From an ageing lothario to ‘what might have been’

“Wagner raps worst display…” Not my words but those of Monday’s Yorkshire Post to describe the fallout from Brentford beating Huddersfield Town 4-2 at the weekend. Not much you can say to disagree with that although, equally, it does detract somewhat from the quality of the Bees finishing in the first half.

Moreso, it put me in mind of the one time X-Factor contestant Wagner Carrilho (whose eventual departure from the show killed it stone dead for the rest of time). At times the singer struggled to sing, let alone rap. The bemused looks from the judges, which included his own mentor, made you wonder just how he’d slipped through the net and made it all the way to the final stages.

Wagner – he really happened

If you will, a musical equivalent of Ali Dia at Southampton. Back in 1996 he famously convinced Graeme Souness that he was the cousin of George Weah. Dia was signed for a month based on no further check than a phonecall that Souness received from ‘Weah’ .

After the elements had conspired to interfere with a planned reserve game, he was chucked straight into Premier League action in a game against Leeds United.This despite nobody at the club actually having seen him play. And it turned out that he couldn’t.

Less than an hour into his debut the player, who had come on as a sub, was subbed.

Ali Dia – he really happened

Infact, it later transpired that Dia was anything but who he purported to be and promptly had his contract torn up, although what this says about Leeds United I have no idea. Which, aside from the wonderful image conjured up in my own mind’s eye of an ageing lothario (Wagner) patrolling the touchline on Saturday gone, brings me up to date enough to pull out my industrial sized crowbar.

Just as Southampton ended the contract of Dia, it was announced yesterday that Brentford have done the same with Marcos Tébar after 18 months of Griffin Park life. Featuring only six times last season and once this time around, as an unused sub, his departure brings to a close a strange chapter in our history.

Marcos was no Dia, far from it. You don’t get to play at Real Madrid unless you are any good. Indeed, the flashes of opportunity we were afforded suggested he would fit well into Mark Warburton’s team.

Marcos Tebar – it didn’t quite happen. Sadly

Instead, perhaps at a time in last season when we were crying out for a bit of a change, Warbs showed unswerving loyalty to the players who had served him so well. Would, or could, he have made a difference? We’ll never know and it would be pure conjecture to suggest otherwise.

That said, I thought that with our extensive injury list under Marinus and a remodelled midfield, including the exit of Jonathan Douglas, 2015/16 might be Marcos’s time. But, alas, it wasn’t to be.

And with Dean Smith picking up the reigns, and a fit squad, from Lee Carsley it would seem there is now no room at the Inn. Much as with Javi Venta, things just haven’t worked. Moreso, with just Jota and Sergi Canos as the only Spaniards at Griffin Park, it puts to an end the possibility of any more ‘Three Amigos’ headlines.

It’s a real shame things didn’t play out differently. That’s football – players come and go. Some fit in and others don’t. I’m just truly disappointed that we never got the chance so see his full potential either way.

Perhaps, instead, his legacy will be a Marcos Tea-bar at Lionel Road.

Until then, here’s Wagner.

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Liverpool loanee playing with the big boys but Jota is still King

With three successive wins under the belt and the small matter of a derby game with QPR on Friday, it’s fair to say that things are again moving in the right direction for Brentford. With Liverpool loanee Sergi Canos apparently picking (current) club over country for the win over Charlton rather than the Spanish U-19s, team spirit would seem to be as alive and well in the first team as it is on the terraces at Griffin Park.

And nowhere moreso was this demonstrated than on Twitter yesterday where our Spanish contingent seems to have been up to all sorts of training ground high jinks. Canos started it, along with Marcos Tebar, but Jota has certainly finished it – for now….

It all began with Jota’s car. A very sleek looking white number (what I know about motor vehicles you could write on the back of a stamp) but with added ‘go faster stripes’.

“Now Comes autumn”, said Canos’s caption as he and Tebar took ownership for this prank. Is this really how they do things in Liverpool?

What Sergi Canos started…

Retribution was swift. And wet. Very wet. Jota putting the boot in (quite literally) along with the reminder for any young upstarts not to play with the big boys.

