Favourite times

[Downbeat Bee]

In order, under which managers did you most enjoy being a Bees supporter - not asking who was the best manager.

For me:

Holder
Perryman
Coppell
Webb
Allen
Noades
May
Downes
Lewington
Adams

 

[NorthamptonBee]

Callaghan

 

[Dangerous]

Noades

Because it made a refreshing change to travel to a lot of crappy grounds and I found the beer was cheaper as well and it was good fun.

 

[Boston Bee]

Don't go back as far as many so not really a good person to answer, but Coppell. Just felt certain every week in 01-02 that we were going to tonk someone. Was certain we had at LEAST the second spot right up until 5pm last match. Great ride.

 

[Les Beeavinu]

Callaghan

Hurlock, Bowles, Kamara, Joseph ... Happy days.

 

[NorthamptonBee]

Hurlock, Bowles, Kamara, Joseph ... Happy days.

Can't be beaten. No contest, great nights at GP with atmosphere.

 

[Carri Bee Un]

It's a quality question.

I moved from vaguely aware to deep abiding love under Webb. So oddly he's probably number 1.

 

[Mad Bee]

Don't go back as far as many so not really a good person to answer, but Coppell. Just felt certain every week in 01-02 that we were going to tonk someone. Was certain we had at LEAST the second spot right up until 5pm last match. Great ride.

Yeah. After BBB scored against Port Vale in the first home game I just felt that something special was heppening. Two defeats by the end of October was quality.

Damn the poor December and Januray.

 

[davido_i]

Perryman

just the way we played great, inventive passing football at the time, always felt that even when going a goal down at home, there was enough in the locker to win the game (& usually there was!). Still haven't worked out why we weren't even able to scrape the play-offs with that side.

Then of course the Cup run, never mind all that plucky lower league club guff, simply outplayed everyone, from rounds 1-5. Fully deserved to beat Man City (shame that soon after the kudos of this win was devalued as they became giantkilling-fodder over the next few years). And as for Blackburn away, only went up there to see them get knocked out as I'd been to all the other rounds. But as anyone who went will know we absolutely played them off the park, it felt like the belief grew simultaneously on the away end & in the Bees players as the game wore on. 2 of the best celebrated Bees goals from my hero of the time Gary Blissett. Last but not least, the home crowd were an absolute credit to Blackburn at the end & on the escorted walk back afterwards.

The absolute epitome of everything positive about the FA Cup, phew, what a day, the goosebumps are back!

 

[Garybaldbee]

Perryman

And as for Blackburn away, only went up there to see them get knocked out as I'd been to all the other rounds. But as anyone who went will know we absolutely played them off the park, it felt like the belief grew simultaneously on the away end & in the Bees players as the game wore on. 2 of the best celebrated Bees goals from my hero of the time Gary Blissett. Last but not least, the home crowd were an absolute credit to Blackburn at the end & on the escorted walk back afterwards.

:yes: :yes: :yes:

I'll second every word of that

 

[ianallon]

Hurlock, Bowles, Kamara, Joseph ... Happy days.

Yes, fantastic players. We've had some great players and teams over the last 30 years, but only Holder was good enough to come up with the goods









:bound: :bound: :bound:

 

[Les Beeavinu]

Yes, fantastic players. We've had some great players and teams over the last 30 years, but only Holder was good enough to come up with the goods

Tis true. Ain't life strange sometimes ...

 

[Wise old Bee]

The Callaghan era for me. All ended in tears of course. The Webb 94-95 season was excellent and with Coppell it showed what a decent manager can achieve. Never too enthusiastic about Perryman although compared with Mike Everitt.......

 

[Jimbee]

Hurlock, Bowles, Kamara, Joseph ... Happy days.

Mahoney and Roberts. Our front six were awesome our back five were awful. :yes:

 

[Edmundo]

Holder
Perryman
Coppell
Webb
Allen
Noades
May
Downes
Lewington
Adams

How can you place Lewington below Downes? Ray Lew took us to a cup final!

Best of times was under Holder, no doubt. How can you beat winning this division?

I'd place Downes at the very bottom of the list, because under him, I came within a whisker of stopping coming. I never even thought of that under Adams, who was in charge during our least successful season for 25 years or more.

 

[Les Beeavinu]

Mahoney and Roberts. Our front six were awesome our back five were awful. :yes:

How can I forget Gary Roberts? The man had so much talent. How he didn't get to a bigger club than Brentford I'll never know. The hatrick against Newport in under 10 minutes was one of the moments where I knew that it would be Brentford for life.

 

[NorthamptonBee]

How can I forget Gary Roberts? The man had so much talent. How he didn't get to a bigger club than Brentford I'll never know. The hatrick against Newport in under 10 minutes was one of the moments where I knew that it would be Brentford for life.

Bad knees, he is now Cambridge City's boss I think.

 

[Wise old Bee]

Bad knees, he is now Cambridge City's boss I think.

I thought he joined the police. Not as a replacement for Sting but the shiney helmet brigade. His goal against Liverpool was one of my all-time favourites.

 

[Downbeat Bee]

How can you place Lewington below Downes? Ray Lew took us to a cup final!

Best of times was under Holder, no doubt. How can you beat winning this division?

I'd place Downes at the very bottom of the list, because under him, I came within a whisker of stopping coming. I never even thought of that under Adams, who was in charge during our least successful season for 25 years or more.

