Brentford v Ipswich Town
Saturday 7th April 2018 – 15:00
Griffin Park
Pre-Match Thoughts - Mike
I find it quite incredible and maybe just a little bit annoying too that no sooner do we have the manager's departure confirmed and we are served up a home game that can be classed as entertaining and thoroughly enjoyable. Why the hell has this not been the norm over recent months ? Everything about Easter Monday was positive and people left the ground with a smile on their faces for once, OK some are probably just glad that mick is going but the fare on offer left most home games this season trailing in its wake. I just find it all a little bit annoying if I am honest, everyone is talking about which manager they want and who is a reasonable target that could do the job on a budget and lo and behold we get served up that performance which OK didnt win the game but it sure as hell felt good leaving the ground for once !! Why are we in this position, it makes little sense but in it we are and there is no going back, I get that One swallow does not make a Summer but I can't help thinking what might have been. I have to say the Two games against Millwall this season have probably been the best Two, end to end encounters with numerous chances and a hatfull of goals across the Two games.
Manager talk is now the order of the day and we all have our own ideas on that score, for me some of the names being bandied about border on the ridiculous and very worrying too, I mean Alan Pardew ? Shefki Kuqi ? Steve McLaren ? Billy Davies etc etc dreadful, then we get the Town old boy syndrome, Mowbray, Magilton, Burley, Holland and McGreal have all had a mention....NO THANKS to any of them !!! After that we get the guy Steijn or whatever his name is, ive read comments how he would be good for us, how the hell does anyone know ? Just spouting words and clutching at straws if you ask me. Then we get the uninspiring options, Grayson, Curbishley, Redknapp, Pearson and Warburton, OK a couple of those may be half decent options but they don't fill me with any excitement, if we are insisting on change then let's go for it and change it !!! A new direction and a manager with fresh ideas and thoughts, Danny Cowley keeps getting a mention but we are fed up with direct Football right ? Jack Ross from St.Mireen ????? I mean come on, this is ITFC for crying out loud, Cook may be hard to prise away as Wigan are looking to get promotion, forget him. of all the names mentioned I astill come back to Two, Paul Hurst or Nathan Jones, yes Hurst is vying for promotion too but if Town can't poach a manager from Shrewsbury we may as well, and with the greatest respect to the Shrews, pack up !! Jones is in League Two so again that must be a decent target even if they do go up, those are my Two from all the names out there at the moment and both play good passing football, my ideal candidate would be Paul Hurst, get it done Evans.
I don't think any player is bigger than the club and it seems clear to me that Bart is now wavering on signing his contract, whether he is waiting on offers from the Prem or whether it is to see who comes in as Manager I don't know but I don't like it, then today Jonas Knudsen spouting off about he may have to think Twice about his future and if he will sign another deal, well guess what Knudsen, jog on fella cus you are crap, this is the best news to come out of the club in weeks and while Bart would be a loss we need to get a good fee for him while we can and with only another year left on his contract we need to sell him now, it would not be the end of the world as some may think, there are many good keepers out there who can actually kick and catch as well as make great saves.
This week sees us head to Brentford, one of my favourite away days for sure, again we are sold out and the Griffin pub will be awash with Blue & White as always, not to mention the streets outside too, decent beer and a fab BBQ dishing up lovely Burgers, add to that standing in a proper terracing with a real atmosphere, this is what away days are about, and oh yes the Football, I nearly forgot that, Brentford are a good side and play it on the deck so this will be tough to get anything from it but we are capable, I read we may give some more youngsters game time which is fine by me, young Folami looked the real deal and would love to see him again along with Drinan who so far has not had a chance to shine, either way it will be a good test for the boys, more of what we saw Monday will do very nicely thanks. COYB'S.
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, it was 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 its debut season which is still the club's highest ever league.
The club was relegated in the first season after the War, and a downward spiral set in, which culminated 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 promotionvia 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 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 playoff final to Yeovil Town.
On the 25 June 2013, Cliff Crown was elected Chairman Of Brentford Football Club.
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 second tier after a 21 year absence.
In the 2014/15 season they impressed and finished in one place ahead of Town on the final table in 5th, before being knocked out in the playoff semi finals by Middlesbrough.
They didn’t achieve the same heights of the 2014/15, finishing in 9th place on the table in 15/16 and last season they finished in 10th place with 84 points.
The Gaffer – Dean Smith
Past Match - Video Highlights - Trev
Media Watch - K L Blue
Same again says Waghorn
https://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/i ... 22530.html
Burley's verdict on who should be next..................
https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/ipswi ... agers-job/
Form Guide
Brentford Last 5 Matches – Currently in 11th place with 58 points
10 Mar Millwall 1 - 0 Brentford
13 Mar Brentford 1 - 3 Cardiff City
17 Mar Brentford 1 - 1 Middlesbrough
30 Mar Brentford 1 - 1 Sheffield Utd
2 Apr Bristol City 0 - 1 Brentford
Ipswich Last 5 Matches – Currently in 13th place with 53 points
10 Mar Ipswich Town 0 - 0 Sheffield Utd
13 Mar Ipswich Town 0 - 3 Hull City
17 Mar Bristol City 1 - 0 Ipswich Town
31 Mar Birmingham City 1 - 0 Ipswich Town
2 Apr Ipswich Town 2 - 2 Millwall
Fixtures of Interest that may affect Towns standing on the Table
FULHAM VS LEEDS UTD
NORWICH CITY VS ASTON VILLA
Match Referee –
BRENTFORD 1 IPSWICH TOWN 1
