick and fast in regards to bids coming in fro the likes of Watford and West Ham. To those of us on the outside looking in, his sale looks a foregone conclusion but could Matthew Benham hold firm in regards to his most coveted asset?

Starting Scott on Saturday, effectively cup tieing the player prior to any potential move,  would be a key sign that we are not looking to sell. However, injury looks to have taken that one out of Dean’s hands anyway. The spasm in his right buttock which led to Scott being substituted in the 93rd minute on Saturday has now been changed to a glute injury, according to BBC Radio London.

Is Scott on the injury list? Or the shopping list?

Whatever the cause, one could imagine him being rested tomorrow. Although, equally, West Ham host Manchester City tonight in their own third round tie. It is more than feasible that one of Scott’s reported suitors might not even be involved by the time we start proceedings.

Whomever starts tomorrow, this game represents a huge opportunity for Brentford to (apologies in advance) go again. Our recent form has not been great in this oldest of competitions and that’s being polite.

Brentford’s previous FA Cup game, at home to a Walsall side that Dean Smith had just left to join the Bees, was utterly shambolic. Apologies but there’s no other word for it. And moreso coming off the back of our League Cup humiliation at the hands of Oxford United where Marinus seemed to have picked his team on the basis of youth and inexperience.

Last year’s third round was a day that started with so much promise and ended with so much frustration. I’m absolutely convinced we’ll have learned from that and won’t make the same mistakes of complacency this time around. The lure of the fourth round and the prospect of fans being able to lift their tin foil trophies high are simply too great.

Certainly, Dean seems set for a cup run, despite acknowledging the slip hazard this game represents when he spoke to ‘official’ yesterday. Let’s just hope he has earned the lessons of last time out.

Last year’s FA Cup third round had a rubbish ending

Then there’s the Martin Allen factor. As most of us can probably remember, he knows a thing or two about cup runs and upsets. He certainly knows a thing or two about motivation.

One of our most popular managers in modern times, he remains a favourite at Griffin Park and only this week has spoken to the team at Beesotted with his thoughts on the game as well as reflecting on events at Brentford back in the day.

Great work from Billy Grant and team in getting hold of the opposition manager just prior to a big cup tie for what really must be an exclusive and rare interview in such circumstances. You can find that one an hour in to the latest podcast, which is available here. Well, well worth a listen.

Tickets remain available on the day and start from  just £10 for adults (that’s less than the price of two pints in some pubs these days) or £5 for the kids.

Where else are you gong to go? Ikea? Westfield? The mother-in-law’s?

Surely it can only be Griffin Park? Surely it can only be a Brentford win?

Surely…..

See you there.

Nick Bruzon

Another cup defeat for Bees as Cheltenham – Charlton sees the night’s real winners.

Another season, another cup defeat. As Exeter City eased past Brentford to reach the second round of the EFL cup, Bees supporters were left with the scant consolation that at least we can concentrate on the league until January. Given some of the post match soundbites, I was half expecting to see that one put in an appearance alongside “We go again”. And elsewhere, Cheltenham Town produced the result of the evening against Charlton Athletic – in their programme .

Hey, at least we got to 90 minutes without conceding a goal. The ignominy of defeat coming with the solitary goal of the evening being tucked away late in the first period of extra time. Harlee Dean was quick to apologise, noting “It wasn’t good enough again. We didn’t create chances and we didn’t test their goalkeeper”, although he did go on to add that “I think as a defensive unit we were solid”…..

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 16 to May 17, you can pick it up, here. Its all for a great cause and,hey, you may even enjoy it…..

The Sky cameras show our latest attempt at the unorthodox

 

Nick Bruzon

Selfie heaven ; football hell. Unbeaten April comes to an end

Hull City AFC 2 Brentford 0 . A hectic April finally saw the Bees losing a game and we approach month end sitting 10th in the Championship table. A possible 8th position still beckons although surely, now, focus will only be on a local derby win over Fulham at Griffin Park this Saturday. Which, of course, is definitely our final game of the month. Definitely. Hull being the penultimate (regardless of what you may have read earlier).

Certainly, the team line up suggested that we might have more than an eye on the West London derby with both Lasse Vibe and Scott Hogan rested whilst John Swift returned to a side that had gone on that wonderful run in his absence.

