“Professional without being scintilating”. And?

It wasn’t the greatest by all accounts – pitch or game – but Brentford have another win under the belt. A 2-0 victory on the road at Burton Albion sees us keeping touch with that play-off pack. The gap to Middlesbrough in sixth place now down to five points with, as importantly, a game in hand. The Smoggies’ own victory, 1-0 at Birmingham City, enough to see them leapfrog Bristol City into that final promotion slot.

There’s not much to be said about the game. Mainly because I wasn’t there. With everybody from Mark Devlin to Billy Reeves (amongst many others) using Social Media to make comment s about the ‘difficult surface’ then you have to consider this a job well done in tricky circumstances. One for the purists. Dean Smith would talk at full time about how we were “Professional without being scintilating” in “a hard-earned win.”, Although also noting that, not unusually, he felt it was “thoroughly deserved.”. Yet with Burton registering zero efforts at goal all night and Brentford going 2-0 up via Ollie Watkins, with our first shot on target, it probably says it all about this one as a spectacle.

Dean lays it out

Hey. Who cares. As we’ve said so many times, the stats count for nothing relative to balls in the back of the net. If it took a Kyle McFadzean o.g. to give us a second-half lead then c’est la vie. They all count and that’s football. Just enjoy that slice of luck when it comes along.

We spoke yesterday about the 4 game mini-run coming up in a 12 day period. This may not have been a classic to match last season’s 5-3 but it was that all important three points. It was a seemingly injury free outcome with a solitary yellow card awarded to The Bees – Neal Maupay being the recipient of that one and pulled off shortly afterwards.

One down and three to go. Next up Millwall at The Den on Saturday. They also won last night and sit just a single point behind us. It promises to be as pivotal a game as any, with the Lions no doubt having similar play-off aspirations to ourselves. If you haven’t got a ticket yet then beg, borrow or buy one. This could be huge. It really is a cliché but now is the moment to take one game at a time. Focus on the present and don’t worry about what is going on around us. Destiny is still in our own hands. Moreso with the visits of Cardiff City and Middlesbrough on the agenda for next week.

At the other end of the table there was no change. Of course, it would be easy to take a cheap shot at Birmingham City. The Garry Monk era starting where the Steve Cotterill one ended – with a defeat. The Blues’ current form reading: Played: 6 Lost: 6 Goals For: 1 Goals against: 13. You can’t buy that sort of anti-form. But at least they’re consistent. The one down side to all this being it handed Middlesbrough the keys to the play-off zone. For now.

But we’re bigger than that. Let’s just concentrate on Brentford and, of course, the weekend’s trip to Millwall. With just 11 left to play, we’re in a wonderful position. The next few games are going to be huge. Well, they all are but let’s crack out the clichés once more and take every game as it comes.

Bring it on and see you there.

The Den – our next destination

Nick Bruzon

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Time to ring the changes ?

Brentford head to Leeds United on Saturday with the news that Warbs has missed out on his second manager of the month award in three months. Instead, as suspected, Aitor Karanka of Middlesbrough emerged as a deserved winner for January. His side’s 1-0 win at Brentford last weekend being the deciding factor (although, by all rights, that is a game that should probably still be under way given the amount of second half timewasting that took 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 the one time ‘hottie of the year’ (right) see more action ?

Fitness questions as another MOTM nomination is earned

Early morning visitors to the official site may have had to check twice after seeing the story that Brentford manager Mark Warburton has not only been nominated for Manager of the Month, but he has also ‘won’ . Whilst Aitor Karanka of Middlesbrough is, surely, a shoe in for the January award after picking up 10 points out of 12 (including victory at Griffin Park) it is testament to Warbs that he has been nominated (along with Neil Redfearn at Leeds United and Steve Mclaren of Derby County).

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.

Another penalty not to mention as Bees miss out to Boro

After all the build up it was Middlesbrough, with the returning Adam Forshaw in tow, who emerged the winners from Saturday’s table top clash with a 1-0 win over Brentford. It was a game the Bees can count themselves unlucky not to have got out of with at least a point but when you are up against the division’s meanest defence (a mere 18 Championship goals conceded in 28 games) then you need to take chances when they are presented.

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 – the only goal of the game. Unfortunately

Also spotted on the terrace was this the result of a bet, an attempt to beat the cold weather or a stag night prank? Infact, it turned out to be the latter rather than the club looking to replace Buzzette during the transfer window.

Could Buzzette face competition before the transfer window closes?

S

Game on? Forget about the past, we’ve all stepped up.

Brentford entertain Middlesbrough today in the most hotly anticipated game of the year, so far, at Griffin Park. Whilst Bournemouth’s win at home to a Watford side who had to play all but the first thirty seconds of the game with ten men may have denied today’s winners a chance to top the table, there is still plenty at stake.

First up though, will we even get the chance to kick off against Middlesbrough?

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.

Who needs the ‘Go pro’? Prior to Tranmere, we had ‘shovel-cam’

Clemwatch provides consolation to Middlesbrough hammering

Well, that hurt. Brentford ended up on the wrong end of a 4-0 defeat at the hands of a Middlesbrough side who eased into the play off zones of the Championship. And it wasn’t even the scoreline (as we all know how tight the 3-0 reverse to Norwich was ) but the manner of the performance.

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 along.

Despite altering his ‘runout’ position, Clem’s form remained the same

Will there be magic at Middlesbrough?

Brentford head up to Middlesbrough today looking to bounce back from the 3-0 reverse to Norwich City in midweek. Whilst most people agree it was a much closer game than the scoreline suggests, the fact remains that Norwich won. That said, I still feel massively upbeat about both Brentford’s start to the season and huge swathes of the performance on Tuesday night. Let’s hope we’ve learned from it.

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 along.

Brentford and Middlesbrough’s powerful connection. The final musical notes.

Our reader may have noticed the comment in yesterday’s article in regards to shared ‘run out’ music.

Specifically, the fact that both Brentford and Middlesbrough are welcomed on to the pitch with the theme tune from 1960s TV show, ‘The Power Game’.

It’s a stirring enough piece of music – equal parts nostalgia and Communist rally – although not one that really sets my pulse racing any more. Of more interest is why two teams, with no obvious connection, use the same tune?

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.