Is this his best goal ever? And a sneak peak inside the ground on matchday.

Magnificent . Wonderful. Incredible. One starts to run out of superlatives after a while. A Said Benrahma hat trick was the icing on the cake of another dominant performance for Brentford. Five in a row and none conceded as a 3-0 defeat of Wigan Athletic on Saturday afternoon kept up the pressure on the top two. With West Bromwich Albion just a couple of points ahead and due to face relegation threatened Hull City this afternoon for their ‘game in hand’, the season really is building to a ‘who blinks first’ crescendo. Leeds United can breath a little easier after their own three points yesterday but it was at Wayne Rooney’s Derby County, of all places, where the day got off to a quite wonderful start. Their 95th minute equaliser against Nottingham Forest saw the Bees staying in third without even having to kick a ball. Instead, we kicked on in just about the best style possible.

Celebrating with the ‘fans’ at full time……?

Wigan weren’t even at the races. No surprise given the situation playing out at the DW where we can have nothing but the utmost sympathy for their players, staff and supporters. Yet to overlook the performance from Brentford would be to offer the hugest level of disrespect to Thomas Frank and his team. The Bees were at their scintillating best. Tearing it up down the flanks , cutting through the middle and only last gasp defence denying Ollie Watkins the opportunity to add to his haul. 

But if one of the division’s form teams (Wigan were unbeaten in 9 and had won 6 of their last 7(seven) games) looked like they might hold tight, that man Benrahma popped up with just shy of 20 minutes on the clock. Marcondes headed the ball towards towards him, the Algerian turned, spun and volleyed it low in to the bottom corner. 1-0 and game on ! 

And whilst the score remained the same until half time, things changed in the most dramatic style shortly in to the second period. Benrahma picking up the ball close to the corner flag by the New Road and hitting it goalwards on the tightest of angles. It floated across the defence before taking a handbrake turn into the top corner. The ultimate example of the cross-cum-shot and one that had no right to go in but, somehow, it did. The smile on his face said it all. As did the tweet from Brentford official, which declared: IF HE’S MEANT THAT, THAT IS RIDICULOUS..

Did he mean it, they would go on to ask this morning? The goal is below and, my word, needs to be seen to be believed.

Did he mean it? 🤔

Either way, it's another home win ticked off with @London_Pride 👉 https://t.co/o1DfiASCHd#BREWIG | #BrentfordFC pic.twitter.com/OXS9obze2O

— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) July 5, 2020

And then minutes later it was three. Benrahma claiming the match ball with another shot pinged in from the eye of the box. Josh Dasilva and then Christian Norgaard combining to set him up for a beautifully struck shot. How does he make it look so easy? 

There was more but I don’t really have the words today. Watch the video. It was a long, emotional afternoon. Beers were drunk before, during and after. Points were cheered and smiles were broad. Sitting in the shadow of Griffin Park as the sun set, it was another chance to count our blessings. With chaos reigning all around, the good ship Brentford seems as calm and stable as ever.

Thomas Frank hinted at it in his prematch interview with Clem that went out on Football Focus. The link to that one is here – it’s on I-player for a week – and is well worth a watch. He exudes calm. Confidence. Common sense. His manner is nothing but inspiring and his approach philosophical. Why look at the table for more than a second? You can’t change anything. Influence anything. Concentrate on your own next training session. Your own next game. It is an approach that clearly worked yesterday.

By all logic, this should be awful. Shut out of our own ground. Denied the chance to watch this most special of teams in the flesh. To see if our last minute surge to the top of the table may have sufficient legs to see us surge past West Bromwich Albion or Leeds United on the line. Yet the communal feeling that is still so apparently there – on social media, whatsapp groups and in our little bubbles – is nothing but intoxicating. We really are in this together. Even if it is from the safety of our front rooms. 

Hearing Peter Gilham roaring the team on (via the video links) still sends shivers up the spine. Seeing him celebrate the goals and, along with the other officials, take the applause at full time even better. I was sent these pictures last night of what it looks like from that perch on high. I’d love to be there but, you know what, being with friends and family feels like the right way to do this. 

Peter celebrates

….the other side of that post game celebration

Yet perhaps the last word today should got to Thomas Frank, from the aforementioned BBC piece. Asked by Clem for a single word to describe the achievement if Brentford were to reach the Premier league, he answered in characteristic style:  “I will give you that word. If and when we achieve it. I promise you that.” 

I can’t wait to hear what that is…

Nick Bruzon

Chief exec confirms Dream Team should return, kit update and stadium news.

Saturday afternoon. 4pm. Brentford fans should be getting ready for a potential promotion deciding second half against Preston North End ( I won’t say in whose favour, given the current state of the paused table) . Instead, all over cyberspace we’re stepping back in time to our victory over the same opposition that saw the Bees finally reach the Championship following the something , something, something penalty against Doncaster the previous season.  And we’ve had to get our main football fix from the morning’s Q&A with Bees Chief Executive ‘Jon’ Reg Varney  – the latest guest in the GPG live webcast hotseat. And the post match celebrations will, instead, be filled with the latest results from the World Cup of Brentford shirts as the polls close at 7pm.

