All Good Things Must Come to an End

 Some say, “All good things must come to an end”. Whether this be your love affair with your best friend’s sister, your Sunday league team going from winning 3-0 to being demolished 13-0 or Brentford’s play-off push, its true in all forms of life.  But it was fun while it lasted, and now Brentford can enjoy the last two games and look forward to next season and away trips to the likes of Portsmouth, Coventry and Swindon.  

There’s no point on dwelling on “ifs” and buts”, so I’m not going to write an article on things that I’ve seen posted around Twitter such as “if we had beaten Bournemouth” and “if we didn’t have so many loan players”. There’s no need for it.  It’s a bit like saying that if I looked like Channing Tatum then I could get any girl in the world. Realistically, that won’t happen. For a team that was aiming for a top ten finish, Brentford did extremely well to take the fight for a play-off place to the 3^rd last game of the season, especially when our season looked finished after defeats to lower table teams. Overall, I’m very pleased with what Uwe Rosler has done and I cannot wait for the next season.

I believe that the time is right to release my shortlist for Brentford’s “Player of the Season”. With two games left, my mind wont change from what I’ve seen from the season as a whole, and as a result the player I have in mind has already shown to be a great player week in, week out.  So sit back, and enjoy the little review about the players I have shortlisted for the 2011/2012 “Player of the Season” for Brentford FC. 

1.    Richard Lee

Brentford’s number one and last seasons Player of the Season once again proved what an incredible goalkeeper he is this season with a number of clean sheets between the sticks. The 4 clean sheets in 4 games (Oldham, Bury, Hartlepool and Notts County) helped to propel us into the play-off picture. Richard’s top corner and point blank saves has proved over the course of the season just what a quality goalkeeper he is, and most certainly one of the best in League One.  His most memorable performance for me came at Griffin Park against Bury, where a string of amazing saves resulted in a clean sheet for Richard.

2.    Sam Saunders

Sam Saunders has been given a new lease of life under Uwe Rosler, resulting in him and his twinkle toes bagging a very healthy 9 goals. The wing play that Sam Saunders has exhibited this season is nothing short of superb, right up there with some of the best in League One, which is a far cry from the old Sam under Andy Scott.  Also, because of Sam’s free kick technique, which he is rumoured to have taught David Beckham, we have become a serious force from dead ball situations this season. Sam Saunders has definitely been one of the most consistent players this season. The best of Sam Saunders’ free kicks came against Leyton Orient, where he whipped the ball into the top corner, leaving the keeper with absolutely no chance. Simply beautiful.

  

3.    Jonathan Douglas

Signed from Swindon in the summer for a free, Jonathan Douglas has proved to be a midfield general for Brentford this season, playing in every league game so far. Tenacious in midfield, Douglas may not score many goals but has certainly put in a fair few thunderous tackles over the course of the season. His ability to break up the play and spread the ball like a quarterback has been a great asset to Brentford today, giving us someone we can rely on in the middle of the park. A comparison to Paul Scholes of Manchester United or Scott Parker of Tottenham most certainly springs to mind. 

4.    Shaleum Logan

Coming to Brentford from Manchester City can definitely be seen as a shock to the system, but Shaleum Logan adjusted to life at TW8 very quickly, with a memorable first appearance at Griffin Park against Yeovil, scoring on his debut. After injury early in the season, it showed how much Brentford needed the right back, and ever since his return to the squad he has been ever-present, putting in big performances over and over again. Although a right back, Logan has contributed very handily to the overall score tally, and scored at very important stages in the season.  In conclusion, a very solid first season for the right back.  

That’s the shortlist for my “Player of the Season” for 2011/2012. Unlike the PFA Player of the Year awards, I cannot offer a large trophy or vast amounts of money, but I can offer a well done. So here it is, well done to all four of the players I have shortlisted. As a fan, its very satisfying when our players perform as well as these four have, putting in massive shifts throughout the season. I’m sure there are many fellow fans out there that will disagree with my choices, but lets put it this way. These players have performed admirably throughout the season, and seeing as they are all permanent players I find it very difficult to argue against naming any of them as “Player of the Season”. All four of them have been great ambassadors for the football club, and I cannot wait to see them again next season, hopefully aided by even more fantastic players.  

