Bustin’ makes me feel bad. Will Saturday be more Riley than Winkleman?

Brentford take on Charlton this Saturday, hoping for more of the same after cruising to a 3-0 victory at the Valley back in October. That result saw Addicks manager Guy Luzon, erm,  losing his job immediately afterwards and the Bees put in as one sided a performance as we’ve seen all season – even moreso than Wolves last Tuesday .

It was a game which had been completely at odds with Luzon’s first matchin charge of Charlton, their 3-0 win over Brentford that came at the height of last season’s Village-gate affair. That was a woeful performance from the Bees which, despite Warbs denial at the time, seemed to suggest a squad in disarray with just one thing – their manager’s future – as a point of focus. Thankfully, the Bees picked themselves up from that and confounded the expectations of most onlookers to make the play-offs. Where normal service resumed .

Last season, Village gate saw a real low at Charlton

And, of course, we couldn’t take this briefest of looks at recent encounters without a nod to Tommy Smith. It was he whose late equaliser secured a point in our first ever Championship game – the season opener at Griffin Park back in August 2014. How the place erupted and then gasped as Alan Judge almost stole a late winner, hitting the crossbar with a freekick taken deep in Saunders Territory.

So in 18 months our three games have turned out as D,L and W. What will it be on Saturday?

Dean Smith spoke yesterday in an article on the official site where they did their wonderful trick of warming us up for the quote by giving us the quote, noting: Dean said the only target for the team between now and the end of the season is to win as many matches as possible. If anybody was in any doubt, the next line proved this as readers were advised, “We don’t want to target this or that but our aim is just to finish as high as we can and to win as many games as we can,” said Dean.

Dean went on to add that he hoped to “get that winning mentality back” . It looked like that might happen after the Wolves game before normal service resumed at Rotherham United. 2 wins out of 11 in 2016 are a poor run for Dean and I would question that to get something back, does he not have to have had it in the first instance ?

Then again, if we play like we did against Wolves anything is possible whilst Charlton’s confidence must be as low as that of the team behind the forthcoming Ghostbusters movie. The trailer for this being universally panned upon release yesterday and the unfunniest thing I had the misfortune to sit through all week. At least, until I saw Claudia Winkleman standing in for everbody’s favourite mathematical model, Rachel Riley, on ‘8 out of 10 cats does Countdown’ last night.

How can it be THIS bad?

Still, it has been a week generally filled with more disappointment than a post match press conference for the development squad (whatever the score, the interviewee always seems ‘disappointed’). Ghostbusters and Winkleman aside,  Saturday saw that game at Rotherham United whilst Sunday saw the worst ever James Bond theme, Sam Smith’s title track from the otherwise excellent Spectre, pick up an Oscar. This, an effort so bad it had ousted Madonna’s ‘Die another day’ from the bottom of the ‘Best Bond’ list yet here it was being honoured in the most public of fashions.

Sometimes, life just isn’t fair. As Dean Smith would recognise, performances don’t always get what they are due. Let’s just hope that tomorrow we do what, honestly, we should. With a trip to Loftus Road the following weekend, we need everybody brim full of confidence.

Fingers crossed that Saturday is more Rachel Riley than Claudia Winkleman.

artists impression of a mathematical model etc etc

Nick Bruzon

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The strange case of the disappearing striker

In possibly the least surprising news of yesterday, the club announced that Tommy Smith and Nick Proschwitz will both be released in the summer. Tommy, who joined from Cardiff, and Nick who came in from Hull City AFC for the start of this season, had mixed fortunes at Griffin Park.

Tommy, of course, will be remembered for notching up Brentford’s first goal in the Championship. It was a strike that came in the season opener at home to Charlton Athletic and, despite not troubling the scorers again, he made many notable appearances from the bench as he chalked up 32 appearances for The Bees over the campaign.

At 35 years old, and having been signed on a twelve-month deal last year, it was unlikely that Tommy was ever going to stay beyond the end of the campaign. Nonetheless, he always gave the impression of one who tried his all when he was given the chance – most notably during the no-show at The Valley in the midst of February’s Football Village affair.

In the case of Nick Proschwitz, despite having an option for a further 12 months the club have decided not to activate it. On the ‘surprise’ front, this is news on a par with today’s announcement that 6 FIFA members have been arrested on corruption charges.

Much as I was desperate to see Big Nick do well, he failed to adjust to our team and our system. The clincher for me was seeing Sam Saunders having to steal the ball off his toes during the Boxing Day defeat to Ipswich Town in order to stab the ball into the net. But you could count any number of misses or leaden-footed touches that will see him go down in Griffin Park folkore, of the wrong sort.

It is a real shame for both him and the club. When Brentford were crying out for a striker to step up to the plate following the horrific injury to Scott Hogan at Rotherham back in August, here was the chance. Indeed, Nick managed to find the back of the net after replacing his injured team mate in that game and it seemed we had somebody ready made to step into the breach.

Alas, it wasn’t to be as Andre Gray made light of the leap from Conference to Championship over the coming months. But for some support, who knows…?

Indeed, checking back on his stats this morning, even the club appear to have purged his record from history.

Big Nick has gone missing in action

Please, let’s be clear. To step onto a football field as a professional takes an enormous level of ability. Let alone to play at the highest levels of the domestic game, which Nick did. As somebody who got knackered just running out of the tunnel in the infamous Martin Allen ‘fans v first team’ game, it’s probably a bit hypocritical for me to be overly negative about somebody who has done that.

