Sandhurstbee
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Ten years on
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Shirley Bee
Active member
Ten years on
Speaking personally, very little. Ten years ago, I was pleased to learn that Ron Noades had taken over at Brentford. At last, some stability and possible success, I thought. I'd never met Uncle Ron, but I believed his publicity machine.
In 1998, I was more optimistic for Brentford than I had been in a little while. Just like today, in fact.
I would like to think that I'd learned something in the meantime, but I don't think I have really. I believe the people in place now have the best interests of Brentford at heart, and are doing the best they can, which is also a better job than their predecessors. abee and BeeH seem to have sorted out the off-the-field side, and AS has built an impressive squad.
I believe my optimism has a firmer basis, and is likely to be rewarded. But it's still a triumph of hope over expectation. I've been disappointed too often before truly to believe in Championship football at Lionel Road.
But I'm immensely grateful that the club my family has supported for a century is still in existence. Something that didn't seem too likely at many times over the past decade.
In 1998, I was more optimistic for Brentford than I had been in a little while. Just like today, in fact.
I would like to think that I'd learned something in the meantime, but I don't think I have really. I believe the people in place now have the best interests of Brentford at heart, and are doing the best they can, which is also a better job than their predecessors. abee and BeeH seem to have sorted out the off-the-field side, and AS has built an impressive squad.
I believe my optimism has a firmer basis, and is likely to be rewarded. But it's still a triumph of hope over expectation. I've been disappointed too often before truly to believe in Championship football at Lionel Road.
But I'm immensely grateful that the club my family has supported for a century is still in existence. Something that didn't seem too likely at many times over the past decade.
Ten years on
as far as I was aware Coppell was given the chance to bring in players but he didn't
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Ten years on
First time I have ever heard that. Obviously bow to your knowledge but it would really surprise me if true.
wanderer paul
https://brentfordfcmemorabilia.wordpress.com/
Ten years on
that's rubbish IMO. Restraints were brought in which cost us promotion and then Coppell.
Ten years on
I thought that at the time, but it came from someone very high up and I had no reason to disbelieve this person... it was the sametime I was told that coppell wanted to leave Brentford in January but stayed on for the players, I was told this a year after all of this
Ten years on
Interesting, as I recall some speculation that SC wanted to sign Jerome Thomas on loan on deadline day, but was too late to be able to do so.
I have always felt like NLB - teams that get through the playoffs usually strengthen their squads on or around deadline day. Stoke certainly did - we weakened ours. It was not just Big Ben as I recall, Rowlands was carrying an injury & I believe that he had painkilling injections before and at half time in Cardiff & Powell was also carrying an injury. No surprises in the result therefore!!!
I have always felt like NLB - teams that get through the playoffs usually strengthen their squads on or around deadline day. Stoke certainly did - we weakened ours. It was not just Big Ben as I recall, Rowlands was carrying an injury & I believe that he had painkilling injections before and at half time in Cardiff & Powell was also carrying an injury. No surprises in the result therefore!!!
blunstone
Active member
Ten years on
we are now in the same division that we were ten years ago - and also 45 years ago when i first watched the bees as a boy.
the problem with an 'owner' is that when they have had enough it is a house of cards. what will happen to chelski if roman walks out?
but we did have some great moments under ron, and it was the first sniff we have had in forty plus years of edging back towards the big time. and we had a few very useful players too.....
a great shame it ended in tears and we have been left to pick up the pieces and start from scratch again.
the new board are doing ok. and under as we have an outside chance of promotion this season and will certainly do better than last season.
the problem with an 'owner' is that when they have had enough it is a house of cards. what will happen to chelski if roman walks out?
but we did have some great moments under ron, and it was the first sniff we have had in forty plus years of edging back towards the big time. and we had a few very useful players too.....
a great shame it ended in tears and we have been left to pick up the pieces and start from scratch again.
the new board are doing ok. and under as we have an outside chance of promotion this season and will certainly do better than last season.
NorthamptonBee
Yes Boss
mhead bee
Well-known member
Ten years on
Oh my bloody god. All I can think is that 10 years is one quarter of my entire life. I always thought of the Noades era as being recent history! Where the hell did that decade go?
Ten years on
That the spice girls COULD hit World wide domination, release a terrible film, split up and get back together again and no one is any wiser for the experience.
That I didn't realise how much I'd miss watching the Rowlands-Sidwell-Evans-Owusu team play.
That Cardiff is a horrible place to go to watch your team loose.
That I didn't realise how much I'd miss watching the Rowlands-Sidwell-Evans-Owusu team play.
That Cardiff is a horrible place to go to watch your team loose.
Ten years on
Northampton,
Fair points - but I believe that Stoke had already signed several of the players that I was talking about prior to the game at GP. Burton & the Icelander (Gunlaugasson?), both signed mid-Feb, certainly played. We, on the other hand, had lost both Mahon & Gibbs in late-Feb, early March.
Not saying that we would have won at Cardiff, but our lamentable display could, imo, have been considerably better with some reinforcement - or even with Gibbs & Mahon still in the squad. Putting out 3 injured players certainly did not help our cause & nursing Rowlands through the final weeks of the season could have been avoided if Mahon had stayed. Rowlands may even have been fully fit for the final games of the season!
Fair points - but I believe that Stoke had already signed several of the players that I was talking about prior to the game at GP. Burton & the Icelander (Gunlaugasson?), both signed mid-Feb, certainly played. We, on the other hand, had lost both Mahon & Gibbs in late-Feb, early March.
Not saying that we would have won at Cardiff, but our lamentable display could, imo, have been considerably better with some reinforcement - or even with Gibbs & Mahon still in the squad. Putting out 3 injured players certainly did not help our cause & nursing Rowlands through the final weeks of the season could have been avoided if Mahon had stayed. Rowlands may even have been fully fit for the final games of the season!
Sweepy
Part-time Grapeviner
Ten years on
I was thinking the same. In fact, since 2000, time seems to have accelerated. When Noades first took over, I was 20. Now I am approaching 31. And I cannot believe I have frittered away 7 years of my life on this website (although not constantly). In many ways I feel like I have matured here, and done the final stage of my growing up here... although I dare say many will disagree.
About Noades, I still remember the (muted) optimism that greeted his arrival, and the relief that the W£bb era was over. It was difficult to believe that someone who had just manage to screw (that, in real terms, means to 'sell') to Mark Goldberg, Crystal Palace, for tens of millions of pounds would be interested in Brentford. I still remember the TITS article, which took the views of fans of Crystal Palace, who predicted things would improve at Brentford, but that it would not be plain sailing with someone like Noades around.
That final little prediction turned out to be more than true, for little did we know that we were going straight out of the frying pan and into the fire. I am sure we all suspected that Noades would not be giving out free lunches, but while the belief was there that the players' worth would help contain the overdraft, we let him get on with it. Meanwhile, the spending continued unabated. Buying players like Hreidarsson, who would eventually move on at a profit - those were good moves. The spending on hotels, excess coaching staff, sucking up to non-league clubs and salaries - those were principle causes of the club's steady financial decline.
And the fact that he left his groundwork unfinished after he won the promotion, and effectively left things to decay was unforgivable. Maybe he thought he had proven his worth as a Manager when he won that promotion and decided to give it up. Maybe he was genuinely disappointed with the lack of support he got both in numbers going through turnstiles, and thought that he had made a mistake coming to Brentford (he should have done more research). All I can say is that his time at the club, in my view, was a disaster for the club that it will take another 5 years to fully recover from.