Jon spoke for a good two hours.

First up, Jon Varney. Just where on earth did two hours go? But enough about the talk through of his career history which opened proceedings. I half expected him to conclude the opening monologue with a Partridge-esque, “Needless to say, I had the last laugh”. Yet, in retrospect, this was the perfect introduction as it gave us mere mortals a peek behind the curtain of a man who has worked in all manner of sporting capacities since leaving school. A man who is a Brentford fan through and through, with name checks to his heroes from the 80s and 90s peppering the conversation. A man who almost didn’t take the role for the simple fact of it interfering with his football weekend. A man who exuded knowledge but, perhaps more importantly, an understanding of what makes the fans tick and how important the club is to us. And vice-versa. 

Following Martin Allen was always going to be a big ask and so fair play to the chief exec for not only stepping up to the plate but then hitting it out of the (Griffin) park. It was captivating. It was emotional. It was honest. It was frank. The questions were broad with nothing really off limits, barring those topics covered off by Phil Giles two weeks ago. Even then, it was more to give everyone from a large audience the chance to get involved. And didn’t we just.

There were updates on the new stadium’s readiness (as good as), test events that were being considered and the preparations / plans for the Barnsley game where we had been in discussion with the Oakwell outfit to limit their supporter numbers in order that more of us could see that last game at Griffin Park. Lionel Road season ticket sales and next steps were covered (payments due for May now looking to be deferred over the three months to July) and even discussion around a relocation for the programme collector’s club. The club was confirmed to be in great financial health over the immediate months and we also talked at length about the possibility of the season being played out behind closed doors. Sadly. 

Should that happen then the list of those looking to don the ballboys’ tracksuit already seems to be growing with even Trevor Inns hoping to pull his Adidas ventex out of the gym locker. Personally, I’ll be going for the ‘mascot’ option. No holding hands with Pontus though – purely for reasons of social distancing. In all seriousness though, should we be unable to attend in person then it seems i-follow will be the way to go.

Yet the big question was one about that perennial favourite on these pages, Sky One’s Dream Team. You may well know the drill in regards to Harchester United (and if not, here’s the main cut and thrust) but Jon’s earlier involvement in the show brought an intriguing possibility to the fore . One supporter proposed that, ”You’ve said how the new stadium gives us new opportunities. You’ve talked about sky and your previous involvement with Dream Team. Could we see the new stadium used to relaunch the show?” 

What followed was nothing short of a love letter to the show with the acknowledgment, ”Wouldn’t it be good to get Dream Team back on the screen at the new stadium.” That’s as good as a yes in my eyes. You heard it here first. Well, second after the live chat this morning. Dream Team will return. And it could be filmed at Lionel Road. Possibly.

Certainly, that’s how I understood things. Nothing was actually confirmed. Instead the subsequent elaboration that with football and rugby dominating stadium usage it was unlikely there would be opportunity for anything else was, I can only presume, a cunning smokescreen designed to throw people off the scent.

There was even time for kit talk – that is, when we weren’t hypnotised by Greville Waterman mopping his kitchen floor (never forget when the camera is on). Jon bigged up the wonderful partnership with Umbro and confirmed that next season’s home shirt will be red and white, albeit made of a slightly heavier material than the current version. Adding that he really likes it.

He wouldn’t be drawn on the colour of the away shirt although did confirm that this season’ incarnation was probably out best selling change strip. By contrast, the much loved brown/orange hadn’t sold well. I’m genuinely shocked by this. Who’d have thought that so many fans would have had such strange taste ?

Greville, the clue is in the word ‘Recording’

Those were the highlights that stuck in my mind. Billy Reeves feed has a great transcript whilst I understand that the full play back will take place in the coming days when the video of today’s event is released. Do take a look. These words won’t do justice to a morning where Jon showed what makes Brentford such a special club. Where the fans are at the forefront of everything. A place where Matthew Benham’s agenda is one that has ‘affordable football’ at the top of the priority list.

Next up is a double header that has the potential to be the best yet – Sam Saunders and Kevin O’Connor. Bring it on. I can’t wait to dip my toes into Saunders territory on Saturday.

As ever, HUGE thanks not just to Jon but also Trevor, the GPG and his team who made this happen. The logistics and behind the scenes stuff to line this up and make it all as seamless as possible are not to be underestimated. Do tune in next Saturday for Sam and Kevin then who knows who might be next up after that….. 

Thomas Frank does an interview with Sky Sports via videolink from his home. Ummmmm, I've got an idea….. 😇https://t.co/o7mWEZXwJF pic.twitter.com/8OrmQ3puiv

— GriffinParkGrapevine (Staying at ⛺) (@bfcgpg) April 18, 2020

To close out today, have you voted in the World Cup of Brentford Shirts as yet? The Semi-final rounds conclude at 7pm so do feel free to add your opinion. They can be found on Twitter at Brentford In Colour /  @beesincolour.

Here’s The Group of Death to whet your appetite. Enjoy…..

