How it started...how its going

[KD]

HOW IT STARTED...

09.02.08

Shrewsbury Town at home in League 2.
1-1.
Connell scored for us. Attendance 5,353 which was a big crowd for us that season in a less than half full Griffin Park.

This was the first full season with Matthew Benham as owner, having taken over the club's loans from Ron Noades. Andy Scott's first full season in charge as he has taken over from Terry Butcher. We had recently signed Ryan Dickson and Nathan Elder.

Brought my two young nephews to their first Bees game. My daughters had no interest. The boys lived a long way away so our trips together were infrequent but something must have stuck.




HOW ITS GOING...

07.05.22

Southampton at home in the Premier League.
3-0.
Jansson, Wissa and Ajer as the scorers. Attendance 17,051 with the Brentford Community Stadium almost sold out.

Our first full season in our new home. The 3-3 under the lights for Liverpool at home was the best game of football I have ever seen the Bees play against a full strength Liverpool that was one of, if not the best, team in the world at the time. Thomas Frank and Matthew Benham bring Christian Eriksen to the club in the January ‘22 transfer window.

The nephews are regularly doing 8 hour round coach trips from their Universities. I can’t thank you enough Brentford FC. What a ride. And we are not finished yet.

PS Thank you @loudandproud @sillyhat for our back drop.

 

[horshambees]

I remember that Shrewsbury game well.
I was there that day and thought we played well.
I remember Southampton too.
The bits in the middle are also fantastic memories.
I can't do it justice tbh,but I try and it comes out in a way that is difficult to describe at times.

Does that make sense.?

 

[Chorlton Bee]

That is f****ng boss!!

 

[ruislip bee]

Errrrm yep great except it was a few years before Matthew was owner. This was very much Bees Uniteds time with people running around with spreadsheets to check funds availability and using their houses as security to support the Clubs debt. Well one person in particular and it wasn't MB.

 

[KD]

I remember that Shrewsbury game well.
I was there that day and thought we played well.
I remember Southampton too.
The bits in the middle are also fantastic memories.
I can't do it justice tbh,but I try and it comes out in a way that is difficult to describe at times.

Does that make sense.?

Yes, perfect sense. Maybe others can post some ‘from - to’ on this thread as a way of us all remembering it together. It still won’t do our history justice and it might never make sense to anyone that wasn’t part of it. But those that felt it, felt it and those that know, know.

 

[KD]

Errrrm yep great except it was a few years before Matthew was owner. This was very much Bees Uniteds time with people running around with spreadsheets to check funds availability and using their houses as security to support the Clubs debt. Well one person in particular and it wasn't MB.

Thanks, you’re right, clumsy wording on my part will change it.

 

[grepo]

It's been a fantastic 60 years and an absolutely amazing last year. Thank you so much Brentford FC. I owe you so much!

 

[Newport Pagnell Bee]

It's been a fantastic 60 years and an absolutely amazing last year. Thank you so much Brentford FC. I owe you so much!

I guess we all see the same thing differently. 50+ years of mainly crap, interspersed with the occasional successes. The last 11 or 12 years have been outstanding. How lucky we are that MB is a Bee.

 

[upnorthbee]

I’ve been one of the lucky ones, I’ve seen plenty of successful bees teams in my 24 years of following Brentford, also balanced out by possibly the worst bees team we’ve ever had too with Butcher. Home to Mansfield 1998 3-0 win is how it started.

Today is a celebration whatever the score, we’re so lucky to be Brentford fans.

 

[Hippobee]

I guess we all see the same thing differently. 50+ years of mainly crap, interspersed with the occasional successes. The last 11 or 12 years have been outstanding. How lucky we are that MB is a Bee.

Spot on, although only about 27 years of mainly rubbish for me, plus the last 11 years great stuff!

The truth is, enduring all those spells where there wasn't much hope, has made the last 4-5 years in particular all the more enjoyable. You can't know what true joy is in football, without experiencing the polar opposite.

I doff my cap to all those fans in their 60s, 70s and 80s (and older!) who have gone to so many games and endured so much - they deserve it the most for sticking with a club that never looked like it was going to do anything or achieve much. COYB!

 

[CTBee]

I thought Charlie Mac scored in the 1-1 draw at home to Shrewsbury in league two, or am I thinking of a different game?

 

[nocoat]

I thought Charlie Mac scored in the 1-1 draw at home to Shrewsbury in league two, or am I thinking of a different game?

 

[nocoat]

You are thinking of this one

 

[KD]

I guess we all see the same thing differently. 50+ years of mainly crap, interspersed with the occasional successes. The last 11 or 12 years have been outstanding. How lucky we are that MB is a Bee.

Weird isn’t it how differently we all experience the same thing. Even the crap has been enjoyable for me. I miss a little bit of it, though not enough to want to go back. The only big downers for me were the League 1 - 2 relegation and the various play off disappointments.

 

[KD]

I’ve been one of the lucky ones, I’ve seen plenty of successful bees teams in my 24 years of following Brentford, also balanced out by possibly the worst bees team we’ve ever had too with Butcher. Home to Mansfield 1998 3-0 win is how it started.

Today is a celebration whatever the score, we’re so lucky to be Brentford fans.

Funny how much excitement there was around the Butcher appointment. I think I was so desperate for anything, anyone that could give us a lift. What a mess it ended up being. Still cringe when I hear him on the radio. Didn’t feel the same disappointment with Rosenior, just felt sorry for him when the time came.

 

[alikat]

You are thinking of this one

Blimey, I don't even remember a C (apparently Craig) Stone playing for us! Turns out that he made 6 appearances for us on loan from Gillingham. I must be geting old!

 

[Glenisterbee]

I remember Butcher in his first game leaning on the dug out at Meadow Lane. He couldn’t have looked less interested if he’d tried. Admitting in his first press conference that he knew nothing about the division had me worried too. Dreadful appointment.

 

[KD]

HOW IT STARTED

12.12.09
League 1
Brentford 0 - Leeds 0 Att 9,031

Leeds are coming to town. They are top of League 1. We are in the bottom half, not far off the relegation places. Not a night game but it finishes in the winter darkness. A bigger crowd than we are used to. They have their superstar striker in Jermaine Beckford. He is well into double figures for goals scored by this point of the season. We have our man mountain of a keeper number 53 Szczesny on loan from Arsenal. Our front line of Macdonald and Strevens work hard but can't compete. It is a creditable 0-0. Feels like a win. The two clubs feel a long way apart in terms of their likely future success.

HOW IT IS GOING

22.05.22
Premiership
Brentford (Canos) 1 - Leeds 2 (Belloli, Harrison)
Att 16,957

A surreal game and aftermath with the Bees missing out on the chance to relegate Leeds in the last game of the season.

BUT Brentford finish the Premier League season 13th with 46 points and a -8 goal difference. Leeds finish the season 17th with 38 points and a -37 goal difference.