CRUNCH TIME

[shouldbee]

Once again, expectations are being racked up to impossible levels. The higher they rise, the harder will be the fall if the results don't justify the initial optimism. It's true that this year there's the combination of a new manager and some promising-looking newcomers. I must admit that I like the cut of Uwe Rösler's jib and am tempted to tell myself that yes, he's really bringing it together and all we need now is a Schlupp or another similarly gifted striker to make promotion a realistic prospect. But beauty is so often in the eye of the beholder (that was the case with many of last season's intake) and it might be wiser simply to refrain from making predictions while hoping for the best.

Don't disagree with you. It's slightly premature to be predicting automatic promotion or play-offs as second prize until we know what the final squad will be. The 4 new players appear to be very good additions, but I still feel we need another 3/4 quailty signings to put us in real contention for promotion....

 

[wanderer paul]

Got to be top 6. Or Uwe out. I'm with 'Davee' on this one........ :shake:

We can do better

 

[Steve G]

My heart says 1st champions, my head says 2nd runners up. Whichever way, stand aside the doubters and watch in amazement as the Bees fly up the table. German drive and efficiency will ensure we have our best season since 1991/2.

Vorsprung durch Uwe

 

[shouldbee]

Got to be top 6. Or Uwe out. I'm with 'Davee' on this one........ :shake:

We can do better

Matthew has to become the Roman of the lower leagues...........failure is not an option !

 

[fallacy]

Unless we have better options on the flanks, and therefore a better service to our forwards, then I cannot see us getting higher than 9th.

Myles can blow hot and cold, and Saunders flatters to deceive.

At the moment, if we have one injury to Donaldson, or Douglas, then we effectively have the same frontline, midfield as last year and that is not promotion material.

Maybe in 4 weeks we'll have more strength in depth and competition, but at the moment no higher than 9th.

 

[SmiffyBee]

Crunch time for me will be about 12.15pm on Saturday August 6th, as [insert name here] bites down on their first burger...and discovers the onions are a little raw...wait til 12.30pm please

 

[JimLevack]

It's all being nicely set up off the field which is crucially important.
Given the signings we've made and the potential for a few more strong loanees alongside Uwe's apparent ability to sell us as genuine promotion contenders, I'd say we will be a good bet for the play offs...dependent on injuries, luck etc
I'd go for fourth and then the lottery of the play offs, but this time we have the edge.

 

[tavare149]

8th.

Don't wish to be sceptical but we've seen it all before, obviously I hope for better things.

 

[I'll Bee Damned]

Unless we have better options on the flanks, and therefore a better service to our forwards, then I cannot see us getting higher than 9th.

Myles can blow hot and cold, and Saunders flatters to deceive.

At the moment, if we have one injury to Donaldson, or Douglas, then we effectively have the same frontline, midfield as last year and that is not promotion material.

Maybe in 4 weeks we'll have more strength in depth and competition, but at the moment no higher than 9th.

Under AS the only creativity was from the flanks - if MW or whoever was at RW was under par there was, as was pointed out many times last season, no Plan B. It will be a different style of football with Uwe though and, as he has said, he is happy that with what we have with a few additions. If we have fulll backs pushing on and more creativity from CM there will be more options providing chances for the front two. As has been said on here before, with the right service CMcD will score more goals if there is better delivery and we can expect more goals from midfield if, as alluded to by Uwe and Farrell, we play more attacking football. if this is the case there will be much for a holding midfielder and two centre halves to do but we all seem confident in the options we have or have brought in there.

Am I being over-optimistic?!?!?

 

[nick logan]

Agree with maybe jeffers or a Cody Mac type player could poss be higher. A lot of the contenders have added some quality signings as well so will be interesting.

Jeffers , Jeffers !!!!!!!

I mean JEFFERS, we would be better off with Nat Lofthouse

 

[Alan D]

Like many on here my expectation levels are probably a little over the top. Easy to understand why and I just hope that after ten league games we have mustered 15/20 points. Then my expectation levels will go through the roof. So I would rather wait a little before committimg myself. However, as things stand at this moment in time I will be very disappointed if we finish outside the top six.