A ‘group of death’ sees the 1990-2 Chad home shirt leading the 1992-94 Hummel home shirt. The dazzling 2014-15 adidas away shirt lies third and the same season’s home shirt is bottom of the pile in #WorldCupBRE SF2. Vote for your favourite before 7pm #BrentfordFC https://t.co/1ETcJoMF8A pic.twitter.com/bSo8R7bMx4

— Brentford In Colour (@beesincolour) April 18, 2020

Nick Bruzon

Once a hero, always a hero. Martin Allen provides a great escape from lockdown.

Martin Allen I bloody love you. With the lockdown biting hard on football, what could have been a miserable afternoon of self-isolation and staying indoors was turned into nothing short of a magnificent two and a half hours. Following on from last week’s session with Phil Giles, Mad Dog himself was there to lift any bank holiday gloom for Brentford fans in the latest of the GPG live video chats on Saturday.

Bedecked in ‘that’ tank top and with Bees supporters hanging on his every word, it was a quite unique peek behind the curtain of what went on at the time and what makes Martin tick. Whilst he also talked about West Ham, Leicester City and Eastleigh the conversation was dominated by The Bees.  The affection felt for his time at Griffin Park, his players and Peter Gilham (whose red PMA wristband he still wears) there for all to see and hear.

Live in your living room – face to face with Martin Allen

I’ve no idea how the time went so quickly. Yet from the off Martin had us hooked. It was quite bizarre, in the nicest sense. In the blink of an eye we were all transported back to 2004 with tales of the Great Escape. Of the Cup runs. Of Harry Redknapp. Of the unapproved ‘bid’ to sign Paolo Di Canio from West Ham. One can only imagine the panic in the board room. Of play-off pain. Of Steve Claridge. Michael Turner. Sonko. The genuine affection and pride in Jay Tabb. The potential of Alex Rhodes and Oli Skulason, both of whom saw promising careers so cruelly hit by injury. 

The former a player whom Martin felt had the potential to go all the way to the top whilst the story of breaking the injury news to the later one which brought a lump to the the throat. We talked about the players v fans match. About secret 5.30am video filming in the Thames at Kew Bridge with a lad called Mark Chapman (never heard of him). And we talked a lot about Sam Sodje.

Oh my. You could probably write a book on that section alone. The tackles. The signing. Training with Deon Burton. His approach to opening letters from the council – and the carnage that almost ensued as a result. And I bet what was discussed don’t even begin to touch the sides. The recording of the session has gone live already – you can find it below c/o the GPG YouTube upload. Please do take a look as these words can’t even begin to do it justice.

Equally, there was honesty. Things that didn’t work out so well. Stephen Hunt. The move to Leicester City. Eastleigh. Yet as Martin also added, he doesn’t do hindsight. No regrets at all were evident. Just an engaging look back on all those things that had gone well. The smile on his face broad as we talked about Luton Town away (a game that , seemingly, everyone went to) . The deadpan humour evident and the twinkle in the eye there for all to see. 

Another game of ‘Celebrity Squares’ (albeit only one celebrity)

Thomas Frank is wonderful. I love how he is with the fans. How welcoming and open he is at all times. Yet for those of us of a certain age, to see Martin pull us up by the bootstraps and bring Brentford football club so close to the success we enjoy now was nothing short of incredible at the time. It all feels so fresh, even 15 years on. To hear it discussed in such open, engaging and, being honest, hilarious  detail by the very architect of the moment was nothing short of incredible.

Martin is unique. We all know that. I’m pretty sure he even ate a dog biscuit at one point late on in the session. We all worshipped him at the time. We all still love him now. Nothing can change or take away what he did. Nothing can replace that love he shared with us and vice-versa. It must be quite a special and rare feeling for an ex-manager to still be welcomed back with such open arms. Yet for him to talk through all this left a huge smile on the face. A quite wonderful feeling of well being at what is a quite awful time out there. The way he made every question feel so personal – not just in the answers given but the engagement with the person asking it. Nobody else mattered beyond you and him. And it was quite special.

The whole thing is here. ENJOY

Once again, huge thank to Trevor Inns and his GPG team for setting this up. It really was phenomenal fun. Even now, Sunday morning, I’m still smiling at the though of Sodje launching into a scissor kick or Martin dropping the F bombs at Harry Redknapp and co.     

There is talk of another one next Saturday. Good luck to whoever follows this, you’ve got one hell of a job to do ! 

Every ball was caught and kicked with us

Nick Bruzon

The videos that all fans need to see.

Time for the last knockings of the weekend. The residual fall out from a fine win for Brentford as our 3-2 defeat of Middlesbrough saw the Bees end the day smiling. With West Bromwich Albion beating Millwall at a windswept Millwall on Sunday lunchtime, The Baggies are starting to break clear at the top. They now sit four points clear of second placed Joy Division and six ahead of ourselves but has this win heaped further pressure on the Championship’s most emotionally fragile team ?

The man of the moment as we ended the day smiling

We’ll get there in a bit but first, Brentford. BBC Radio London were in attendance on Saturday , kind of, as they looked to kick off the first in a regular series of ‘fans perspective’ pieces on match day at our London clubs. The Bees got things going, yours truly was entrusted with camera duties and the results are now on line – you can see the film from the Middlesbrough game below. 

Bringing you A Fan’s Perspective!