My “Player of the Season” for Brentford Fc 2011/2012? Well, I think that’s simple really. My “Player of the Season” is Jonathan Douglas: the anchor in midfield. I really dread to think where our midfield would have been without him this season, although he hasn’t scored many goals he has broken up countless opposition attacks as well as spreading the ball for numerous Brentford assaults. I’d say Douglas is a huge contender for League One’s signing of the season.  

Finally, a quite sad and gloomy look towards the end of the season, with games against Sheffield Wednesday and Chesterfield left. Although it’s still mathematically possible to get into the play-offs, it is highly unlikely, so I look forward to a good performance (one hopes) against Wednesday and hopefully a very enjoyable day out in Chesterfield for our first visit to the B2Net stadium. It’s a shame the FA have once again overlooked League One and Two and so we find ourselves playing at the same time as the FA Cup final. As I find myself writing this paragraph about the coming end of the season games, the cliché comes to my head again. “All good things must come to an end”. All that’s left to say is: “Goodbye League One 2011/2012, hello Euros 2012”. 

Alexander the Great Conquers Wycombe

I’ve said it many times: Brentford is a club in progression. No more was that apparent than on Saturday afternoon against Wycombe, where some quite simply brilliant football saw us run out 5-2 winners. Yes, I did say 5-2. I was, and still am, delighted with the performance and result, as I’m sure many of the Griffin Park faithful are, but what makes me even happier is the view from Mr. Uwe Rosler. Rosler stated in his post-match interview, "It was good to get five goals ... there were still some areas where we need to improve massively to stay in that top 10.” This is the stance of a man who purely wants to be the best. I admire him for that.

A man that is on fire at the moment, not literally of course, is Gary Alexander. All of this recent talk about finding a striker seems to have pushed Alexander into the form of his life, bagging a hat-trick on Saturday as a result. His 3^rd strike was one that I’m sure even Messi would be proud of. His partnership with Clayton Donaldson definitely seems to be bearing fruits now, and my goodness do they taste good! Donaldson, although not scoring as regularly as I’m sure he would like, is instrumental in Alexander’s current form. His movement off and on the ball is crucial in taking players out of the game, and judging by the amount of fouls on him by the Wycombe players he’s more than a handful when the brick house is running at the opposition. Hopefully Alexander can hit at least 20 goals and propel us back in the play-off picture.

The only sour point of the game was the fact that Wycombe scored twice against us when they merely did not deserve a single thing based on their performance. A lucky first goal where the assistant referee did not seem to understand what to do when he puts his flag up and a sloppy second goal denied the sensational Richard Lee a clean sheet in a game where he made some stunning saves. I had the absolute pleasure of meeting Richard after the game where he signed my copy of ‘Graduation’, and I must say he is a complete and total gentleman and deserves all the praise he is getting at Brentford. A distinctive save he made was a double save from what must have been point blank range, thereby minimising the goal scoring of Wycombe to just their two (lucky) goals.

It seems to me that Brentford are now coming into their stride. Although we lost the game at Huddersfield last week, the team put in a very good performance, and on another day could easily have walked away from the Galpharm with all three points. The ability to put 5 past a struggling team is something that Brentford have not possessed in recent years, and at this crucial stage in the season it’s important that we are able to score goals as the playoff picture may come down to goal difference. It is that tight around there.

I have been putting off writing this article until today, as the legendary transfer deadline has now passed. Of course, being a Brentford supporter it’s not as manic and exciting as it may be for some of the bigger clubs, but I was keen to keep an eye on a couple of coming and goings. Firstly, I am thrilled to see that Karleigh Osborne hasn’t left Griffin Park, and secondly there was no signing of that “oh-so-needed” striker. We did however, sign a goalkeeper in the form of Antoine Gounet and a development squad player who goes by the name of Antonio German, who our friends (and I use that term loosely) from Sheperd’s Bush may recognise. However, I am not entirely sure why we have signed a new goalkeeper, as I can’t see him replacing Richard Lee as first choice keeper, nor can I see him replacing Simon Moore. I’m sure if he does play for us he will prove more than adequate in the goal mouth.