With Canos now training in a wetsuit, his only comeback was the rather ominous sounding note that “you have won the battle but not the war”… Could there be more localised autumnal weather heading towards the Brentford training ground?

….Jota finished

Still, you can understand The Three Amigos (damn, couldn’t quite make it without obligatory cliché) being in such high spirits following wins for Brentford over Rotherham United, Wolves and Charlton Athletic. And the club have released a compilation video to highlight a quite breathtaking eight days of football.

Starting with Alan Judge and his wonderful volley against Rotherham, it runs through all the recent Bees action, culminating in Lasse Vibe’s strike from the win over Charlton on Saturday. I’m still not sure which is my favourite in what, with three goals and three assists, seems to be a show reel for the Irish international.

The first against Rotherham was a stunning bit of technique and timing that had the entire ground on it’s feet at the quality of the effort. But watching the Charlton highlights, the way Judge flicked on with his head before embarking on that huge run and cross really needs to be seen again. And again.

If there is any disappointment to be found with this, it is the reference to our “Magnificent Seven” that accompanies the video. Surely everybody knows this should be a Magnificent 7 (seven)?

Welcome to the Alan Judge show

And finally. It seems like it was Barnaby, in the car park, with the rogue radio mic.

Following yesterday’s story as to the entire crowd at AFC Bournemouth being treated to the phrase “F**king hell, it was like men against boys “ over the public address system, the Cherries have been happy to accept the explanation offered by one Tottenham fanatic, preparing to make a fan video. Namely, that he just happened to have tuned into the exact same radio frequency that Bournemouth use around the stadium at the exact same moment he was having a pop at them.

Several supporters have been in touch to clarify that Bournemouth’s own ‘man with the mic’ indeed had the mic nowhere near his lips at the time of the incident. Moreso, Bournemouth have also issued a statement confirming it was, indeed, Barnaby who uttered the fateful profanity.

I’m still not entirely convinced by the ‘accidental’ angle but the important thing is we’ve all had a good laugh and, likewise, been able to remember that even in the uber-sanitised world of the Premier League, scope remains for this sort of comedy gold.

Nick Bruzon

What next after a super Tuesday?

Brentford have played their first game under Marinus, Birmingham City (second up at Griffin Park this season) have launched a stunning new kit and Will Grigg has joined Wigan Athletic. Meanwhile, elsewhere in Europe Matthew Benham’s other team, FC Midtjylland, were in Champions League action against Lincoln Red Imps of Gibraltar.

First up, though, Portugal where two Brentford teams (the line up changed at half time) cruised to a 3-0 victory over SC Farense. With only Chris Wickham’s match report and Twitter to rely on, I’m not sure how much we can take from this. Likewise, in a game where 22 Brentford players were used.

Certainly, it seemed comfortable and, as Chairman Cliff Crown noted on twitter at half time, the only thing Jack Bonham caught was a tan – a reference to our dominance rather than his ability. Which, by that logic would then make Sam Saunders a world-class goalkeeper.

Chairman Crown brought comms and match action via Twiter

Despite us changing the line up at half time, notable absentees included Andreas Bjelland, Josh McEachran and David Button (read what you will into any of that) but good to see Marcos Tebar get a run out. As interesting was the description of our line up in the aforementioned report as a 4-3-3 throughout with two deeper lying midfield players but their wide attackers pushed high up the pitch.

Sunday at Boreham Wood and then the following Saturday at home to Stoke City give Bees fans, barring a small hardcore who made it over to the Algarve, their first chance to see this in action. I can’t wait.

One player who won’t be there is Northern Ireland International Will Grigg, who has joined Wigan Athletic for a fee rumoured to be GBP1,000,000. Club owner Matthew Benham took to Twitter to offer him his best wishes, saying: “v unlucky in 13/14 with intl call ups, niggling injuries and the form of Marcello, still scored vital goals for us though. Then had a great season at MK last year”

Will seemed an excellent signing, on paper, for Brentford and got off to a flying start with a brace, and a missed penalty, on his home debut against Sheffield United. Sadly, things went downhill from there and a record of 5 goals in 34 games tells its own story.

