Brazil 1 ITV 0 (and more Brentford shirt news)

News of a stunning piece of Brentford memorabilia up for sale in a moment but we can only start with the World Cup in Brazil.

It’s now the morning after the night before and Brazil have got their first points on the board, running out as 3-1 winners over Croatia. I really enjoyed the game although if you want the full report go to the BBC or some other reputable source. Suffice to say it was all a bit Brentford – Marcelo scoring (albeit an o.g.), a disputable penalty and a last minute goal.

I now declare this wall chart, open

 

The downside was the ITV coverage. The build up from the panel was as lifeless as the Copacabana backdrop to their studio. The locals clearly forsaking the normally crowded beach to be near a TV. Hopefully their feed was better than ours as Adrian Chiles struggled to get going without the spark of Roy Keane. The banter between Lee Dixon, Fabio Cannavaro and Patrick Vieira was as awkward, and painful, as a teenager on a first date.

Two points of note once the game started. Firstly, the score graphic. It was enormous. This was no discreet logo, tucked away in the top left corner and was a real distraction. Come on ITV, sort it out. It was as unsubtle and distracting as a poisonous wart on the end of the aforementioned teenager’s nose.

As for the commentary, we still await the first outing of that World Cup staple, “For those of you just coming in from work, the score is….” . Perhaps 9pm is a bit late for that one but I’m hoping the five o’clock kick off between Mexico and Cameroon sees the classic line trotted out. With any luck the oversized graphic isn’t deemed an adequate replacement.

These small whines aside I can’t wait for things to really get going now, with Friday seeing the first of the tournament’s triple-headers. Grab the remote and get ready to start working on that butt groove in the sofa.

Getting back to matters Griffin Park, there is an incredible item for sale on the eBay auction site at the moment. None other than Bob Taylor’s fully signed and framed shirt from the 1997 play off final against Crewe.

Whilst we won’t talk about what happened in that game, this is still a one off opportunity to get hold of a unique piece of Brentford history. I’ve got more chance of being selected for the ITV football panel than of being allowed to bid for this but, hopefully, one Brentford fan could be very happy by Sunday lunchtime.

You can bid here.

Your chance to own the shirt off a Brentford legend’s back

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Natalie Sawyer stars in the best video, ever

So it seems that even Brentford fan and Sky Sports presenter Natalie Sawyer has been unable to resist joining in the Russell Slade ‘FA Cup’ jokes, following the Leyton Orient manager’s now legendary comment.

I had promised myself to let this rest for a while but then the following YouTube video reached the ‘Last Word’ inbox yesterday. The picture quality may be a bit ropey but Natalie’s wisecrack at the end more than makes up for it.

I’m sure you must have seen this already but if not, enjoy. And if so then just enjoy again.

Celebrating like they’ve won the FA Cup. And, frankly, why not?

Next season’s Championship took further shape last night as Brentford now know we won’t face Peterborough but could have a return encounter with Leyton Orient.

You have to say that the O’s deserved their spot in the final. Peterborough weren’t given a sniff and, barring a frenetic final few moments where even goalkeeper Robert Olejnik joined in the action, Jimmy Glass style (who doesn’t love it when that happens), they were barely allowed to threaten.

The celebratory scenes when the final whistle blew put me in mind of when Brentford had promotion confirmed against Preston. A celebratory pitch invasion of epic proportions took place and, to be honest, you can understand why.

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.