 

[readingbee]

Jeffers , Jeffers !!!!!!!

I mean JEFFERS, we would be better off with Nat Lofthouse

What........... you reckon he is better than Schlupp !!!!!

 

[Keighley Bee]

I am very happy with the arrival of Donaldson, but we are still rather short of other attacking options. I am holding off from these ambitious predictions of promotion until I see who else, if anybody, comes in.

 

[Brentford 4 Life]

The 4 signings made have put us in a very good position but its the next 3 or 4 that will really determine what is possible. I think we willl have a good season and really should make the PO's at least.

 

[bostonhanwell]

Crunch time for me will be about 12.15pm on Saturday August 6th, as [insert name here] bites down on their first burger...and discovers the onions are a little raw...wait til 12.30pm please

Crunch time will come for customer about an hour later as, sitting on the bog, he realises the burger must also have been a bit on the rare side.

 

[hatfieldbee]

Crunch time will come for customer about an hour later as, sitting on the bog, he realises the burger must also have been a bit on the rare side.

Crunch time for 5k odd supporters,18 man squad, and the Manager will be 4.45pm or so on 6th August if they haven't got 3 points against Yeovil (according to some)! It won't bee the end of the world, though if we can see the right things being done, or at least attemted, on the pitch. Automatic promotion, or PO's would be nice, but, like many on here, I want to see what the rebuilt team's style, and abilities are, before predictiog we are going to rout this division this year. It may have to bee a bedding in season.

 

[SmiffyBee]

Crunch time will come for customer about an hour later as, sitting on the bog, he realises the burger must also have been a bit on the rare side.

I'll be treating that comment with the contempt it deserves. :thumbs:

 

[RodBee]

After 58 years of gloom and despair I am concerned that we have a proven goalscorer - but no-one to help out if he gets injured, and goals were a problem for most of last season.

I hope automatic promotion (Please, Lord, not the play-off lottery) but anything above relegation will be okay.

 

[Les Beeavinu]

After 58 years of gloom and despair I am concerned that we have a proven goalscorer - but no-one to help out if he gets injured, and goals were a problem for most of last season.

I hope automatic promotion (Please, Lord, not the play-off lottery) but anything above relegation will be okay.

With the network we seem to have at Brentford now, you would hope that injuries could be covered very successfully by the loan market if necessary.

 

[Castleview]

I'm starting to get quite excited about this coming season. Things must be looking up. I've just seen a Brentford kit being worn in Tescos Sunbury.

 

[wanderer paul]

I'm starting to get quite excited about this coming season. Things must be looking up. I've just seen a Brentford kit being worn in Tescos Sunbury.

If it's the same fella Aaron and I saw, then he needs a shirt a size or two larger :yes:

 

[maddogging]

To be honest I'll just happy if we play a nicer brand of football that's easier on the eye and don't roll over against average teams like we did too often last season.

I agree with this. Last year was one of the most turgid seasons following the bees. We were happy if we had a shot on target let alone a goal.

I want to be entertained.

6th.

 

[eaglebee]

To be honest I'll just happy if we play a nicer brand of football that's easier on the eye and don't roll over against average teams like we did too often last season.

Agree on this one, a better brand of football is required, we rolled over too many times against cr*p teams, with the players brought in we should improve on just those two items alone and then we must be in with a good shout to do well, this season could be ours for the taking.

 

[bennyb]

My heart says 1st champions, my head says 2nd runners up. Whichever way, stand aside the doubters and watch in amazement as the Bees fly up the table. German drive and efficiency will ensure we have our best season since 1991/2.

Vorsprung durch Uwe

well said . playoffs min, but i do think we have a real chance of going up automatically. the signings weve made look very impressive and i think uwe is an excellent appointment who will get the best out of the players.
with the bread man running things behind the scenes ,we are, by the sound of it the best connected club in the league and i expect to see some amazing loan signings that will give us the advantage over our opponents.

