Sleeping Giants

[Ewok]

So with our latest trip to Wembley coming up, I really think this is our chance to step up a gear and show the world just how massive the mighty bees are! I beleive we can only kick on from here. Have I got Wembley fever? Am I over optimistic?!

Whats your honest opinion: Brentford - sleeping giants or perennial lower league club?

 

[vcmazz]

Perennial lower league club :yes:.

 

[brooks]

11th in division three - that's where we live.

 

[corfubee]

Perennial lower league club for me too i'm afraid.

We stopped being a 'sleeping giant' the day Lange decided to demolish The Royal Oak End.

A sleeping giant would take at least 30k plus to Wembley and however much i'd love to think we will do that, in my heart of hearts i don't think we will.

A crowd of around 40k is probably what we'll get for the JPT final but compare that with previous recent finals....56k Milton Keynes vs. Grimsby, 60k Doncaster vs. Bristol Rovers , even Luton took 40k there recently, then it looks like Brentford and Carlisle are definately not sleeping giants.

 

[vcmazz]

We stopped being a 'sleeping giant' the day Lange decided to demolish The Royal Oak End.

Nail on head :yes:.

 

[westwing]

We're no sleeping giant, past owners and directors of BFC buried that years ago.
However, we will still have 30K at Wembley !!

 

[Chorlton Bee]

Perennial lower league club for me too i'm afraid.

We stopped being a 'sleeping giant' the day Lange decided to demolish The Royal Oak End.

A sleeping giant would take at least 30k plus to Wembley and however much i'd love to think we will do that, in my heart of hearts i don't think we will.

A crowd of around 40k is probably what we'll get for the JPT final but compare that with previous recent finals....56k Milton Keynes vs. Grimsby, 60k Doncaster vs. Bristol Rovers , even Luton took 40k there recently, then it looks like Brentford and Carlisle are definately not sleeping giants.

Agree, also think we suffer from not being a 'town' in it's own right as opposed to just a suburb of a big city, the likes of Grimsby, Gills, Luton et al get people going along for civic pride if not the football.

 

[corfubee]

However, we will still have 30K at Wembley !!

I love your optimism westwing, i really do hope you're right, what a sight that would be!

To add fuel to your argument i have yet to purchase my tickets...and i'm going to need 9.

 

[NorthamptonBee]

We will grow if Mr Benham and co have their way, this next managerial appointment is crucial but if you read between the lines some big things are happening off the field.

 

[Iluvgrandad]

More like unconscious than sleeping

 

[shouldbee]

We're no sleeping giant, past owners and directors of BFC buried that years ago.
However, we will still have 30K at Wembley !!

so far we've sold 17,000 JPT tickets, last night's crowd was 3795...........say's it all !

 

[condorman]

We will grow if Mr Benham and co have their way, this next managerial appointment is crucial but if you read between the lines some big things are happening off the field.

I've heard that they are going to make our home dugout even larger.

 

[bees66]

when we sold all our best players after the war Brentford have never been the same

 

[westwing]

so far we've sold 17,000 JPT tickets, last night's crowd was 3795...........say's it all !

18K sold in 10 days !!
Hmmmmmmm, I say that's good with over 4 weeks to go.
I know plenty of people who haven't bought their tickets yet,
even people at the game last night !!

 

[Chopper]

More like unconscious than sleeping

This made me laugh

 

[bostonhanwell]

Agree with previous post about the Oak being demolished. How very short sighted that was. The whole feeling of the club was changed with a few swings of the demolition ball. I still cannot believe they did that.

Back in the eighties when we played Swansea and Liverpool in the cup the atmosphere was magnificent. Sure I have been in bigger grounds and crowds but those nights will live with me forever. Even if we build a new ground it will never have the history, feeling, atmosphere and charm of the Oak.

 

[BURFORD BEE]

We will grow if Mr Benham and co have their way, this next managerial appointment is crucial but if you read between the lines some big things are happening off the field.

I have enough trouble reading on the lines let alone between them. Give us a clue please!

 

[Beeophile]

More dwarf in a diabetic coma.We're looking over our shoulder for Orient at the minute.
I like us being the plucky pauper/chancer to the loadsamoney classlessness of our west London neighbours and I don't know any different to be honest.

