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

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Beam me up, Scotty. Kit mystery solved

After all the excitement of Germany and Liechtenstein, it was back to normal on the International front last night. England and Gibraltar both lost (Netherlands and Latvia respectively) but, as ever, that really isn’t the focus. And a bit closer to home Griffin Park rocked to the sound of a 4-2 win for the Brentford development squad.

But we start at Wembley and, primarily, the England game. After the horror show of ‘that away kit’ in Berlin against Germany, we were treated to the first outing of the new ‘home’ version. Please note: your definition of treated may vary from Nike’s.

Wow. Having seen the press release shots, nothing could prepare us for just quite how bad this was in action. Whilst the figure hugging look sits fine on professional athletes, I fear for the ‘man in the pub’. But it wasn’t even that, the colour scheme is just vomit inducing.

Those lurid red socks, the blue stripe down the side and,of course, those bonkers coloured sleeves. Clearly part of the current Nike template, I was thinking that had it been available in long sleeves then the shirt would have looked like an offset from TV’s Space: 1999 (kids, ask your parents).

Did England take kit inspiration from Space: 1999?

But, no. It wasn’t Gerry Anderson’s under-rated sci-fi classic where they seem to have taken inspiration from. Talking to one terrace wag about this theory, he then put another one to me.

Forget Moonabse Alpha, think Captain Kirk (and this wasn’t a reference to Wayne Rooney’s dodgy hairpiece). The new England shirt looked like it had been beamed straight off the set of 1979’s Star Trek:The Motion Picture.

I’m all for modern shirts looking like something from the 1970s. Any reader of the ‘kit obsessive’ articles in the Brentford match day programme will be aware of this. Likewise, and much to Mrs Bruzon’s chagrin, I’m partial to the odd bit of TV nerdery.

But whilst the thought of combining the two might seem like music to the ears, in reality it is a complete car crash of a kit. The England supporter’s band of shirt design, if you will.

Dodgy hair; dodgy kits. Star Trek: The Motion Picture

And talking of football’s most unwelcome guests, the off-key parping and stale trumpets were back again last night. Blah. The regular reader knows the drill by now – I’ll spare you another rant on there being more atmosphere on the moon than listening to moribund renditions of ‘The Great Escape’.

Dear FA. Nobody cares. They add nothing. They aren’t wanted. They wallow in delusions of self-importance. If you must inflict this horrible mess on us (kit) at least spare us a second and ‘ban the band’ for the Euros.

As for a final thought on the game last night, did ITV encourage us to “Gamble responsibly, drink recklessly?” The quote from the commentary team, just moments into the second half, seemed loud and clear to me. I know being sat next to Glenn Hoddle and forced to listen to ‘that band’ would be enough to turn you to drink but was this really sage advice to be handing out?

Still, all this is small fry compared to the action from Griffin Park earlier in the afternoon where the Brentford development squad had swept aside Barnsley 4-2. It was a comprehensive performance from the youngsters who, being honest, could really have inflicted brackets on their opponents – such was the level of our domination.

But to complain about only scoring four goals would be trite. It was just nice to get that winning feeling back at Griffin Park after what has been a particularly bleak 2016. Nathan Fox hit a sweet strike to follow up Bradley Clayton’s first half brace whilst Herson Alves hit the pick of the bunch with a curling beauty that put one in mind of a certain Alan Judge.

And on a personal note, a huge thank you to Mark Devlin and the Brentford family. Whilst yours truly was more than happy with the result, somebody else was chuffed to bit with a special appearance from Buzz.

THANK YOU

Buzz does his thing in a special guest appearance

Nick Bruzon