Brentford v Ipswich Town
Saturday 8th August 2015 – 15:00
Griffin Park
Opening Thought – Jamma
Hands up who else can’t quite believe how quickly the new season has come around! It obviously helped (if I can put it that way) that our 2014/15 campaign was extended by a couple of weeks but the impending close season, as always, loomed like a vast desert, with the Women’s World Cup as the only oasis of competitive football to sate us ahead of August. Since the fixtures came out in mid-June, though, the opening day of 2015/16 seems to have borne down on us faster than a full-speed Daryl Murphy chasing down the last defender!
On balance, there has been enough of a break to allow players and supporters to get over the ultimate disappointment of our play-off campaign, while not being so long for us to forget just what a successful season we enjoyed last time out. There will inevitably be disappointment at the way in which our promotion challenge was halted but we mustn’t overlook all the endeavour and quality that got us there in the first place. Going in to our first match of the new campaign, against another of the league’s surprise top six contenders from 2014/15, questions will be asked about the dreaded ‘play-off hangover’. We won’t have a definitive answer to whether this will affect us until ten games or so into the season but all of the signs coming out of the camp are positive.
Mick McCarthy has recently been quoted as saying that he is happier with the look of his squad than he was this time last year, and there is a lot of evidence to back him up in this assertion. The headline news of the summer from Portman Road was the sale of our latest ‘Best Left-Back in the Championship™’, Tyrone Mings. But the promising Jonas Knudsen arrives with a wealth of experience and the opportunity to make that position his own. With £8 million + two of Bournemouth’s title winners coming the other way, the general consensus is that this was a very good deal for Ipswich Town.
The last time the Blues made such a big-money sale, in the shape of Connor Wickham’s departure in 2011, the disappointment was heightened by the distinct lack of talent coming through the ranks to take his place. Fast-forward four years and the Academy prospects are looking a lot brighter. McCarthy has been quick to praise the youngsters who have featured in pre-season, even going as far as to say that he is happy with the options available beyond his first-choice back four, in Josh Emmanuel, Myles Kenlock and Josh Yorweth. Further forward, there is the exciting potential of Kundai Benyu as well as the seemingly rejuvenated Alex Henshall, Paul Connolly and Adam McDonnell, who are all expected to make an impact in their second seasons at the club.
For the first time in ages, we have some genuine options in the wide positions, with Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Ryan Fraser both looking like being astute season-long additions, and Larsen Touré also coming in to the equation. Giles Coke is another who has earnt a permanent deal following a successful trial, and will provide competition in the middle of the park. Finally, we seem to be spoilt for choice at both ends of the pitch. Bartosz Bialkowski and Dean Gerken are each staking a claim to start between the sticks, with Mick saying that he has ‘two number ones’ to choose between. But it is up front where our strength really appears to lie, with Brett Pitman and a fit again David McGoldrick competing against last season’s prolific duo of Daryl Murphy and Freddie Sears for a starting place.
I’m sure none of us can wait for the first whistle to blow at Griffin Park on Saturday as it is, but I hope I’ve helped whet your appetite even more for the action-packed, edge-of-your-seat, nerve-shredding nine months to come...!
The Opposition – Brentford
Founded on 10 October 1889, at the Oxford and Cambridge Hotel in Brentford, where a meeting was held, between the members of the Brentford Rowing Club, to decide between association football or rugby union, to serve as a winter pursuit for the rowing club and its members. As a result of a vote, by 8 votes to 5, taken 6 days later, association football was successful as the sport to partake in.
The football club started out playing its home matches at the Clifden House Ground in Brentford, from November 1889 to March 1892.
In October 1892, Benn's Field in Little Ealing was the club's new home. The football club decided to move nearer to Brentford and in December 1894 they moved to Shotter's and stayed there until April 1898. Due to high rent increases, the club were once again forced to move on, so in September 1898 the club moved to the Cross Roads Ground, in Little Ealing, and this was used until April 1900.
As the club grew, Boston Park Cricket Ground, in York Road, Brentford, was then used from September 1900 to April 1904. Finally, in January 1904, the club agreed a 21-year lease on an orchard. The clearance of the orchard, over 200 trees, and the levelling of the land took several months. Griffin Park, as it became known, was now ready for use as a football ground after banking was raised along three sides of the ground and an enclosure, moved from their previous ground, was erected.
In 1920, Brentford became a founder member of the Third Division South. During the late 1920s and 1930s, the club began to make real progress. In the 1929–30 season, the side won all 21 of its home matches in the Third Division South, but still missed out on promotion. They are the last of six teams in English football to amass a perfect home record, and the only one to do so over a season of 42 matches or more. After several more near-misses, promotion to the Second Division was finally achieved in 1932–33.
Two years later, Brentford reached the First Division and finished 5th in their debut season, which is still the club's highest ever league finish.
The club was relegated in the first season after the War, and a downward spiral set in, culminating in relegation to the Third Division in 1953–54 and the Fourth Division in 1961–62. In the process, Brentford became the first team to play the other ninety-one clubs in league football.