Me and my brother turned up at a Brentford soccer school thing in the late 80s/early 90s and all these kids wearing Barcelona, Liverpool, Arsenal and Spurs kits pissed themselves because we were wearing Brentford tops. That summed it up for me.

 

[BOBBYBEE]

Sleeping Giant. Where have you been for the last 40 years ?

Wheezing Minnows ! And thats the truth!

 

[Guildford Bee]

Agree, also think we suffer from not being a 'town' in it's own right as opposed to just a suburb of a big city, the likes of Grimsby, Gills, Luton et al get people going along for civic pride if not the football.

This is the main reason we won't take as many to Wembley as the clubs mentioned.

 

[joet]

11th in division three - that's where we live.

we were 11th when i started going to gp in 1980 and we'll be there forever, give or take. i've resigned myself to it. but it's still a laugh with the occasional success mixed in with the massive amount of misery and mediocrety. up the bees. etc.

 

[Les Beeavinu]

I don't know about sleeping giant but I certainly believe the next 5 years will be immeasurably better than the last 5.

 

[brooks]

I'd like to go to Wembley but I can't get there for 1.30 on a Sunday!

 

[hairman]

11th in division three - that's where we live.

How dare you underestimate our club you muppet! I've always fancied us as a 9th in Division Three type of club. This season, so far, we appear to be underachieving.

 

[NorthamptonBee]

11th in division three - that's where we live.

I think some of us are in for a shock, the ones that are comfortable and content with failure are hopefully in for a bumpy ride.

 

[bostonhanwell]

we were 11th when i started going to gp in 1980 and we'll be there forever, give or take. i've resigned myself to it. but it's still a laugh with the occasional success mixed in with the massive amount of misery and mediocrety. up the bees. etc.

When you think about it there are few constants in life and yet Brentford have achieved a near perfect record of finishing mid table in the third tier. Maybe that's what draws us there. You can not go for years and yet the moment you walk back in the ground it is all so familiar. You know the football will be average, the catering sh*te and that someone behind you will lose their rag at some point, bellowing abuse at the team or the manager or the ref. It is no different than when you were a kid standing in the same spot.

 

[Brentford 4 Life]

I think some of us are in for a shock, the ones that are comfortable and content with failure are hopefully in for a bumpy ride.

I really hope your right NB. Shake us out of this coma Mr Benham!

 

[Bungy Bee]

The mighty Bees will show everybody how good we are come April 3rd.....people will soon take notice of us after we win JPT.....sleeping giant my arse.......YOU REDS....

 

[Bigbee]

I think some of us are in for a shock, the ones that are comfortable and content with failure are hopefully in for a bumpy ride.

Thats a big post of yours mate .If you imply what we're supposed to understand from it ,then its interesting . But it doesnt matter how much Mr B throws at the club.If the manager ,(and I doubt from your post it will be NF after Summer ) isnt the right one with the right contacts then its all pissed up the wall

 

[Bigbee]

.....sleeping giant my arse.......YOU REDS....

when you fart in the morning ,does it shake the whole town ?

 

[Bungy Bee]

when you fart in the morning ,does it shake the whole town ?

No complaints so far.....YOU REDS....

 

[bostonhanwell]

when you fart in the morning ,does it shake the whole town ?

Sometimes shakes the Mrs

 

[badgerbee]

IMHO being in the JPT final will make absolutely no difference to our future success/fan base. Do Carlisle now get significantly bigger crowds having been in 6 finals in the past few years? I don't think so. Having said that, hopefully it'll be a great (if ultimately meaningless) day out!!

As for our status, I'm afraid that I would agree that we're a mid-table division 3 side these days. That's a drop of a few places from where we were when I was going regularly in the early 90s. At that time we were pretty much competing for automatic promotion/guaranteed a play-off place every year.

Over the next 20 years I don't see much changing. Maybe the odd season in Division 4 and (hopefully!!) at least one more season in Division 2, but pretty much, bog standard Division 3.

 

[LingfieldBee]

We stopped being a 'sleeping giant' the day Lange decided to demolish The Royal Oak End.

to young to ever see the Royal Oak End! Gutted I missed it, pictures make it look impressive

 

[BURFORD BEE]

I think some of us are in for a shock, the ones that are comfortable and content with failure are hopefully in for a bumpy ride.

There you go again, have you been on the linctus, if so can I have some of it.