Yesterday’s came from the Brentford v Middlesbrough game⚽️

Which team’s fans should we focus on next time? pic.twitter.com/hezSPqLe6T

— BBC London Sport (@BBCLondonSport) February 9, 2020

If BBC London were bigging us up, their Welsh counterparts are being left with egg on face after this video emerged. Kudos to Josh on Twitter for putting this up – 10 out of 10 for effort. 11 out of 10 on the tinpotometer.

#BrentfordFC pic.twitter.com/Exc2hTQMeN

— Josh🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (@JoshMann117) February 9, 2020

The other video doing the rounds was Said pulling off ‘that’ double nutmeg. No other words needed.

You know when you've been done (twice)#BrentfordFC pic.twitter.com/zzorLgby2F

— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) February 9, 2020

Whilst I’ve probably numbed you all into submission talking about #BeeTheAnnouncer, let’s not forget the hashtag that started them all  – #BeeTheDJ. I have no idea who was driving on Saturday but hats off for playing Killers by Iron Maiden. More, please. Let’s consider it a lucky omen.

 

Next up, The World Cup of Programme Covers.  Having edged past the Tranmere Rovers stripper, Brentford 4000 is now up in as tough a tie as they come. We now face the awesome Donnie Gillies of Bristol City. Featured having  made a brief detour via the costume shop en-route to Ashton Gate.

Bristol City will provide formidable opposition

I can only see the neutral vote heading towards the West Country rather than West London ( I would ) but if you want to see us live to fight another day then you know what to do and can vote for Brentford here (I have).

So game 56 of the 2020 World Cup of Programme Covers

Who wins?

— Miles McClagan (@TheSkyStrikers) February 9, 2020

Finally, West Bromwich Albion. Having beaten Millwall at lunchtime, has this now cranked up the pressure on Leeds even further? Rather than them being able to fight for either of the two ‘automatic’ spots available, is it now a foregone conclusion that West Brom will go up and only a single spot left open?  

We all know how Leeds go under the slightest of psychological pressure, so whilst my preference would have been to see the Lions roar today, there may be an unexpected bonus in West Brom picking up the points. Roll on Tuesday when we find out….

Nick Bruzon

Could it actually happen? Carry on like this and just about anything is possible.

After a while you begin to run out of ways to praise this team. Perhaps the simplest way is by looking at the league placings. Brentford remain fifth but our 3-2 defeat of Middlesbrough means we are now just three points off West Bromwich Albion at the top of the table and two behind second placed Leeds United (fell apart. Again. Nottingham Forest their latest conquerors). With the Elland Road outfit next up at Griffin Park, on Tuesday night, footballing life in TW8 is about as thrilling as it can get.

This one passed me by in a blur of emotion. Of excitement. Of exhilaration and joy. But also of slight angst, if we’re being honest with each other. At least, towards the end where Ollie Watkins’ late, late winner was then put under potential threat by the additional time added on – ironically for much of Boro’s running down the clock. Certainly, goalkeeper Aynsley Pears who seemed to have borrowed Brice Samba’s watch as he pushed things to the letter of the law in the second half to try and steer his side home. Alas, for the Boro, it was all in vain.  

Prior to this, Brentford had begun in dominant form. Middlesbrough allowing us more room to play than previous incarnations. Ahh, the darks days of Karanka and Pulis nothing but a distant memory for The Bees. Instead, we had two teams playing to win but Brentford the ones with their noses in front. Josh Dasilva saw one scooped off the line somehow before Julian Jeanvier opened proceedings. His shot eventually being deemed to have breached the Middlesbrough defences thanks to the joy of goal-line technology. It was a somewhat belated celebration as it suddenly dawned on us that a goal had, indeed, been given. Who cares? They all count ! 

And then things went bonkers in the second half. A spell of little over five minutes saw Lewis Wing equalise from distance through a crowded box. Nooooo. Urgh. Fear not. The Bees went straight back down the other and that man Mbeumo was on hand, with the help of a deflection, to leave Pears able to do little more than hold a conference with his defence over what had just happened. 

Punch followed punch followed punch. With Brentford supporters still eating the goal sweets bequeathed us by Mbeumo’s finish, Boro were back in control. This time, Ashley Fletcher was there to make it 2-2 after a brief consultation between linesman and referee. To a man Brentford appealed agasint this one, handball being the apparent offence, but the goal stood. 1-0 up on 58 had become 2-2 by the time the scoreboard flicked over to 63.

Another game, another goal. The Bees celebrate retaking the lead.Mbeumo, again

Stop. Pause for breath. Collective composure was restored as Brentford began knocking on the door once more. Benrahma having the best of the chances. Mbeumo, Dalsgaard and Dasilva intermingling down the Braemar time and again but nothing gave. One free kick from the sweetest spot in Saunders territory drifted just over. Yet,oddly, all around was calm. There was no stress from the usual suspects sitting around us whilst the ever wonderful Alex Austin, to our right was the epitome of restraint. This was one game where the officials, including the nearside lineman who seemed to think the pitch was his personal domain, would have benefited from some advice. But no – there was nothing (especially first half) beyond backing the Bees and waiting for something to happen.