View from the terrace – Will was denied a home debut hat trick

That said, as he has proven with both Walsall and MK Dons, he can certainly find the net at that level and so who knows just how well he’ll do in future. Good luck, Will.

From our own perspective, it does present an interesting problem as it leaves Brentford with Andre Gray as the only recognised striker on our books (although you could have said the same last season given the way things worked out for Nick Proschwitz). Will Matthew be flexing the chequebook, scouring the European lower leagues of even promoting from within?

The youth team are chomping at the bit whilst we’ve more midfielders than you could shake a stick at. Could Jonathan Douglas or even Harlee Dean (who has been pressed into emergency action before) prove a statistical enigma that nobody had considered previously? Whilst it would mean they were pulled from their traditional positions, competition in those slots is already sure to be tough with some quality players joining the club.

Whilst the Dougie/Harlee suggestion is, perhaps, too far a flight of fancy, stranger things have happened. With four weeks until the big kick off (™), expect more news on that soon. One thing’s for sure, Andre was desperately crying out for some support last time out and I don’t expect us to make the same mistake this time around.

Although we won’t be seeing Will at Griffin Park in league action this season, barring an 11th hour transfer then Clayton Donaldson will be back with Birmingham City. And, it has to be said, he’ll be looking good.

The St. Andrews outfit launched their new kit last night and it is a stunning effort. Whilst the club were keen to point out it harked back to their 1875 incarnation as Small Heath Alliance, the universal reaction was – Thunderbirds. Let’s hope Clayton isn’t pulling the strings for them when they visit.

5 4 3 2 1. Birmingham City are go!

Finally, the Champions League. David certainly met Goliath last night as Lincoln Red Imps of Gibraltar travelled to Danish Champions FC Midtjylland for the first leg of their their second qualifying round. There can’t be (m)any Brentford fans unaware that Matthew Benham owns FCM whilst, on a personal note, my own Gibraltarian roots do mean this column is often peppered with references to football life in UEFA newest member.

Indeed, the build up to last night’s game saw the local Gibraltar Chronicle offering Matthew’s Bees a promotion and Premiership place we haven’t, yet, earned.

If only

The final score saw the Danes run out to a narrow 1-0 win, as both Kyle and Lee Casciaro came close for the visitors in the final few minutes. With the return leg to come next week on the Rock, this is anything that the foregone conclusion it looked like when the draw was made.

Could the Gibraltarians cause the shock of the season before league action begins? We’ll keep you posted.

Lincoln Red Imps prepare for kick off

Nick Bruzon

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As ever, should you want to read more about  Brentford  (through the eyes of a supporter) then the amalgamated Last Word compendiums from the last two seasons are available for your kindle. Celebrating like they’d won the FA Cup (2013/14) and Tales from the football village (2014/15) tell the full stories of our promotion and subsequent life in the Championship, through the eyes of a supporter.

Featuring the best of the not so bad columns and some additional, previously unseen material, they’re just another way to get through a few days over the summer as we wait for any more transfer news to be confirmed and the season to start.

After the storm, some reflection

Talking in the pub last night and looking around cyberspace this morning it would be fair to say I wasn’t alone in ‘The Last Word’ assessment of Brentford, following the 2-2 draw with Millwall. Equally, having shot from the hip and now having had the benefit of sleeping on it, can we take any positives or even just reassess a column written in the heat of the moment?

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.

Buzette – now head and (almost) shoulders above Buzz

Clem – another game, another draw

Shooting from the hip: Brentford 2 Millwall 2

Is the pressure telling? Brentford managed to salvage the unlikeliest of points against Millwall in a game that saw us 2-0 down with only five minutes left on the clock. It was a game which saw the Bees put in a sub par showing against a team who, whilst fighting for their survival, deserved nothing more than the win based on the performances of our respective teams.

But that’s football. It’s a 90 minute game and the Bees played it to the death.

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.

View from the terrace – Alex Pritchard takes the penalty for 2-1 on 85 mins

Tommy Smith tries to understand why he has been booked rather than awarded a penalty

With these midfielders you are really spoiling us

Saturday really does have the feel of a pivotal point in the Championship campaign. With only eight games to go, six of the top nine face each other whilst Brentford have a home fixture against relegation bound Millwall. The likes of Bournemouth v Middlesbrough or Watford v Ipswich Town are sure to have Manish & co purring tonight but, for me, it is all about what happens at Griffin Park.

