And then things started to happen. The EFL have named the date on which the game between Bolton and Brentford will be played. Supposedly. This Tuesday, the same evening that our B team host Manchester City and so there goes the chance to play the kids as had been widely touted. Elsewhere, social media proved king once more as Kitman Bob started answering fan questions about next season’s kit, dropping some pretty big clues in the process.

Has Bob started pointing the way to 2019/20?
First up, Bolton. The game is supposedly going to happen this Tuesday in the deadzone between the season ending and the play-offs starting. It clashes with our own fixture at home to Manchester City B – always a big draw – whilst also means casual fans will now find themselves further torn as any hopes for a clear run to see Barcelona complete their Champions League rout against Liverpool now have some serious competition. Messi or Maupay ? Sergi or Suarez? I know, I know.
Except, of course, I still can’t see how the game will go ahead. The EFL ‘demanding’ it is one thing but even their own statement notes that, “The Board also discussed the potential of Bolton Wanderers being placed into Administration and took the view if that was to happen, the EFL would not insist the game be played.” They go on to add that “we would advise all supporters to wait until the details for the game are confirmed by the Club before making any travel arrangements”. Meanwhile Brentford official have also advised that they “Will continue to update fans on all issues surrounding this game as often as possible in the coming days.”
So clear as mud, then. The game will take place this Tuesday (it is now Friday). Except the advice from the EFL is that it might not and supporters shouldn’t make any arrangements as yet. A situation more farcical given there’s no train home after the game finishes (unless you want to hang around until 1am for the bus to Manchester and the 5 o’clock service to London) . Virgin rail and hotels are expensive enough as it is, let alone when you have to book at a moment’s notice.
Would this even allow the club time to lay on supporters’ coaches? Would health and safety / policing allow for a game to be set up at short notice? More so one which may not even happen. What about the players who should now be on well -earned breaks? There will be more to follow, no doubt, including what I still expect to be an award of three points to Brentford.
On to matters more appealing, Twitter was awash with talk of next season’s kit yesterday. Something further compounded by EFL Championship supporter of the year, 98 year old Audrey Baker, gifting our Junior Bees an embroidered gold scarf in her role as patron of the Junior membership schemes. It is a most generous and timely present, moreso given our own recent recognition as a gold standard family club. These are smart as and I’m seriously tempted to get the ‘Jimmmy Krankie’ costume from out of the special cupboard in order to try and blag one of the white and gold beauties on Sunday.

What a gesture for our young fans
Yet as well as being a wonderful gift, it got fans wondering if this was a hint as to next season’s away colour scheme. Moreso when Kitman Bob started doing what he only he can do – going rogue on Twitter (in the nicest possible sense).
He had already told us that our 2019/20 effort would promise “New vibes and old skool” (although was that home, away or both?) whilst the release date could be imminent given, “I think there is an agreement to announce it a few days after the Preston game. “
Then Audrey did the scarf thing and that was it. Bob did what only he, Brentford and Matthew Benham can get away with – chucking out clues into cyberspace and even offering fans a choice of an easy, medium or hard one. Name me any other club or kitman that does this? I love it. Moreso, when the tease offered up to supporters seemed, at first glance, eminently gettable. Or should that be Eminemly gettable? :
Let’s start with a easy-clue then. Famous US Rapper had a massive hit with this.😁😁😁
Get in. I’ve solved this one already. Quite possibly. The clue in the scarf is there already. It has to be Kanye West – Gold Digger. Surely?
Or does it? Bob appeared to pour cold water on that speculation. “White gold. Kitmans nightmare ! Gold is nice though 😀” . A double bluff or something that is being ruled out purely on cleanliness grounds?
Moving on, Wiz Khalifa – Black and Yellow – seemed the popular consensus. It makes sense for so many reasons and has always been popular. Who could forget the Bathroom shopfront launch of our 2011-12 beauty whilst I’m still a sucker for the version worn on the road in our first Championship campaign after promotion.

We’ve got good form here .
Then it hit me. People have missed the obvious one. Hidden in plain sight. We all love the Jaffa Cake kit. All of us. How about more of the same? It’s so obvious when you think about it. DJ Khaled – Brown paper Bag. YESSS!!!! Another season of the brown / orange or similar. It was a fact fact further, definitely compounded by Bob’s subsequent musing “Why has everyone gone for Wiz 🤔🤔🤔” .
So there you have it. We’re going brown again. Definitely brown. Not gold and white or black and yellow.