And then it did. Mbeumo fed my man of the match, Christian Norgaard, who broke to the touchline and pulled it back for Ollie Watkins. Unmarked in the box, the Championship’s leading goalscorer made no mistake from eight yards out. Gettttttttt! Innnnnnnn!! Oh Ollie , you beauty. Griffin Park a cauldron of euphoria. An explosion of ecstasy and relief wrapped up in the sound of  ten thousand voices coming together. The players running to the touchline to celebrate with the fans and each other. Something that happened again 7(seven) minutes later once the stoppage time had been played out. Brentford controlling the ball and making what was, for the supporters, the stress of the occasion nothing more than a brief delay.

Celebrating that third . YESSS!!!

Oh, I love this club. I love Griffin Park. Harry’s cousin was there experiencing his first ever live football game and getting it all. The goals. The excitement. The hope. The result. The win. And then that wonderful, wonderful moment where Thomas and the team do their lap of honour. The close confines of our home allowing everyone the chance to get up close and personal in a way just not experienced anywhere else.

Words can’t describe the moment ; sometimes it’s easier to just let the photos do the talking instead. 

Only at Griffin Park…. Thank you Said x

Next up, Leeds United. That’s a column for another day. Of course there’s going to be more than enough to say about that one. For now, we’ll just keep it to the fact that (another) defeat means Tuesday is suddenly set up to be even bigger than could have been thought possible a few weeks ago. Put simply, a Brentford win means that 12 point gap will have been reeled in and the Whites overtaken. Should that happen I’m pretty sure we’all all dance to Joy Division as popular music’s The Wombats once encouraged us.

That’s to come. For now, though, one last thought about the game. Harry’s match review (which starts below on 19 seconds). In my opinion, this says more about what we did yesterday than any amount of words or nonsense yours truly can pour out. And, yes, I get I’m biased being his dad but you can’t knock the enthusiasm. And that’s all down to this club. To this team. To what is fast becoming a special, special moment. Could it actually happen? Carry on like we did on Saturday and just about anything is possible.

 

Nick Bruzon

Thomas has my vote as the stakes get ever higher.

Another game at Griffin Park, another win. Cardiff City the latest side to fall as Brentford picked up all three points in a 2-1 which, after seeming effortless and more a case of ‘how many?’, ended up being a bit of a nail biter as the visitors were allowed back into it courtesy of a quiet magnificent set piece routine. Credit where it is due. But with just about all other results going our way last night and everybody else drawing barring QPR who won at Birmingham City (that one really was Sophie’s Choice – other, cruder, metaphors may also apply) the gap to the play off places and Fulham in third – for now – got even tighter. With 21 games played, The Bees sit immediately outside the play-off zone and just two points behind the Cottagers.

It was a game which, as called in advance, featured the return of both Henrik Dalsgaard and Pontus Jansson. For the other nine it was the team which last ran out in from of the home fans  – ‘that’ scoreline against Luton Town – which started again. Meaning Ethan Pinnock retained his place alongside the enigmatic Swede rather than Julian Jeanvier. That said, JJ did put in an appearance in a late switch to three at the back that had Griffin Park gritting it’s collective teeth and all knowing ‘what happens’ when we move to last gasp defence. In this instance though, we held strong !

To be fair, it hadn’t felt remotely like getting to that buttock clenching stage for huge swathes of this one. Saïd and Mathias both coming close early with strong chances. How Jensen didn’t score remains a mystery, although Neil Etheridge in goal for the visitors will claim the credit as the midfielder found himself clean through but shot at the ‘keeper. 

It didn’t matter. With little over half the opening period gone, Saïd continued his one man torment of the Bluebirds and lined up Bryan Mbeumo for the opener. It had been coming all half in a game that was about as one way as they come. The Algerian working wonders and bamboozling defenders before cueing up his fellow wideman. 1-0. Game on, surely, game over ? Surely?

Goalscorer Mbeumo runs at Cardiff, again.

If there was any doubt it was put to bed immediately into the second period. Ollie Watkins glancing a header across the face of goal and past Etheridge. Whilst the cross had been delivered from the Braemar it was a move which had begun on the opposite flank, via the medium of a ….short corner. This is not a typo. This is not a drill. I repeat, a short corner. My word. One of them has actually worked. Of all the ironies and, perhaps, Brentford official did me a favour in electing not to print last night’s programme column (no idea, for those that asked but thank you) in which this most maligned of set pieces did get another mention.

We digress. With it, Ollie moves on up to 13 goals in the Championship charts. His strike made to look as effortless as any he has scored all season. It wasn’t, but that’s just how he rolls. Cool, calm and another one collected to add to his tally. That’s 3 behind Aleksandar Mitrovic at Fulham. If Saturday didn’t have enough frisson already, there is now an even more interesting sub-plot with this battle between two of the table’s top scorers.     

So that was it. Wasn’t it? 46 minutes gone. 2-0 Brentford. Cardiff not given a glance all game and the Bees still pushing. A home banker from this point onwards. Ah, if only football was that easy. We’ve all been here too many times to think there’s such a thing as a comfortable evening. Luton Town aside. Sure enough, we conspired to almost ‘do a Brentford’. Almost.