 

[grepo]

First must be achievable with all the exciting and positive changes.

 

[Guildford Bee]

First must be achievable with all the exciting and positive changes.

Anything is achievable but top 6 is probably more realistic. There are plenty of other strong teams in this division which have strengthened further.

Towards the end of last season, I said I thought the club needed a shot in the arm and the appointment of Nicky Forster wasn't it. As the odds on Rosler getting the job continued to shorten, I felt that they may as well have given the job to Forster and in my ignornance believed the appointment of Rosler was one of panic having missed out on RDM & McInnes. I'm happy to eat humble pie now and admit that the appointment has been exactly the shot in the arm the club needed and I can't remember the last time I was looking forward so much to a season starting.

August 6 can't come soon enough and if we pick up three points then, we are nicely set up for Bramall Lane which has the potetial to be one of those days that's talked about for years...

 

[Leicester Bee]

I hope that play-offs are within our grasp, but with 4 players likely to be a shoo-in for the first team, it might take a little time to gel the players. It's hard for ANY manager simply to walk into a club and win the league in their first season. I'd be interested to see the statistics, but without pots of money, how many managers have gotten promotion in their first full season?

If we start indifferently or poorly, no doubt fans will bemoan the fact that we aren't top of the table, when we will need patience. If we start well, then what Uwe and the squad must be prepared for, is how we handle a dip in form.

I think that we will start indifferently, as the team gets used to Uwe and his coaching team, and if the squad handles whatever defeats come our way and show improvement, then we could have a good second half to the season. Where I will really judge Uwe, is on his second season.

 

[wanderer paul]

I hope that play-offs are within our grasp, but with 4 players likely to be a shoo-in for the first team, it might take a little time to gel the players. It's hard for ANY manager simply to walk into a club and win the league in their first season. I'd be interested to see the statistics, but without pots of money, how many managers have gotten promotion in their first full season?

If we start indifferently or poorly, no doubt fans will bemoan the fact that we aren't top of the table, when we will need patience. If we start well, then what Uwe and the squad must be prepared for, is how we handle a dip in form.

I think that we will start indifferently, as the team gets used to Uwe and his coaching team, and if the squad handles whatever defeats come our way and show improvement, then we could have a good second half to the season. Where I will really judge Uwe, is on his second season.

I think you'll find, Brentford FC's last 4 promotions have all been achieved by managers in their first full season.
Dodgin 77-78
Holder 91-92
Noades 98-99
Scott 2008-09

:bound: :bound:

:computer:

 

[BFC1997]

I think you'll find, Brentford FC's last 4 promotions have all been achieved by managers in their first full season.
Dodgin 77-78
Holder 91-92
Noades 98-99
Scott 2008-09

:bound: :bound:

:computer:

And Allen Found success immediatley, aswell as very nearly getting promotion in his ffirst full seson.... never thought of it like that

 

[wanderer paul]

And Allen Found success immediatley, aswell as very nearly getting promotion in his ffirst full seson.... never thought of it like that

We didn't go up though.

What a line up of Bees managers to have achieved success! Legends all four. Up there with the greats IMO.....

 

[BFC1997]

We didn't go up though.

What a line up of Bees managers to have achieved success! Legends all four. Up there with the greats IMO.....

never thought of it like that, either.... way to put a downer on things

 

[SmiffyBee]

I think you'll find, Brentford FC's last 4 promotions have all been achieved by managers in their first full season.
Dodgin 77-78
Holder 91-92
Noades 98-99
Scott 2008-09

:bound: :bound:

:computer:

So what you are saying is if we go up, in Uwe's 1st Brentford season, we should fire him and appoint another new manager.
Ruthless Jeremy, but fair

 

[IslandBee]

Once again, expectations are being racked up to impossible levels. The higher they rise, the harder will be the fall if the results don't justify the initial optimism. It's true that this year there's the combination of a new manager and some promising-looking newcomers. I must admit that I like the cut of Uwe Rösler's jib and am tempted to tell myself that yes, he's really bringing it together and all we need now is a Schlupp or another similarly gifted striker to make promotion a realistic prospect. But beauty is so often in the eye of the beholder (that was the case with many of last season's intake) and it might be wiser simply to refrain from making predictions while hoping for the best.