I wasn’t there. Neither were most of us. You know the drill about where to find match reports by now. Instead, it was Bees Player and the alternative BBC (Burridge, Brett, Chapman) for me.

That said, 214 hardy souls did make the journey with the majority of them looking out for Peter Gilham. Kitman Bob Oteng using his latest ‘BBGiveaway’ to put three pairs of player boots on offer for anybody getting a ‘selfie’ alongside our man ‘with the mic’.

Here’s hoping PG was given due notice of his impending popularity. Otherwise I can only imagine him left very much confused by an even more heightened level of terrace idolatry. If there’s any justice, Twitter user @Beesbanter is surely going to feature amongst the winners for sheer comedy value alone.

Surely this effort has to be worth a pair of boots, Bob ?

So what can we say about the game?

Harlee hit a screamer (sadly in the wrong end) and Mohamed Diame doubled the lead on half time. In between, David Button saved a penalty (an almost carbon copy of Scott Hogan’s recent effort against Bristol City) to give the Bees hope. Sadly it wasn’t to be.

The second half sounded what we’ll politely call ‘pedestrian’. Sky’s match report notes that it “took longer to get going than the first,” whilst their highlight’s package cuts straight to interviews with Steve Bruce after the first period.

Mark Burridge’s use of classic World Cup line, “For those of you just coming in from work” was probably the standout moment. Then again, I get excited by brackets. However,  despite our best efforts there was no chance of that famous Bob Booker inspired 7(seven) – 2 scoreline being repeated.

Indeed, the thoughts of the two observers whose opinions I value more than any others, BBC Billy Reeves and the aforementioned commentator par-excellence, say it all:

Instead, its all about Fulham now. Changes will, surely, come to the team with the likes of Lasse and maybe even Scott straight back into the starting XI? Will three starts in a week prove too much for the brilliant Sergi Canos whilst what about John Swift whom BBC Billy noted as “not having an impact”?

Jake Bidwell’s replacement during the second period does raise concerns. In a season dominated by Alan Judge and David Button,Captain Jake has very much been one of the unsung heroes in our team. Quietly going about his business and even weighing in with a few goals, here’s hoping all is good for Saturday.

Look. We lost. Well done Hull City. To be in 10th with just two games to go is, frankly, remarkable given the ups and downs we’ve seen this season. There have been some giddy highs and a lot of sickening lows.

No doubt we’ll get to those over the coming weeks and months. For now, though, there’s one more prize on offer.

Bragging rights over our West London rivals.

Fulham and QPR – we’re coming for you.

Nick Bruzon

Is there anybody left to pick for the Preston game?

Brentford entertain Preston North End today, looking to get back to winning ways after the draw at Leeds United and midweek defeat away to Middlesbrough. But, it seems, our well-documented injury list has got even worse with Maxime Colin the latest to be added, if reports are to be believed.

Maxime Colin – may be back in the stands for the Preston game

I like Thursdays. That’s ‘media day’ at Brentford and so it means the local press get to quiz players and management about the forthcoming games. The follow-up articles generally contain a lot of decent material, with genuine quotes rather than the rumours of ‘double transfer swoops’ that occupy so much more of the rest of their space during the week.

So fairplay to West London’s premier journalist Tom Moore who, ahead of the Preston game, has put together his own list of the latest injury news after quizzing Marinus. In an article that I am sure most Brentford fans have already seen, our head coach admits he’s struggling with the bench whilst the aforementioned Colin suffered a blow in training.

The update from Marinus being that, “He just blocked a ball with his knee. It’s possible he could play but it’ll depend how he wakes up”.

Meanwhile, Jota will be out for another three – four weeks minimum, Sam Saunders isn’t even training with the squad (for fitness reasons, nothing personal) whilst James Tarkowski has a calf problem although is hoped to be back next week.

Jota won’t be rushing into action any time soon

On the plus side, reports around Josh McEachran and Lewis Macleod both sound a lot more positive whilst Nico Yennaris is fit. Repeat. Nico IS fit.

This news was slightly tempered by Marinus not being drawn on whether the player would be in the squad, but that’s a different kettle of fish altogether.