Referee John Brooks, so strong in the first half, suddenly went to ‘random mode’. It was as though he had been imbued with the spirit of Gavin Ward. The Bees sat back and Cardiff grew in confidence. Moreso after Marlon Pack absolutely leathered a free kick from distance just after the hour. The move had been a well worked one to stretch us but was then hit with all the accuracy and speed of a guided missile. David Raya had no chance. The away fans celebrated and the Bees wobbled. 

But if there was any doubt in the stands, there was none on pitch. Wave after wave of pressure was mopped up. The defence holding firm. The addition of Jeanvier not having the feared imbalance . Instead, we stayed tight. It wouldn’t have been my call, that’s for sure, but it’s why Thomas Frank is head coach and yours truly just writes nonsense in his spare time. It’s amazing to think about some of the ridiculous stick he was getting just a month or two ago. Just last weekend after the Sheffield Wednesday game. He’s a man with a plan and has his boys firing. Holding their nerve. Getting the win. Patience, and a bit of faith, people. It will be rewarded, as was proven last night.

Four minutes of additional time, stretched out by a head injury, were as angsty as they got but Cardiff shot themselves in the foot with a needless bit of foul play at the end and, with it, their moment was gone.  An oddly set up free kick, with the visitors not knowing whether to defend it or line up for a last gasp run at our goal, saw the clock run down. Brentford hung on to win a game that had felt so, so comfortable for so, so long. Neil Harris tasted defeat for the first time in his Bluebirds’ career. Brentford with another win under lights and with it the realisation that we only have two more ‘regular’ league games after dark  – the visits of Leeds United and West Brom. Enjoy these moments whilst you can.

There aren’t many of these to go…

 At the end of the day, Clive, the result is the only thing that counts when the final tally is counted up. It’s another three points for The Bees. The table ever tighter at the top. Brentford knowing that a win against Fulham on Saturday will take us above our neighbours. Their own back to back defeats all helping the chasing pack. Not that we needed any extra incentive for this one but, my word, if ever we needed any extra incentive then here it is.

All that’s to come. For now, the highlights are up and we can all catch our breath. Until the weekend……

 

Nick Bruzon

I missed a Columbo double bill for that…

What is there to say after a game that saw Brentford and Stoke City share the spoils from a 0-0 at Griffin Park? Well not much, and for no more reason that yours truly has been away this weekend so didn’t get a chance to see this one, barring via the medium of highlights. With the trip to Barnsley next up,  the ‘d’ word (disappointing’ rather than ‘deserved’, as in: to win) is the overall takeaway from this one after lining up against a team that had shipped 17 in their previous 7 league games. Instead of a form returning win against fragile looking opponents we had to be content with a draw. Let it never be said that Brentford aren’t generous hosts 😉 Yet when your own club start trolling themselves at full time, you know it’s one best consigned to the record books and, perhaps, in time we’ll remain grateful at keeping another clean sheet whilst actually climbing one place in the fledgling table.

Says it all….

Brentford ‘official’ weren’t the only ones left feeling despondent after a game in which Stoke City had really been expected to roll over and die. As we’ve said so many times, play the 11 in front of you, not the reputation. These are still early days in what is always a long season. It was a trap even this numpty fell into, predicting a hat full of goals before kick  off. Instead, the reaction on Twitter was almost universal

Scott James Whittart:  @miniwhits5 Referee was shit, both teams were shit. Cannot even think of a highlight to be shown on TV tonight.

Emma Briden : @EmmaBfc90 At least we won on possession AGAIN 

Mick Cabble: @mickcabble There are good nil nils and this wasn’t one of them both teams deserved nothing and were lucky to get nil for this stinker of a game  Bees slow and dry in front of goal it was a painful watch 

Tweet of the day, and perhaps the best summary, goes to Oh Fuffuxake! : @TheChauffeur_  He noted that: I missed a Columbo double bill for that shit.

Better than watching a turgid sounding stalemate

Bryneth Paltrow: @bryncurran God we were shite today – well, not  @WatfordFC shite – but shite nonetheless.

Scott James Whittart: @miniwhits5 Worst game of football I’ve seen in years!!

Met Police Brentford FC: @MPSBrentfordFC A game to forget for all spectators today at Griffin Park

Even ‘my good friend’ Ian Moose was present to offer his view on things although, not surprisingly, with no Neal Maupay to slag off they were more concerned with the state of Matthew Benham’s boardroom buffet (how did he get in?) rather than any real action.

As ever, perspective is required. From both Henrik Dalsgaard but first another supporter,  TonyCross @Lokster71. He opines:  Honestly, today’s #BrentfordFC performance was pretty poor but the panic talk of relegation is nonsense. “Oh, but Stoke will get better.” And we won’t? I’m the worst pessimist when it comes to football, but this talk makes me look like an American sales guru.

As for the World Cup’s Dalsgaard, of Brentford :  ‘I know it’s hard for the fans to hear this but I think it’s a positive that we’re more solid defensively, and I know the attacking part is going to pick up.’

