Its become the 'in' thing in football.
To kill off any managers contract if you don't get instant success. That, in essence, is the hypocrisy as that is precisely the reason why Andy Scott kept his post as Brentford manager after only taking over temporarily.
When Andy Scott took over a Brentford side that had been ravaged by Terry Butcher's reign of terror, he had very little at his disposal. He picked up the pieces of a depleted side and gave them a respectable finish in League Two after half a season of what can only be described as relegation quality football. With Terry Butcher a distant memory, after that season Andy Scott began the task of building his own squad after being given the managerial post full time.
The season that followed was so opposite from the tepid previous season that it caught me, and many other Bee's fans off guard. Bringing in quality players such as Charlie MacDonald and heroic goalkeeper of our 2009 season Ben Hamer, we actually managed a great home record, losing one home game all season. Not to mention the small fact that we won the League Two title as well. A great season all round and an amazing trophy celebration capped off what can only be described as a truly memorable year.
The 2009/2010 season started off well, with a 3-1 win away from home at Carlisle, with new signing Myles Weston scoring a brace. The loan signing of man-mountain Wojciech Szczesny, provided a stable stand in goal, and Brentford out-performed many of their League One counterparts, finishing a respectable 9th place.
Now, after two seasons of over-performing, people expect us to be world beaters. I want to know what it is that Andy Scott has done wrong to make people lose faith in him. Was it reaching the fourth round of the Carling Cup, beating the likes of Hull City and Everton along the way? Was it the fact that as of writing, we are in the Southern Section semi-final of the Johnson's Paint Trophy? People complain that Scott spent more money on players this season than any other manager of Brentford in the last decade, but, as Manchester City will tell you, money doesn't buy success. And so what if he spent money? After doing such a great job I think he deserved to.
My point to all of this is, that before you go pointing the finger of doom at managers, especially one as talented as Andy Scott, just remember who got you there in the first place. He managed to get us a 9th place finish last year, and on that merit alone, I believe him to be the man to take Brentford FC forward.
Monday, 22 November 2010
Wednesday, 27 October 2010
One Minute From History.
Tuesday 26th October 2010 won't really be remembered for anything in particular to most football fans. For Brentford fans, it could have been the most special day in their history. Alas, it was not to be.
A friend of mine asked me if I was gutted with the result coming from the Carling Cup last 16 game between Birmingham City and Brentford. I simply replied "not really". For obvious reasons, I had no need to be upset. But I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little deflated.
As I sat at home keeping an eye on my iPhone's Sky Sports Football Centre app, I did get a real shot of adrenaline when I saw that Sammy Wood had powered home a 15 yard volley past home goalkeeper Maik Taylor of previous Fulham fame. Then came the sweaty palms. The nervous twitches and constant staring at my phone caused my fiancée to give me a concerned stare down for much of the evening. As the ticker ran closer to the 90 minute mark, I actually began envisioning my front room celebrations, of which would probably fall on deaf ears as my future wife doesn't follow football in the slightest. That was cut short when Kevin Phillips broke Brentford hearts in the second minute of injury time to seal extra time, and ultimately, the fate of the tie.
I figured that during the 30 minutes that followed, if we could hold out, there would be a fair chance of us getting through the penalty shootout, much like we did against Everton, but again the heroic nature of Birmingham's Maik Taylor lead them to victory 4-3.
Bee's fans should be very proud of the teams cup run this year. It may be seen as the worthless cup to many of the countries top Premier League teams, but for the little people in the lower leagues, it is a great way to gain some national exposure, and for a club like Brentford, it was exactly what we needed. Andy Scott and his men should be extremely proud of their run this year, and to the naysayers who called for Scott's axe a mere four games ago, this is all the proof you need to show you that Andy Scott is the right man to take Brentford forward.
A friend of mine asked me if I was gutted with the result coming from the Carling Cup last 16 game between Birmingham City and Brentford. I simply replied "not really". For obvious reasons, I had no need to be upset. But I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little deflated.
As I sat at home keeping an eye on my iPhone's Sky Sports Football Centre app, I did get a real shot of adrenaline when I saw that Sammy Wood had powered home a 15 yard volley past home goalkeeper Maik Taylor of previous Fulham fame. Then came the sweaty palms. The nervous twitches and constant staring at my phone caused my fiancée to give me a concerned stare down for much of the evening. As the ticker ran closer to the 90 minute mark, I actually began envisioning my front room celebrations, of which would probably fall on deaf ears as my future wife doesn't follow football in the slightest. That was cut short when Kevin Phillips broke Brentford hearts in the second minute of injury time to seal extra time, and ultimately, the fate of the tie.
I figured that during the 30 minutes that followed, if we could hold out, there would be a fair chance of us getting through the penalty shootout, much like we did against Everton, but again the heroic nature of Birmingham's Maik Taylor lead them to victory 4-3.
Bee's fans should be very proud of the teams cup run this year. It may be seen as the worthless cup to many of the countries top Premier League teams, but for the little people in the lower leagues, it is a great way to gain some national exposure, and for a club like Brentford, it was exactly what we needed. Andy Scott and his men should be extremely proud of their run this year, and to the naysayers who called for Scott's axe a mere four games ago, this is all the proof you need to show you that Andy Scott is the right man to take Brentford forward.