Too obvious? Or will it be Wiz?
Yet there was more intrigue thrown out there with the other clue offered out by Bob. Namely that, “There maybe more than one away kit …..” .
Three kits? Does this mean that, in the final season in our current home, Brentford could be going for something special from the historical locker? We did this before in 2004/05 with the away kit commemorating 100 years at Griffin Park. Perhaps something similar is in the offing? Once can only hope that is the case.

Something historic this way comes?
Whilst we’re all making educated guesses, ultimately nobody knows for sure. The technical sponsor is still not public knowledge although the kit nerd in me is desperate for Umbro, would love the nostalgia of Hummel and can see the unique situation of personalised shirts that would come with New Balance and their NB logo . No doubt it’ll end up being somebody like Macron, whose latest Stoke City effort is about as safe as they come – with some very unusual collars….
The only way to know for sure will be when the club top brass allow Bob to get his kits out. Come on Mr. Benham. Please, put us out of our misery.
Nick Bruzon
What is this season’s ‘must have’ item?
19 NovThis season it is the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal who top the table whilst our own Brentford aren’t at the races. Frustratingly, even the Loftus Road mob need honourable mention, which is a phrase that sticks in the throat as much as having to acknowledge Fulham rediscovering their form.
The season being, of course, the festive one and the table being the pecking order of club shop fashion. Brentford may well have their gnomes but, as things stand, we are yet to dip our toes into the world of the Christmas jumper.
Browse the website of any top flight team and you are sure to stumble across the Xmas section where, amongst other things, will be a jumper adorned with a reindeer sporting a scarf of your chosen club. They are all at it this year – along with United, teams such as Manchester City, Everton and Aston Villa have all followed this template which, although somewhat generic, does put a new twist on football couture.
Available at most Premiership clubs – the Christmas reindeer
That’s the basic model. Look a bit further afield and certain teams even have a bespoke model. Arsenal have gone for the mutant football / snowman whilst QPR have looked to combine the traditional design with their own kit. Full marks for ingenuity although there’s no accounting for actual taste.
Arsenal and QPR (badge pixelated) try to go one better
And all this gets me wondering if Brentford will ever be able to launch our own spin on this festive favourite. Our club shop is, generally, well stocked with plenty of gifts for this time of year although we are, as it stands, yet to launch our own bespoke knitwear.
That said, I think we’d face some very stiff competition – from our own fans. Christmas jumpers may look good but we have enough familiar faces who are as well known for their winter woolies as they are for supporting their club.
I don’t even know these people’s names but much as most of us will have a favourite shirt to wear to a game, these terrace legends have taken things the extra mile over the years. It wouldn’t be a Brentford game if, at some point, you didn’t have the likes of ‘80’s golf chap’, ‘funky bee woman’ and the all time hero… ‘jumper man’. And please forgive the somewhat blurred picture but, incredibly, there is little internet based evidence of this design classic.
As such, although I’d love a club issue Christmas jumper when the competition is this fierce then I’ll happily stick with my gnome and shirts.
Jumper man is the king of football fashion…
… but faces fierce competition from ‘funky bee woman’
Tags: 2013/14, Adidas, Alan Judge, Alex Pritchard, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Bees, Beesotted, Betinho, blog, book, Brentford, Brentford FC, celebrated, Celebrating like they'd won the FA Cup, Championship, Christmas, City, club shop, comments, david button, diary, Everton, FA Cup, fashion, festive, football, Fulham, gnome, Griffin Park, Harlee Dean, James Tarkowski, Jon Toral, Jonathan Douglas, José Ignacio Peleteiro Ramallo, Jota, jumper, jumper man, just don’t mention that penalty, kindle, knitwear, Loftus Road, Manchester, Manchester City, Manchester United, Marcello Trotta, Marcos Tébar Ramiro, Mark Warburton, Matthew Benham, Moses Odubajo, Natalie Sawyer, Nick Bruzon, Nick Proschwitz, penalty, Premiership, QPR, reindeer, Russell Slade, Sam Saunders, scarf, season, Shirt, Sky bet Championship, snowman, Stuart Dallas, Toumani, Trotta, United, Warbs