Brentford fan and author Luis Adriano (whose football based psychological thriller ‘Penalties’ is currently available) gets the award for ‘tweet of the week’. Whilst Tom Moore’s article provides a great overview of the current scenario, Luis nails it in less than the obligatory 140 characters allowed by twitter, with this observation:

Top tweeting from Luis Adriano

I can’t help but admire the brave face being put on things by Marinus, given he is having every plan ruined by factors well outside of his control. By all accounts the first XI gave an admirable showing against Middlesbrough but the squad is getting thinner and thinner. Any coach can legislate for a few absences, but to have a dozen key players missing for an assortment of injury related reasons would spanner anybody.

Equally, one does have to wonder how much of this is bad luck and whether any is of our own making? Whilst one would sincerely hope the former, it is somewhat frustrating that Macleod, McEachran, and Colin have all been taken out against our own players (or twigs, in the case of the former). And that’s just who we know about for sure.

On Tuesday night at Middlesbrough we could only name six substitutes instead of the permitted 7(seven). And that included two goalkeepers. Now Maxime may be out, too. It’s getting to the point we may just have to stick our players in the deep freeze for a week and then begin the defrosting process on a Friday night. How else could we keep them from further harm before the next big game?

Of course, this will never happen. Cryogenic technology has not yet advanced sufficiently to allow the reanimation process to have even been successfully tested on lab rats. Indeed, it is not thought that scientists will be ready to attempt such a procedure until 2045.

Hopefully even Lewis Macleod will be fit by then.

Nick Bruzon

Will Liverpool loanee feature for straight talking Marinus?

Brentford visit Leeds United today as part of a three day stint up North that will also see them based in the area until returning home following the game at Middlesbrough on Tuesday. After being deprived of domestic football for what seems like an eternity, thanks to the International calendar, things are now back with a bang as we get the chance to see the new look Bees squad in action.

It is a chance that I am desperate for. There is a very honest article on the club website with Marinus where even ‘official’ Brentford describe the start to the season as ‘turbulent’. I’ve made no secret on these pages as to how much I admire his straight talking and this interview is no different.

Admitting to learning more in the past two months than the previous four years, Marinus also notes, “It can be like a new beginning….“The squad is clear, we know who is in and who is out. The past few months – with not knowing who was leaving and coming in – has been difficult but now everyone knows who is in the squad and who they will compete with.”

It is that point which has been of particular resonance to all of us. Whilst, clearly, there has been some upset at the likes of Stuart Dallas (Leeds), Moses Odubajo (Hull) and Andre Gray (Burnley) all leaving, the additional injuries to the like of Jota, Bjelland and McEachran have given the squad an unexpected makeover. And not for the best.

But with several new additions and players returning to fitness, the head coach knows who he has to play with. The really interesting thing will now be who he picks to face Leeds Untied and what he does with them. I’m not even going to start trying to name the team for this one. Will Ryan Woods start? Could Liverpool loanee Sergi Canos put in an appearance? Just how good could Marco Djuricin be? Or will Marinus leave the initial tinkering to a minimum?

Could Sergi Canos be wearing a Brentford FC shirt today?

I don’t envy Marinus the problems he has been hit with at the start of this season. It has been a baptism of fire although, after what seems like months ago since the opening game 2-2 draw with Ipswich Town, we are only four games into the league campaign.

There’s an awful long way to go and with four points so far, the Bees have all the potential to start moving up the table. Supporter Rob Young, a guest contributor today, gives a much more eloquent take on this subject and I’d thoroughly recommend a read. I’ve kept my own thoughts a lot briefer so as not to steal his thunder.

Like Brentford, Leeds United also had four points from their first four games, until an excellent win at last season’s high fliers Derby County last time out saw them hit the magical 7(seven) marker. They’ll be ferocious opponents today and, no doubt, keen to avoid the double defeat inflicted on them by the Bees last season.

Uwe will, of course, have personal pride at stake here and with the Elland Road outfit seeming much more settled, the only thing I will predict is a much tougher challenge ahead of us today.

Back home, the spruce up of Griffin Park mentioned in yesterday’s article continues. The good news is that the Braemar Road forecourt does, indeed, seem to be incorporating the return of red and white stripes. This is great news for us traditionalists / older fans who recall these with fondness from back in the day.

Now, if Mr Benham could go the whole ‘retro’ hog and also give us a giant Castle badge or perhaps even a Funky Bee….

Griffin Park paint job – day 2. Is this the return of Stripes?

Nick Bruzon