The highlights are below. They are worth a look, if only for the save from David Raya following what we will politely call a mix up between Rico Henry and Pontus Jansson left Peter Etebo bearing down on goal with just the ‘keeper to poke it past. Instead, Raya was quick off his line to smother the ball and keep the Bees in a game that neither side looked able to win. How they’ve padded these out to over two minutes is a wonder to match the Spaniard’s save.

Enjoy, if you can, but don’t panic. The season is young. The team are strong. This really is a marathon not a sprint and things will come together. Starting at Barnsley on Sunday.

 

Nick Bruzon

An afternoon of domination but….

Charlton Athletic 1 Brentford 0. What I want to say after this one isn’t printable at present. Besides, those same thoughts have already been penned this morning for the match day programme ahead of Derby County visiting on Saturday. Albeit less sweary….!

It was more a case of striking when the opportunity presented itself. And since nobody wants duplication – least of all the editor – this is your lot for today. Pick up the magazine should you somehow have any interest in yours truly’s opinion on this result and the broader situation.

Not my words…. etc etc

 

We’ve all seen it now, anyway.  Over two and a half thousand travelling to The Valley by boat, tube and other means. And if not, the EFL highlights are here.

Very much a case of Shoulda Woulda Coulda at the death. Oh well. At least it gives an easy option if anyone is playing #BeeTheDJ at the Derby game.

Catch the action

If anyone fancies being the DJ..

Nick Bruzon

 

Could it have been any worse? Well, I’m smiling this morning.

What a night for Brentford fans. Simply magnificent. Twitter was awash with celebrations well into the small hours. Nothing to do with the performance at Swansea City, if one can even call it that, but more the fact that Fulham are down. Officially. They will now have to spend the last five games of the season being described as Fulham (R),  after their inevitable return to the Championship was confirmed at Watford. With Huddersfield Town already doomed, we now know two of the teams that we’ll be lining up against next time around. It’s just a shame that we’ve not been able to fulfil the opening part of the “Bees Up Fulham down” refrain, this time around. Woeful away form will do that to you though.

Watford administer the fatal blow

The magnificent post-Christmas run that saw us within sniffing distance of the top six has well and truly come to a halt. We’ve not scored in four games whilst away from Griffin Park have been on the wrong end of some pretty turgid performances. Last night’s obliteration by Swansea City had been preceded by the stinkfest at Wigan (0-0), a 1-0 home defeat to West Brom and the post Middlesbrough 2-0 loss at Sheffield United. That’s one point earned in four games where we’ve failed to trouble the scorers. To this we can now add the latest, a 3-0 battering at Swansea City that saw us a goal down within a minute and that lead then doubled in a first half which also saw the hosts hit the crossbar twice.

The ‘highlights’ are here if you can do it to yourself. Oh, those first two goals are awful. One has to feel for the fans who travelled for this.  And the players, although at least Thomas Frank recognised that they knew the level of under. His post-match interview was pulling no punches as he noted,  “We can lose. Ok, that’s football but I think the performance we put into the first half was under our normal standards. It was slightly better second half but first half is not good enough, no matter if you concede an early goal or not…we are definitely not satisfied with that and we need to sort it out as soon as possible”.

His interview, which you can see below went on to describe how we had played without intensity or belief. All well and good but why? Is it simply exhaustion as the squad, which has also seen Ryan Woods & Chris Mepham sold for many, many millions, is stretched to the very limits after a long season? Why have we had such a devastating contrast between home and away form? 

Thomas tells it like it is.

Let’s not forget how this season Griffin Park has borne witness to us scoring goals for fun and taking teams apart as easily as a kitten toying with a spider. Rotherham, Hull City and Blackburn Rovers (the latter two as recently as February) were all on the wrong end of five goal hauls. QPR were obliterated last month in a game where the most confusing factor was how we only managed three. The combination of Neal Maupay and Said Benrahma has fans purring like the aforementioned kitten, such has been the prolific nature of their form in recent months. 

So how does wonderful home form (mostly, let’s not linger on the visit from Swansea City where we were three down in about twenty minutes) translate to death on the road? I wish I knew. The second half at the Liberty Stadium in the FA Cup being about as horrific and shambolic as it has been.

That had seen us 1-0 up at HT and heading into the quarter-finals before the self-destruct button was hit and Luke Daniels was left scooping the ball out of his net four times. Five if you count the offside.

Swansea in the FA Cup wasn’t good.

That’s not to get on the back of the players or the management. The former are amongst the most exciting we’ve had in years. A team packed full of young internationals and goals, goals, goals. Mostly. Thomas, a wonderful orator and that rare quality of being a head-coach who tells it like it is rather than how he would like it to be (#deservedtowin) . How the fans see it. A man who exudes confidence and faith in his squad. We’ve a new stadium being built at Lionel Road, for which surely next season will see a big push in order to open preceding in the top flight. That, in itself, a quite outrageous thing for those of us a bit longer in the tooth it even be considering !

Ultimately, we’ve not blown £100m on players. Oh dear. We’ve not been divisional whipping boys. We’ve not had an owner who has felt compelled to argue with supporters on social media as to whether he attends games or performs unspeakable with dogs. 