I think a lot of it is to do with one's situation rather than the football. Perryman / Holder was at a time when I had no real responsibilities. Adams' period was just some of the worst football I've ever seen - I just thought it was awful - there may well have been reasons for that, but I hated it. Frankly I preferred watching a non-league side at the time.

Lewington - was just a nothing period and due to work pressures as well I lost interest, though not before Noades did.

Downes was pretty hopeless and I wanted him out (never wanted him in) but I realised we were in a right hole and felt like the end could be nigh. However, at times I just couldn't bear what I was seeing. Peterboro and Stockport at home in his last season come to mind. But so did some (not many games) where I thought any result was a major triumph. I got daftly excited on a few occasions in the first half of Downes' reign - I was in a state of utter depression during Adams' and was disinterested under Lewington.

 

[Hungerford Bee]

Still can't beat the 77-78 promotion season under Bill Dodgin for me - great football and even better away trips!

 

[rg12bee]

you stole my thunder, scrolled all the way down and you nominate Bill Dodgin.
He gets my vote. that was a cracking good, entertaining team.

 

[joet]

Perryman for the cup run, i was 12/13, at school in a tottenham/arsenal/Watford area and it put the Bees (and me!) on the map (for a brief time). Blackburn away was so good.

Holder for the Division, he was a funny little round man but how can you knock that season?!

Callaghan, although I'm too young to fully remember I have a photo of me with Hurlock when I was mascot, Stan Bowles was my first Brentford hero.

Allen. He has rejuvinated my enthusiasm when I could of lost it what with having kids and a pretty full up life.

 

[Brownie71]

The Callaghan era was my favourite, I was only a nipper and the likes of Bowles, Joseph, Hurlock, Camara and Crown were gods to me. I was a proud owner of all their autographs.

I thought Roberts joined the police as well. His Dad used to sit in the seat below me in the middle of Braemar Rd and I remember a section in the terrace giving Roberts abuse on a weekly basis. His old man used to nuts trying to get over the railings at them. Great entertainment on a wet miserable mid-week game.

 

[sonofabee]

Excluding MA

Callaghan for the quality Bees players I got to watch week in week out

Bill Dodgin coz we played great football, Royal Oak seemed packed and I was young and football was my life

Blunstone, first promotion year with O'Mara, John Doc and Bobby Ross etc

Noddy, Posh away still my best day at football ever just wish he'd kept Deano

Noades 1st year, Exciting being the big club spending all the wonga for once....shame it's all backfired now but at the time

Worst......Mickey Adams as he inherited a rubbish squad and brought in worse. Actually came to GP expecting to lose but hoping that Aspinall would lump someone

Wally Downes, Fat, ignorant, Rangers supporting, never was, loudmouth, know nowt bully who nearly, very nearly stopped me going to the Bees after what had been 35 years. The only reason I didn't vote him last was that we never actually went down under him. It wasn't boring, he actually got me angry and animated at his team selections and tactics, as opposed to Adams term when you knew we were going down before Xmas.








with a great atmosphereyoung and we wre top and

 

[NorthamptonBee]

Anyone who doesn't say Callaghan is too young or just stupid! lol
The class of player has never been repeated, Hurlock, Bowles, Mahoney, Cassels, Roberts, Kamara, Joseph R & F, McKellar (Top keeper) just such a shame we had a poo defence.

 

[Les Beeavinu]

Anyone who doesn't say Callaghan is too young or just stupid! lol
The class of player has never been repeated, Hurlock, Bowles, Mahoney, Cassels, Roberts, Kamara, Joseph R & F, McKellar (Top keeper) just such a shame we had a poo defence.

Remind me who? I can only remember Danis Salman.

 

[Wise old Bee]

Early on, Callaghan still had McNichol and Tucker from the Dodgin period in the back four. He added Mark Hill who was underrated at GP and of course had dear old Ron Harris practising the black arts at the back. He even turned Paul Walker into a decent player. His was the first Brentford side I saw that were difficult to beat away from home. The win at Fulham on the first day of the 81-2 season came two days after my son was born and ranks alongside my happiest ever BFC awaydays.

 

[Santa Barbara Bee]

I have very fond memories of the Malcolm MacDonald era, specifically for the 1962-3 promotion team with Brooks, Dick, Block, McAdams, Coote, et al, but the best long-term period for entertaining football had to be the Dodgin and Callaghan eras. However, ten years from now I suspect that we will be looking back on the MA teams with great sentimentality.

 

[chippendale]

Anyone who doesn't say Callaghan is too young or just stupid! lol
The class of player has never been repeated, Hurlock, Bowles, Mahoney, Cassels, Roberts, Kamara, Joseph R & F, McKellar (Top keeper) just such a shame we had a poo defence.

Great team and times. Who can forget Chopper Harris and some of his tackles.

Loved the O'Mara period as well, that was when I started going to GP.

 

[Loughtonbee]

S'gotta be Coppell for me for the class of the football we played & the never-before-felt feeling of going into big games against other promotion contenders confident of getting a result.

The first season under Noades & the first half of the second season once we'd gone up also stand out for us playing some fantastic football. Up until we got stuffed by Bournemouth around Christmas that year I honestly thought we could go straight up again, still remember the two games against Preston (who eventually romped away with the title) as amongst the best games of football I've ever seen at any level.

Perryman was the first manager I ever saw us under & looking back at players like Smillie, Parkes, Sinton, Evans & Millen I wonder how we didnt go further with that team.