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.

Dougie – recently signed his contract extension

Could we have another Burridgegasm against Millwall ?

Back on November 9^th Brentford defied some Biblical weather, a brief comeback for the home team and that awful ‘goal music’ to beat Millwall 3-2 at their ‘New’ Den. None other than former QPR defender Danny Shittu proved to be the surprise hero as, under pressure from Harlee Dean, he gifted the Bees a third, and decisive, goal when he slotted it past his own ‘keeper rather than hoofing it into the stand.

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.

What a result! All to play for with just 8 games left

What a result for Brentford! A 3-2 win at Blackburn Rovers on Tuesday night, after twice falling behind, underlined a stunning determination to keep on pushing for a promotion that nobody outside of TW8 probably believed possible at the start of the season. With Derby County, Bournemouth and Norwich City all dropping points, the table is still just too tight to call. However, the key fact remains that with just eight games to go, the Bees are in the play off spots and two points off fourth place.

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.

Could we celebrate like we’ve won the FA Cup (fifth round)?

It’s all to play for on Tuesday night as Brentford have another fine chance to close the gap on the Championship leaders at Blackburn Rovers. With Derby County hosting Middlesbrough something has to give above us whilst Bournemouth and Watford face tricky trips to Wigan Athletic and Cardiff City respectively.

Of course, just as on Saturday other results won’t count for much if we can’t do our thing at Ewood Park but I have a feeling this one will be different. The BBC report that Blackburn have been hit by several injuries following their own weekend exertions whilst, with last night’s other FA cup replay fresh in the mind, can the Rovers team honestly say that prospect of a trip to Wembley won’t be any form of distraction?

Wishful thinking or blind optimism? Probably the former yet, with only nine games to go and the Bees with an excellent chance of promotion, I’m reading every potential positive from every game. Equally, though, it could just be own skewed line of logic and football, association.

Bliss – goals as fine as his moustache

I can’t hear the words Blackburn Rovers without immediately thinking of Gary Blissett performing his heroics back in 1989. Just as the goal scoring legend’s brace had helped knock his beloved Manchester City out of the tournament in the fourth round at Griffin Park, more was to follow in the next game.

Few gave The Bees a chance as a club issue ‘football special’ train from Ealing Broadway helped take us to a very industrial looking, pre-redevelopment, stadium. It was certainly a ground full of character rather than today’s sterile efforts whilst being escorted through town by the local constabulary hardly helped set the mood as a welcoming one.

Still, nobody was out to win friends with the visiting fans, especially in the late eighties, so it just made what happened next all the sweeter. Two late goals from Bliss, almost carbon copies if I recall correctly (highlights were somewhat thin on the ground back then) sent the Bees into the quarter finals and, to coin a phrase that Tony Gubba would use in the following round, our fans into dreamland.

Video evidence of the 2-0 win at Ewood Park is thin on the ground

 

Listening this evening, I’ll no doubt have a nostalgic thought about that game once more. Yet, equally, there is a chance for one of our own to carve his name into legend. Three points for Brentford will give the promotion push a massive boost and mean that, perhaps, it isn’t just Bliss who we think of when it comes to significant wins at Blackburn.

We’ve already beaten Rovers this season with a fine 3-1 win at Griffin Park. Another one tonight would be a double to rival those of the mustachioed goal machine.

Rovers can worry about the FA Cup. We’ve got a promotion to aim for

Blackburn got four chances to practice their kick off routine back in December

 

Slade in Flame as Bees burnt (and a shock at Bournemouth)

Well that was all a bit ‘after the Lord Mayor’s show’. With Ipswich Town going down 4-1 in the lunchtime game at Middlesbrough, Cardiff City were all that stood between Brentford and a four point gap from the pack chasing the play off spots. But rather than take advantage of the opportunity, the Bees put in a sub par performance against a workmanlike opposition that we gifted two woeful goals.

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.

(the long arm of) Clem’s law is broken – a rare win for the BBC man