The survival of Brentford FC was threatened by a projected takeover by Queens Park Rangers in the late 1960s, a bid that was only narrowly averted with an emergency loan of £104,000.
The club continued to yo-yo between the third and fourth divisions during the next three decades. The club won promotion in 1962–63, 1971–72 and 1977–78 but only on the final occasion was it able to consolidate its place in English football's third tier.
After a 45-year absence, Brentford were promoted back to the Second Division (renamed the First Division with the advent of the Premier League in 1992) in the 1991–92 season, as Third Division champions, though they were relegated again the following year.
There followed several seasons of the club narrowly missing out on promotion via the play-offs.
The club were then relegated to the Third Division (by then the bottom division of the Football League) the following year. Brentford won promotion as champions again in 1998–99.
Former BBC Director-General and Bees fan Greg Dyke was announced as chairman of Brentford on 20 January 2006 as part of the takeover by Bees United, the Brentford Supporters Trust.
Brentford were relegated to Football League Two in April 2007.
On 25 April 2009, Brentford sealed the League Two championship under the management of former player Andy Scott. Scott's excellent first calendar year in charge was recognised with an award, the BBC London 'Manager of the Year 2008'. Scott was also awarded the League Two Manager of the Month award for April/May 2009.
At the end of the 2011/12 season, in which the Club finished 9th in League One, missing out on the play-offs by 6 points, the club's supporters voted to sell the entire club's shareholding to supporter-investor Matthew Benham.
The 2012–13 season saw Brentford go on an FA Cup run, taking holders Chelsea to a fourth round replay, and mount a promotion challenge, missing out on automatic promotion on the final day of the season before losing the play-off final to Yeovil Town.
On 25 June 2013, Cliff Crown was elected Chairman of Brentford Football Club.
On 18 April 2014, Brentford were promoted to the Championship after they beat Preston 1–0 at Griffin Park in front of 10,774 people, sparking a pitch invasion. This meant The Bees' return to the second tier after a 21-year absence.
Last season, they impressed and finished one place ahead of Town in the final table, in 5th, before being knocked out in the play-off semi- finals by Middlesbrough.
One To Watch – Harlee Dean
A large part of the Bees’ success on their return to the second tier was down to their attacking prowess, with the talents of Alex Pritchard and Ramallo Jota in particular focus. With Pritchard having returned to Tottenham, and teams likely to be more alert to their threat going forward this time around, there will be an onus on the defence to tighten up in 2015/16. A lot of the responsibility will be shouldered by dependable centre-back Harlee Dean.
The recently turned 24-year-old arrived at Griffin Park in November 2011, joining on an initial loan deal from Southampton having failed to break into their first team. After becoming an ever-present from January until the end of that campaign, he signed a permanent contract ahead of 2012/13. He carried on where he had left off, racking up 50 appearances by that November and being named captain for a Johnstone’s Paint Trophy tie against Southend the following month. After agreeing a new three-year contract in the summer of 2013, Dean went on to become an integral part of the side that won automatic promotion to the Championship. As a regular fixture in the back four of a consistent team selection, he excelled alongside James Tarkowski as the Bees confounded all predictions last season.
The Gaffer – Marinus Dijkhuizen
A striker, Dijkhuizen spent the majority of his 14-year professional career in the top two divisions of Dutch football, most notably with two spells at both S.B.V. Excelsior and SC Cambuur. He was a part of the SC Cambuur team which secured promotion to the Eredivisie in the 1997–98 season and later played top-flight football with FC Utrecht. He had a loan spell with Scottish Premier League side Dunfermline Athletic during the 2000–01 season. He retired at the end of the 2008–09 season after a player-coach spell at hometown club 's-Gravenzande SC.
In 2008, Dijkhuizen took up a coaching role at Eerste Klasse side 's-Gravenzandse SV, the club where he began his career. He left the club in 2009.
During the 2012–13 Eredivisie season, Dijkhuizen worked as a striker coach at former side FC Utrecht.
Dijkhuizen began his managerial career with Eerste Klasse Saturday club VV Montfoort in 2009. He led the side to two successive promotions in the 2009–10 and 2010–11 seasons, taking the club to the Topklasse. He departed at the end of the 2011–12 season.
Dijkhuizen signed a two-year contract with Derde Klasse Sunday side VV De Meern in January 2012. After officially starting work on 1 July 2012, he managed the club until December 2013.
On 1 January 2014, Dijkhuizen was announced as manager of Eerste Divisie side S.B.V. Excelsior on a deal running until the end of the 2013–14 season. Starting out in seventh position in the table, Dijkhuizen encouraged the side to be more attacking. Dijkhuizen's arrival helped fire the Kralingers to third place in the table and promotion to the Eredivisie, after an aggregate victory over RKC Waalwijk in the play-offs.
