No Chiles and no smiles but what awaits the Bees?

Brentford travel to Carrow Road today for a Championship encounter in a weekend that is already threatening to spill over into fever pitch levels of excitement. After the tepid pain of the third round, things got off to a bang last night as Louis van Gaal and his Manchester United side were held to a 0-0 draw by League 2 Cambridge United in the FA cup.

It was a stunning achievement and whilst (cliché alert) I can console myself that, at the least, we are free to concentrate on the league part of me was massively jealous that we are next up against Norwich City in the Championship rather than Arsenal in the Cup.

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.

Adrian Chiles and team fall victim to a rogue sprinkler

Come on ITV, I dare you….. FA Cup could go flat otherwise

Brighton v Hull City or Arsenal v Liverpool? Cardiff City v Wigan Athletic or Manchester City v Chelsea?

The fifth round of the FA Cup draw has now been made and, with Brentford already having abandoned proceedings, the main focal point for me is which treats we will be served up by the TV companies when the games recommence.

I’d love it to be the Brighton and Wigan ties but I can’t see the directors at ITV having the balls. In each case, you have a Premiership side playing a decent Championship outfit and so a very real chance of a ‘Goliath’ being scalped.  Likewise, these are the two Premiership teams with, possibly, the most controversial owners in Christendom.

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.

Brentford clean up Staines with ‘massive’ win

What do you say about that?

It was less cup ‘romance’ and more  ‘sexy football’ of the sort not seen at Griffin Park for some time. Listening to Billy Reeves last week, he had praised the footballing ability of this team as ‘the best in the division’ when up against opponents who also tried to play rather than park the proverbial bus. And that’s what both sides did yesterday as Brentford ended up putting five goals past Marcus Gayle’s Staines Town in the FA Cup first round.

It was a cracking cup-tie played in a great atmosphere but the socreline only tells half the story. Before the game had even kicked off, chants of “Marcus, Marcus give us a wave” echoed around the Ealing Road terrace. “Just not with that”, quipped one terrace wag.

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.

Football’s greatest cup competition – and also the F.A. Cup

Firstly, the FA Cup.

I love the draw for the first round. Its one of those rare moments where I find myself riveted to ITV football coverage. Even though Mark Pougatch (a man who through no fault of his own) has sadly been allowed to oust the great Jim Rosenthal from behind the draw-master’s rostrum, it is still captivating stuff.  The answers to all those questions you had been wondering are revealed.

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.