We have finished top half for both of the last two seasons, with teams whose deficiences were clear from early in each campaign. The signings this year are of a different quality from the last two and clearly relate to the said deficiencies. We now have a manager and a structure in place that can convince doubtful players that Brentford are going somewhere. In these circumstances, I don't think predicting that we will be play off contenders with a possible stab at automatic promotion is widely optimistic. I regard it as a realistic expectation. We might not achieve it, but so long as we give it a good go and play decent footbabll I for one will not be complaining

 

[SQUELCH]

Feeling very confident at the moment even though a ball hasnt been kicked!!! Eger, Donaldson, Douglas, McGinn will only improve last years squad where we finished 9th. Eger, Douglas and to an extent you could say McGinn have played higher than this level that they are currently in. So the quality of player is improving.

Just the overall vibe of the fans, reading comments by certain posters are lifting my spirits. I got a pinch of 33/1, plenty of 25/1 and 10/1 promotion so my confidence is there.

Charlton have spent but like ourselves will need time to gel but the difference is Powell IMO - like a few have said he is punching above his weight. We stuck 4 past a Uddersfield team that dont look like they have currently imporoved their squad, The league looks wide open to me.

 

[Gazza Bee]

Hopefully top 6 but you can never predict anything in football so being cautiously optimistic

 

[scruff puppy pup]

Those predicting 12th, you are saying no improvement on last season, which I can't believe.

Two or three more players of the calibre of McGinn and Donaldson, one of whom should be Schlupp, and we'll be top 5.

If Uwe turns out to be the next Gus Poyet, then it's automatic promotion.

It would be nice if we could actually start the season well for a change, under AS we always seemed to have an awful September/October.

 

[stano]

every year we say we can get into the play offs but you cant get there without a good keeper 2 good centre mids and a quality striker the latter two we certainly have never had apart from dj and deon burton

richard lees one of the best in the league
i think clayton donaldsons the man
and jonathon douglas looks good too

i think we need one cm and one more striker and our squad is complete

 

[Bigbee]

Feeling very confident at the moment even though a ball hasnt been kicked!!! Eger, Donaldson, Douglas, McGinn will only improve last years squad where we finished 9th. Eger, Douglas and to an extent you could say McGinn have played higher than this level that they are currently in. So the quality of player is improving.

Just the overall vibe of the fans, reading comments by certain posters are lifting my spirits. I got a pinch of 33/1, plenty of 25/1 and 10/1 promotion so my confidence is there.

Charlton have spent but like ourselves will need time to gel but the difference is Powell IMO - like a few have said he is punching above his weight. We stuck 4 past a Uddersfield team that dont look like they have currently imporoved their squad, The league looks wide open to me.

The players who scored against Udder's are no longer with us .

 

[Bigbee]

Those predicting 12th, you are saying no improvement on last season, which I can't believe.

Two or three more players of the calibre of McGinn and Donaldson, one of whom should be Schlupp, and we'll be top 5.

If Uwe turns out to be the next Gus Poyet, then it's automatic promotion.

Isnt League tougher than last season ? Two Sheffield clubs now plus Preston .MK Mongs going frit big time too . To a degree I think we'd have to sign better players to stay where we finished ,but I think we'll get higher than 9th with whos come in so far and the new management system .



Pants ,why am I in your post thread thing ???

 

[bostonhanwell]

Feeling very confident at the moment even though a ball hasnt been kicked!!! Eger, Donaldson, Douglas, McGinn will only improve last years squad where we finished 9th. Eger, Douglas and to an extent you could say McGinn have played higher than this level that they are currently in. So the quality of player is improving.

Just the overall vibe of the fans, reading comments by certain posters are lifting my spirits. I got a pinch of 33/1, plenty of 25/1 and 10/1 promotion so my confidence is there.