Indeed, it gives me a genuine regret to speak negatively about any ‘Bee’ but sometimes things just aren’t meant to be. Despite the management unearthing some wonderful gems in the likes of Jota, Andre or Alex Pritchard this season (to name but a few), we missed the target this time around.

Perhaps Nick’s Brentford career is best considered a case of ‘wrong player in the wrong team’. A 21^st century Murray Jones, if you will.

And if you want to read more about the events of 2014/15, the amalgamated Last Word season compendium: Tales from the football village (from Saunders territory to unchartered ground), is now available to download onto Kindle (and other electronic reading device) in full.

Running from July 2014- May 2015 it contains some additional material and is available for less than the cost of a Griffin Park matchday programme.

Forget platitudes. Now is the time for Premiership answers.

With Burnley now relegated from the Premiership and QPR sure to have followed them by the time most people are polishing off Sunday lunch, will it be a case of Brentford replacing them or being Championship stablemates next season? Well, the 1-1 draw between Norwich City and Ipswich Town on Saturday has made the play off winner no clearer although Middlesbrough remain the bookies’ favourites.

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.

Sky viewers saw just how close Tommy Smith came to a late, late equaliser

At times on Friday it was all Middlesbrough

Supporters turned out well at the first leg. Sterotype Frenchman and Chubby Brown amongst the best costumes

All about family as Bees live to fight another day against Forest

Brentford kept their play off chances very much alive after Jota’s last minute (when else?) header rescued an unlikely seeming point against Nottingham Forest at Griffin Park. And although Wolves managed a similarly timed winner to end up on top by the odd goal in 7 (seven) against Leeds United in the evening game, thus leapfrogging the Bees in the table, with just five games to go destiny is very much in our own hands.

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 – Jota shows his urgency as the clock ticks down

Faster than a speeding bullet – the Spanish superman embarks on his high speed solo celebration

Jota puts a smile on the face of Family Bruzon at 2-2

Bees outpunched on Boxing Day despite Sam’s late, late show

Forget Boxing Day. If it had been a boxing match then the ref would have stopped it after 29 minutes to save Brentford any further humiliation at the hands of Ipswich Town. Even Cardiff City had the good manners to wait until a half hour had passed before conceding their third last Saturday.

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.

Bees emerge triumphant from the Lions Den

Brentford are in the play off zone! Saturday’s destruction of Millwall saw us make it nine points from the last three games and finish the day in sixth position. It was a stunning afternoon of attacking football from a rampant Bees outfit who, as they’d done with Derby County and Nottingham Forest, gave no notice to the reputation of their opponents.

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.

Some aspects of modern football remain in the past

Clem remains on one win from twelve for the season

Is there a new Jota in the pack? Transfer update

Have Brentford made a new signing?

The much rumoured transfer of Jota (José Ignacio Peleteiro Ramallo) from Celta de Vigo seems to have been confirmed on Twitter this evening.

Whilst the club have made no statement as yet, the player (whose shortened name means Jack – as found in a deck of cards) appears to have let the cat out of the bag with this post which has appeared on his Twitter account .

Is the cat out of the bag?

The presence of another attacking midfielder in the squad is, indeed, a welcome one. That said, it is sure to only increase speculation that Adam Forshaw will be moving on with Wigan Athletic the possible destination

As yet, this is not official news. For all we know his twitter account could have been hacked (not that that would ever happen in Brentford circles).

Could Jota be our new ‘Jack in the box’? . Hopefully we’ll find out soon

How farce became fantasy. Fulham provide the best opposition possible

Brentford fans were celebrating like….. etc etc etc last night. With the draw for the Capital One Cup having been made, the likes of Manchester United visiting MK Dons or Newcastle at Gillingham would seem the obvious ‘TV’ ties. However, it is the arrival of Fulham at Griffin Park that has to be the most atmospheric and anticipated of the second round.

I’m sure the good people at Sky will go for Manchester United – if only because last season’s campaign of self destruct has seen them enter the competition at this stage for the first time in 19 seasons. They’re welcome to it – I’ll be at Griffin Park regardless.

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.

Celebrating like they’ve won the (first round of the) cup

On a night of cup shocks that saw Wigan Athletic lose 2-1 to Burton (stop sniggering at the back) and Crawley beat Ipswich Town 1-0, it was still Brentford that dominated the headlines – despite triumphing against Dagenham and Redbridge.

Our 18 goal Capital One Cup thriller (12 in open play and a further 6 on penalties) saw Brentford go through 4-2 on spot kicks after a surreal 6-6 draw. It was a game that equaled the competition’s previous ‘goals scored’ record (Reading 5 Arsenal 7 set in 2012).

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.

Is Clem the new Liverpool? (and our fans hit back)

You have to feel for the fans of Leeds United. Whilst everything at Brentford has been very much ‘on the up’ in recent months, they’ve been through the ringer. Their star player, Ross McCormack, has been sold to Championship rivals Fulham whilst the managerial situation has been one that could be politely described as ‘unsettled’. That’s before you chuck controversial owner Massimo Cellino into the mix.

However, things really took a turn for the worse on Saturday when The Football League Show highlighted their team with a visit from roving reporter Mark Clemmit – universally known as Clem.

I wrote in full last season about the four simple rules to ‘football betting’. In short they are:

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.