The club endured a difficult 2014–15 season in the top-flight, finishing one place above the relegation zone. Dijkhuizen departed the club in May 2015, despite having signed a new two-year contract in December 2014.
On 1 June 2015, Dijkhuizen was announced as head coach of English Championship side Brentford, replacing Mark Warburton. He installed former SC Cambuur teammate Roy Hendriksen as his assistant.
Past Match - Video Highlights - Trev
Here’s a chance to relive the highlights from a memorable Boxing Day, on our last trip to this part of West London:
Trev's Trivia
Players to feature for both clubs:
Tommy Smith ITFC 2007-present Brentford (loan) 2010
Jay Tabb ITFC 2013-present Brentford 2000-2006
Billy Clarke ITFC 2005-2009 Brentford (loan) 2009
Scott Barron ITFC 2004-2007 Brentford 2012-2014
Media Watch - K L Blue
If you have time, this article from The Boot Room provides a good overview of where we are at heading into the new season:
http://tbrfootball.com/ipswich-town-punching-weight/
Stat Time
Head To Head
Brentford Wins......................1 (11.11%)
Ipswich Town Wins.................5 (55.56%)
Draws.................................3 (33.33%)
Brentford Goals....................8 (ave. 0.89 per match)
Ipswich Town Goals...............19 (ave. 2.11 per match)
Head To Head at Brentford
Brentford Wins......................1 (25.00%)
Ipswich Town Wins.................2 (50.00%)
Draws.................................1 (25.00%)
Brentford Goals.....................6 (ave. 1.50 per match)
Ipswich Town Goals................9 (ave. 2.25 per match)
Marko's Caption Contest
See what funny captions you can come up with for this picture of Brentford’s mascots, ‘Buzz’ and ‘Buzzette’:
The Predicted Teams
Brentford
The Bees’ line-up isn’t likely to feature too many changes from the side that went down to Middlesbrough in the play-offs back in May.
27 David Button
10 Moses Odubajo
6 Harlee Dean
26 James Tarkowski
3 Jake Bidwell
14 Marcos Tébar
20 Toumani Diagouraga
28 Nico Yennaris
18 Alan Judge
23 Ramallo Jota
19 Andre Gray
Ipswich Town
Jonny Parr is struggling with a thigh injury so Josh Emmanuel could be handed his competitive debut, having impressed in a number of pre-season outings. It will be particularly interesting to see which combination Mick goes for up front...
33 Bartosz Bialkowski
29 Josh Emmanuel
4 Luke Chambers
5 Tommy Smith
3 Jonas Knudsen
7 Ainsley Maitland-Niles
8 Cole Skuse
27 Teddy Bishop
14 Ryan Fraser
9 Daryl Murphy
20 Freddie Sears
Match Referee – David Coote
Final Thought – Jamma
In many people’s minds, this is the best part of the season. After being starved of meaningful football for 3 months, that familiar feeling of nervous anticipation leading up to 3.00pm on a Saturday is back. But it isn’t just the pre-kick-off excitement and the glorious weather which invariably seems to accompany the opening weekend that makes this time of the year so special. With all 24 Championship clubs starting on a level footing, this is the one stage of the season when we all have equal aspirations of promotion. Football fans up and down the country will be saying to themselves ‘This is our year’, and the Blue Army are no different. As the longest-serving club in the second tier, this is a refrain that we have become all too used to hearing at Ipswich Town. But, whereas all the pre-season optimism would have dissipated within the first month of the campaign under previous regimes, we have genuine cause for confidence heading into 2015/16. Mick McCarthy and Terry Connor have built a team that has steadily progressed season on season. With this improvement in league position has come a gradual increase in the quality of the squad, which has been developed rather than completely overhauled following our best season in a decade. Maybe I’m guilty of getting swept up in all the excitement but this really could be our year…!
The fixture computer once again hasn’t disappointed, as it has thrown together last season’s two losing play-off semi-finalists on the opening day. While this will have little bearing on Saturday’s events, the match-up provides an intriguing clash between two of the surprise packages from 2014/15 who will be looking to go one better this time. We have seen a mixed bag in pre-season, with a comprehensive victory in Ireland followed by an entertaining 7-goal thriller against our friends from Fortuna. Erratic results domestically were wrapped up by a creditable draw against an impressive FC Utrecht. Mick McCarthy has given some idea of his first-choice XI but he wouldn’t be Mick without that unpredictability that we have come to know and love! Don’t rule out seeing a surprise inclusion from our host of promising youngsters, or maybe even a last-minute new signing… Brentford also provide something of an unknown quantity, coming off the back of their best campaign in living memory but having replaced the man who masterminded their success with a Dutch coach who is an advocate of the ‘Moneyball’ approach. The packed-out away end will no doubt be dreaming of a repeat of our last trip to Griffin Park, when a 4-2 win on Boxing Day sent us temporarily to the top of the table. A repeat of that result – and league position at this early stage of the season – will be very welcome indeed!
BRENTFORD 1 IPSWICH TOWN 2
nice.