Charlton have spent but like ourselves will need time to gel but the difference is Powell IMO - like a few have said he is punching above his weight. We stuck 4 past a Uddersfield team that dont look like they have currently imporoved their squad, The league looks wide open to me.

Huddersfield had a great run in and even though they haven't spent big will be my hot favourites. Charlton have really gone for it and added a lot of quality so I wouldn't be surprised if they finish second. We should make playoffs as things stand but how I crave just a couple more quality signings. I really don't think we are far from being true contenders and I don't think we have as much pressure on us as Hudd and Charlton.

 

[Beeky38]

There are again a few big clubs who have recently fallen from grace in this division who don't necessarily look like having teams or squads as good as Brighton or Southampton. A quick glance at the other 23 clubs makes me think that with the grace of thingy, some luck and a fair wind, a play-off place is a realistic target, but automatic promotion is likely to be beyond us. We've yet to sign we I call a real match-winner, but that's said without seeing us kick a ball since May.

 

[Dan Kirk Bee]

There are again a few big clubs who have recently fallen from grace in this division who don't necessarily look like having teams or squads as good as Brighton or Southampton. A quick glance at the other 23 clubs makes me think that with the grace of thingy, some luck and a fair wind, a play-off place is a realistic target, but automatic promotion is likely to be beyond us. We've yet to sign we I call a real match-winner, but that's said without seeing us kick a ball since May.

I think we might all be surprised with a squad capable of automatic promotion.......that's why I can't wait for Saturday....!!!

 

[King Bee]

Huddersfield had a great run in and even though they haven't spent big will be my hot favourites. Charlton have really gone for it and added a lot of quality so I wouldn't be surprised if they finish second. We should make playoffs as things stand but how I crave just a couple more quality signings. I really don't think we are far from being true contenders and I don't think we have as much pressure on us as Hudd and Charlton.

Huddersfield reputedly spent 1m quid on buying Danny Ward from Bolton. Charlton have spent bucket loads too. I think we have a better manager though...how Clark hasn't managed to get 'Udders promoted on the budget he's had over the last few seasons I don't know but I would wager if he fails this season he'll get the boot.

 

[HunsburyBee]

Not that we'll need the play-offs because we are going up automaticaly, but can anyone please advise me when the play-offs are; Semi final and final. (just in case)

Thank you

 

[Dan Kirk Bee]

Not that we'll need the play-offs because we are going up automaticaly, but can anyone please advise me when the play-offs are; Semi final and final. (just in case)

Thank you

Semis provisionally May 3 - 18

Final at Wembley May 26th

 

[vcmazz]

I think you'll find, Brentford FC's last 4 promotions have all been achieved by managers in their first full season.
Dodgin 77-78
Holder 91-92
Noades 98-99
Scott 2008-09

:bound: :bound:

:computer:

Noddy's second full season wasn't it? :suspect:

 

[vcmazz]

How is this different to the 'hopes for next season' thread?

One is a hopes thread and the other is a predictions one. For example, I hope that we finish first with 46 straight wins, 46 clean sheets and that we average 5 goals a game giving us a goal difference of +230. I also hope we win the FA Cup, knocking out QPR, Fulham and Chelsea en route. It is probably obvious now by the way that this post is shaping up, that I'd quite like us to win the League Cup and the Freight Rover Trophy too. And the Wendy Fair Capital League.

I predict that we'll stay up :yes:.

 

[HunsburyBee]

Semis provisionally May 3 - 18

Final at Wembley May 26th

Thank you

 

[wanderer paul]

Noddy's second full season wasn't it? :suspect:

Mmmm, took full charge in September when Perryman left in August, so depends how pedantic you want to be :box: :mad2:

 

[vcmazz]

Mmmm, took full charge in September when Perryman left in August, so depends how pedantic you want to be :box: :mad2:

Last thing I want to be is pedantic. But I just seem to recall Perryman left before the season started and that Noddy was in charge by then? I know he was only Caretaker to start with, but he was manager for every game wasn't he? :kiss:

P.S. You forgot your full stop .