Finally, a look ahead to the game on Saturday against Preston North End. I hope to see a better performance against them than I did in the reverse tie, which was a 3-1 loss. However, if we play like we have played for the past two games than they will most definitely have their hands full, especially with Donaldson and Alexander on the pitch. It’s safe to say that the team we possess are more than capable of going up to Preston and doing the job required, all I can say is that I hope we keep a clean sheet and smash in a few goals!

A special note must go out to my girlfriend, Emma Walsh, who correctly predicted that we would score 5 goals against Wycombe last Saturday. I wish she would predict that every weekend, maybe we’d be the country’s top goal scorers!

Mr. Bean and Friends do Brentford Proud

After a couple of days to calm myself down following the Brentford – Huddersfield match, I’m afraid I still find myself fuming at what is in essence a diabolical refereeing performance. It is such a shame when the man in the middle, who is meant to be both impartial and fair, gives an advantage to one side following his inability to spot a blatant foul by Alan Lee on our goalkeeper Richard Lee. What made this even worse was the unsportsmans-like conduct by A. Lee after the game. It’s simply outrageous when the biggest talking point after a monumental game is about the referee, the man who is simply there to officiate the game, nothing more, nothing less.

Right, now I have that sour point out of the way I can reflect on what I personally thought was one of the best Brentford performances I have seen in a very long time. In the first half I’m pretty sure that the team had swapped places with a certain Catalonian team as Brentford ripped Huddersfield to shreds (up until that diabolical refereeing decision). The midfield three of Jonathan Douglas, Dave and Marcus Bean was an inspired choice by Uwe Rosler as they dominated the midfield. It’s quite well known around TW8 that Douglas enjoys his NFL, and that was plain to see in his quarterback style of play, spraying balls left and right from just in front of the back four, causing havoc for the Huddersfield team. 

Now, people that know me will know that I’m not a great fan of Marcus Bean; sometimes I feel like he’s doing nothing more than running around like a headless chicken. That said however, I love it when someone proves me wrong, and live in front of the Sky cameras Mr. Bean did just that, playing out of his socks and putting in some absolutely stunning tackles that a certain Roy Keane would most definitely have been proud of. This certain performance once again brings me back to a sunny Dean Court in Bournemouth in a League Two clash where Mr. Bean ran the midfield, and ultimately helped us secure the 1-0 win that put us on the brink of the league. Mr. Bean’s performance at the Galpharm in that first half was rock solid, pressurising them high up the field and winning tackles. That’s the type of midfielder I want at Brentford, someone who will stand up for himself like Britain did to the Nazis in 1939. Bean is one of those players: a Spitfire to the Brentford artillery. 

I’m pleased to see Gary Alexander is starting to find the net and fill the void that we have in our strike force. After scoring another penalty and a great first time finish, Alexander has raised his tally to 9 goals for the season. Although it’s not exactly blistering form, his regular goal scoring in the past few weeks have been crucial to Brentford’s ability to take points from games, such as the MK Dons match. His ability in the air is also a great asset to the team, and his partnership with Clayton Donaldson seems to be coming along rather nicely, and which will hopefully blossom in the coming weeks as we get down to the business end of the league. 

After all the praise that I have been heaping upon the Brentford team in this article, it still has to be said that the current run we are on is still not good enough. I say this day after day after day, why can’t we transfer this blistering away form to Griffin Park? If the passing game isn’t working due to the pitch, or the weather, or because Malvin the Mole has made too many mole hills on the pitch, then all it takes is a simple change in play. We have the players to mix it up. We could easily play the running game with Myles Weston and Niall McGinn, or play the crossing game with Harry Forrester and Sam Saunders. Either way we have strikers in the team that can suit both types, the first being Mike Grella and the latter being Gary Alexander. I just wish that Uwe Rosler would fully utilise the players he has at his disposal!

My final note must go to two rather farfetched transfer rumours that I’ve heard today. The first one goes to a loan out for Clayton Donaldson, which I found rather amusing. The second goes to the potential signing of Patrick Agyemang. What kind of people get these crazy ideas? By the way, did you hear where Rooney is off to this winter...?