Thursday, 29 July 2010
Pre-Season Nears It's End!
Well, it doesn't really feel like league football has been gone during the end of season break.
After a dismal summer in South Africa, most football fans now return to their respective teams and get ready to embark on another season of thrills and spills. For Brentford, this is no different.
After a truly excellent first year back in League One after two seasons at the bottom rung of league football, Brentford are looking to advance in League One, and Andy Scott has injected some well needed new blood into the first team. Nicky Forster has made his return to Brentford FC after 13 years away from the club, and at 36, will look to help in whatever way he can as a utility striker. Forster made a total of 121 appearances during his first tenure at Griffin Park before leaving to join Birmingham City.
Another new face in the first team spent the end of last season on loan with the Bee’s and impressed Andy Scott so much, that he signed him to a three-year deal. Toumani Diagouraga made only 21 starts for then-Championship side Peterborough before his loan-cum-full time spell at Brentford. The young midfielder will settle right in at Griffin Park, and being 6ft 2inchs tall, he will add a new dimension to the Bee’s attack going forward.
Defender David McCracken and former Watford goalkeeper Richard Lee have also been brought in to boost Brentford’s defensive line. McCracken will likely start alongside Brentford favourite Kevin O’Connor, where as Richard Lee will be fighting to fill the void that Wojciech Szczesny left after returning to Arsenal following his very successful run at the club.
Brentford’s pre-season didn’t get off to the best start, their first pre-season game was against a manager-less Fulham side for Kevin O’Connor’s testimonial on July 14th, where the new look Bee’s side were hammered 5-0 by a simply brilliant Fulham side who at times passed their opposition to death. Tonbridge Angels were next on the agenda, and a 0-0 bore draw meant that Brentford still hadn’t scored. On July 20th, Griffin Park hosted recently relegated Wycombe Wonderers, and a better performance by the team was praised by Andy Scott, although the final score finished 1-1. Another loss in the pre-season next as the Bee’s went down to an eager Staines Town side 3-2, but in taking positives out of the game, the team were now scoring more, and confidence in front of goal was starting to pick up. Myles Weston and Nicky Forster were the heroes against Woking on July 27th, as between them they netter three goals (Weston got a brace, Forster scored one and set up one) in a 4-0 rout of the Blue Square South side.
Pre-season is mostly about fitness, and it is never an accurate way of looking at how a team is going to perform come the start of the season, as we saw last year when Newcastle were thumped 7-1 by Leyton Orient in pre-season and went on to roaring success in the Championship. Brentford will go to Carlisle on August 7th and aim to repeat the feat of last years 3-1 opening day win, but, with Andy Scott leading the way, Brentford have everything they need to mount a serious challenge for promotion.
After a dismal summer in South Africa, most football fans now return to their respective teams and get ready to embark on another season of thrills and spills. For Brentford, this is no different.
After a truly excellent first year back in League One after two seasons at the bottom rung of league football, Brentford are looking to advance in League One, and Andy Scott has injected some well needed new blood into the first team. Nicky Forster has made his return to Brentford FC after 13 years away from the club, and at 36, will look to help in whatever way he can as a utility striker. Forster made a total of 121 appearances during his first tenure at Griffin Park before leaving to join Birmingham City.
Another new face in the first team spent the end of last season on loan with the Bee’s and impressed Andy Scott so much, that he signed him to a three-year deal. Toumani Diagouraga made only 21 starts for then-Championship side Peterborough before his loan-cum-full time spell at Brentford. The young midfielder will settle right in at Griffin Park, and being 6ft 2inchs tall, he will add a new dimension to the Bee’s attack going forward.
Defender David McCracken and former Watford goalkeeper Richard Lee have also been brought in to boost Brentford’s defensive line. McCracken will likely start alongside Brentford favourite Kevin O’Connor, where as Richard Lee will be fighting to fill the void that Wojciech Szczesny left after returning to Arsenal following his very successful run at the club.
Brentford’s pre-season didn’t get off to the best start, their first pre-season game was against a manager-less Fulham side for Kevin O’Connor’s testimonial on July 14th, where the new look Bee’s side were hammered 5-0 by a simply brilliant Fulham side who at times passed their opposition to death. Tonbridge Angels were next on the agenda, and a 0-0 bore draw meant that Brentford still hadn’t scored. On July 20th, Griffin Park hosted recently relegated Wycombe Wonderers, and a better performance by the team was praised by Andy Scott, although the final score finished 1-1. Another loss in the pre-season next as the Bee’s went down to an eager Staines Town side 3-2, but in taking positives out of the game, the team were now scoring more, and confidence in front of goal was starting to pick up. Myles Weston and Nicky Forster were the heroes against Woking on July 27th, as between them they netter three goals (Weston got a brace, Forster scored one and set up one) in a 4-0 rout of the Blue Square South side.
Pre-season is mostly about fitness, and it is never an accurate way of looking at how a team is going to perform come the start of the season, as we saw last year when Newcastle were thumped 7-1 by Leyton Orient in pre-season and went on to roaring success in the Championship. Brentford will go to Carlisle on August 7th and aim to repeat the feat of last years 3-1 opening day win, but, with Andy Scott leading the way, Brentford have everything they need to mount a serious challenge for promotion.
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