 

[DavidgRushden]

when we sold all our best players after the war Brentford have never been the same

The 2nd World War destroyed Brentford from being a big time club.In the late 30's we were a top London club, but by the end of the war, the 6 years of war had produced a disaster for us to proceed with post war with quality of players etc.,resulting in our relegation to the old style L2 (now The Championship) in the early fifties. We have never tecovered from this since.

 

[Voice from the Braemar]

so far we've sold 17,000 JPT tickets, last night's crowd was 3795...........say's it all !

says what ????

3 home games in 7 days and expense of wembley tickets was always going to make this a smaller crowd.........and the fact that weve sold nearly 20k tickets ALREADY with still 4 weeks go is pretty decent imho.......too many people on this board have the small team mentality......some of us dont

 

[horshambees]

We will grow if Mr Benham and co have their way, this next managerial appointment is crucial but if you read between the lines some big things are happening off the field.

And you are not far wrong.Some big surprises to come my friends.Not to sure if i like one of them,as Anthony Keidis once sang"All will be revealed my friend"

 

[horshambees]

The 2nd World War destroyed Brentford from being a big time club.In the late 30's we were a top London club, but by the end of the war, the 6 years of war had produced a disaster for us to proceed with post war with quality of players etc.,resulting in our relegation to the old style L2 (now The Championship) in the early fifties. We have never tecovered from this since.

Nor did Grimsby Town and look where they are now

 

[malvernbee]

I remember a post from that Fulham Fan Markbfc (now rebus) that hit the nail on the head. Brentford had a huge groundswell of support upto the late 70's early 80's but they died & with the Bees shamefully knocking down the RO End & playing third tier football fans look elsewhere. Also all-day drinking didn't help......When pubs closed at 14:30 until 17:30 where did one go - GP.

 

[Sweepy]

...then it looks like Brentford and Carlisle are definately not sleeping giants.

I don't want to make it worse for you, but if the match was not at Wembley, but somewhere the middle of Brentford and Carlisle, we would probably be outnumbered. Carlisle is a club with potential and have no significant rival in their catchment area up in Cumbria.

 

[brooks]

The 2nd World War destroyed Brentford from being a big time club.In the late 30's we were a top London club, but by the end of the war, the 6 years of war had produced a disaster for us to proceed with post war with quality of players etc.,resulting in our relegation to the old style L2 (now The Championship) in the early fifties. We have never tecovered from this since.

You left out the bad management.

 

[Idaho Bee]

You left out the bad management.

Oh I dunno, it took nearly 6 years but we did win the war in the end.

 

[TW3Bee]

A sleeping Giant is one thing but we're in a ******* coma.




My thanks to Bob Hoskins and The Long Good Friday for the above.

 

[Ewok]

From the majority of post it seems as though a lot of people dont even want us to become a bigger club! If we can get 30k at wembley it sends out the message that the support is there - all it needs is investment to improve on pitch performances and then success and fans will follow. Its not a huge step to see us in the Championship which - given investment and astute management - could even lead to the promised land of the Premiership. Who wouldnt give their right arms to see the Bees in the Premier league, even if just for one season. Ask Burnely how much fun it was for them!

 

[nick logan]

I think some of us are in for a shock, the ones that are comfortable and content with failure are hopefully in for a bumpy ride.

Couldn't agree more NB, get with the program folks we is on the up. :hoorah:

 

[NorthamptonBee]

Couldn't agree more MB, get with the program folks we is on the up. :hoorah:

I'm not Benham mate.

 

[SQUELCH]

I think some of us are in for a shock, the ones that are comfortable and content with failure are hopefully in for a bumpy ride.

I shared your optimism at the start of the season especially in a league as poor as this one. An opportunity missed IMO.

A lot hinges on Wembley and our performance on April 3rd – last chance saloon to grab some of those “floating” fans back that we so desperately need

 

[The Pipe]

We have been a small club for a number of years and will never be a giant, however with good management on and off the field together with decent financial backing there is no reason why we cannot progress and spend time in the champonship where you are just one good season away from the untold riches of teh Prem league.

We have seen other small clubs make the grade eg Wigan and should set our stall out to emulate teams like that, if we have no ambition and no beleif that we can once again move forward then we might as well not bother.

Not being in the know i have no idea of the future plans aluded to by Northants and others but firmly beleive that we have a board and owner that will not be happy with midtable mediocracy for the next 7/8 years.

 

[nick logan]

I'm not Benham mate.

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