For all that Fulham slipped into the Premiership last time around, they’ve dropped out as quickly as they entered. Noses very much bloodied, foam fingers wilting and clappers crushed. The coffers emptied and a third manager now in charge. Scott Parker unable to arrest the dreadful form seen under Claudio Ranieri who himself had been unable to arrest the dreadful form seen under Slaviša Jokanović. 

Swansea City may have ensured that it won’t be Bees up but Watford definitely pressed the button to make it Fulham down. The season has had plenty of smiles and despite our own performance last night, I’ve woken up with another one across my face.

Here’s to a few more against Frank Lampard’s Derby County ™ on Saturday. 

The season has still had plenty of smiles

Nick Bruzon

Quietest window in years still sees plenty of action – mostly off pitch with ‘that’ video.

It was less a case of the transfer window slamming shut (TM) and more one of it sliding gently to an imperceptible close. With Brentford concluding first team business once Chris Mepham had departed for Bournemouth last week, there was only the addition of B team striker Gustav Mogensen  from AGF Aarhus as the quietest deadline day since record began – probably – passed by with barely a flutter at Griffin Park. Albeit Nico Yennaris is as done a done deal as an unpublished deal can be – certainly going by Twitter rather than ‘official’. Dean Smith kept the Aston Villa cheque book under wraps as there was no last minute sortie for Neal, Romaine et al. And the video of the year has already been published – a quite wonderful riposte to those Birmingham City and Leeds United fans still moaning at the Bees. Yes. It WAS a penalty. And yes – it was an even ballsier reaction from Neal Maupay.

Embed from Getty Images

 

First up, deadline day. The squad remains largely intact. Great news for a team with the opportunity to embark on a quite wonderful FA Cup run and push for a fifth successive top ten finish in the Championship. Or beyond? What it means for the summer window  is another question of course but with our last full season at Griffin Park approaching, a push for the top ahead of the move to Lionel Road must be in the thinking.

The only real headlines about the in-door swinging, Gustav aside, were made with the announcement of our new chief executive Jon Varney. As one Braemar Road observer noted, “At least they didn’t troll us with an ‘incoming‘ message on Twitter. You can get the full facts on Jon, here.

Our new CEO

For now though, we know who will be on pitch at Brentford. There was no late swoop from Aston Villa or, if there had been, it was repelled with barely a whisper. Fan favourite Neal Maupay remains a Bee which is wonderful news. The progression he has shown this season has been quite magnificent. There are the goals, of course, but also the passion and the balls. Finally, a penalty taker who doesn’t choke when looking into the eyes of the goalkeeper.

But then his reaction after scoring at Leeds United shows you all you need to know about his mentality and his guts. Sure, perhaps things can spill over at times but this young man is still only 22 years old. More games and more experience will help control that. Possibly. Although at the end of the day, Clive, who wants a neutered lion?

The one thing you can be sure of is that at one point Neal will move on. That’s football. That’s the Brentford model. If nothing else, the ‘one club player’ is about as rare as unicorn poo these days. Hopefully his eventual departure will be later rather than sooner, with The Bees firmly ensconced in the top flight and our name inscribed on the FA Cup.

Could his long term replacement have already arrived? Brentford official describe 17 year old Gustav as “An impressively tall and imposing front man for a player of his age, Gustav is a member of the Denmark Under-18 national team, following in the footsteps of fellow B Team players Nikolaj Kirk, Mads Bech Sorensen and Luka Racic.” He has an impressive tally of U-16 and U-19 appearances already notched into his metaphorical bedpost. You can read that one in full on ‘official’ .

Unicorn poop – rare

The list of those who did exit was published last night and contained five names: Alan Judge (Ipswich), Chris Mepham (Bournemouth), Ryan Woods (Stoke City), Josh Clarke (Burton Albion – loan) and Reece Cole (Macclesfield Town – loan). Missing from that group was Nico Yennaris, who published his own farewell message on social media aswell as updating his own profile picture to show him now signed for Chinese super league club Beijing Guoan.

He told supporters: “I would like to say a big thank you to @BrentfordFC and all the staff for the last 5 years. It’s a special club with amazing fans and I’ve enjoyed every minute. So many great memories with the Club which will stay with me forever. Good luck for the rest of the season” .

As Matthew Benham responded with a simple “Best of luck Nico, thanks for everything” rather than any comment about him still being signed at Griffin Park, this one would seem to merely be waiting for ‘official’ to swing into action. Quite probably with a showreel of blockbuster goals. Fingers crossed that comes soon. If nothing else the piledriver at Birmingham City can’t be seen enough times.

And finally, ‘that’ video. The Barnet game seems to have stirred up our divisional rivals a tad. With Leeds United fans still moaning about our penalty  and performance back in October,  supporter Tom Ritchie has put this incredible compilation together. It really is a work of art.

Whilst the Bees are still better placed than holier-than-thou Leeds United and Birmingham City in the divisional fairplay table, who doesn’t love it when we get our claws out. Rules are there to be broken every now and then. Aren’t they…?

As people are still crying over Watkins' dive, I thought this was appropriate

Brentford FC 18/19: Stamps, Dives and Scumbaggery Compilation. Enjoy 😂 pic.twitter.com/kyqwMEBMZq

— Tom (@TRitchie98) January 31, 2019

Nick Bruzon