Brentford F.C.

El directorio enciclopédico desde la Wikipedia.

Brentford
Full name Brentford Football Club
Nickname(s) The Bees
Founded 1889
Ground Griffin Park
Brentford, London
(Capacity: 12,763)
Chairman Flag of England Greg Dyke
Manager Flag of England Andy Scott
League League Two
2007 – 08 League Two, 14th
Team colours Team colours Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
Home colours
Team colours Team colours Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
Away colours

Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League Two. They were founded in 1889 and play their home games at Griffin Park, their home stadium since 1904. Brentford's most successful spell came during the 1930s, when they achieved consecutive top six finishes in the First Division. Since the War, they have spent most of their time in the third and fourth tiers of English football. Brentford have been FA Cup quarter-finalists on four occasions, and have twice been Football League Trophy runners-up.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Foundation to 1939

Founded in 1889 to serve as a winter pursuit for the Brentford Rowing Club, the club spent its early years in the lower divisions of the Football League and achieved little of note, save for a move to its present day home ground, Griffin Park, in 1904. In 1921, it was a founder member of the Third Division South. During the late 1920s and 1930s, the club began to make real progress. In the 1929-30 season, the side won all 21 of its home matches in the Third Division South (a record which still stands in English football), but still missed out on promotion. After several more near-misses, promotion to the Second Division was finally achieved in 1932-33. Two years later, Brentford reached the First Division and finished 5th in its debut season - which is still the club's highest ever league position - to complete a remarkable rise for the club. Brentford achieved more impressive placings in the league for the rest of the decade (6th in the following two seasons) before the Second World War interrupted.

[edit] 1945-1989

League positions since the 1920-21 season.
Note - Dotted horizontal lines indicate league divisions.
Note - From 1920-1958 the 3rd tier was split into North and South divisions, graph indicates Brentfords position in the South division

During the war, Brentford competed in the London War Cup, losing in the 1941 final at Wembley Stadium to Reading and winning in the final against Portsmouth a year later. The club was relegated in the first season after the War, and a downward spiral set in, which culminated in relegation to the Third Division in 1953-54 and the Fourth Division in 1961-62. The survival of Brentford FC was threatened by a projected takeover by Queens Park Rangers in the late 1960s - a bid that was only narrowly averted with an emergency loan of £104,000 - while the club continued to yo-yo between the third and fourth divisions during the next three decades. The club won promotion in 1962-63, 1971-72 and 1977-78 but only on the final occasion was it able to consolidate its place in English football's third tier. Other bright spots in this period included reaching the final of the Freight Rover Trophy at Wembley in 1985, where it lost to Wigan, and a run to the FA Cup quarter-finals in 1989 which included wins over three higher-division sides and was only ended by the reigning league champions Liverpool.

[edit] 1990 to present

After a 45-year absence, Brentford were promoted back to the Second Division (renamed the First Division with the advent of the Premier League in 1992) in the 1991-92 season as Third Division champions, though they were relegated again the following year.

There followed several seasons of the club narrowly missing out on promotion. Former Chelsea FA Cup hero David Webb was appointed manager in 1993 and twice led the side into the play-offs. In 1996-97 he led them to the play-off final at Wembley, but the side were beaten by Crewe Alexandra. The club were then relegated to the Third Division (by then the bottom division of the Football League) the following year. Brentford won promotion as champions again in 1998-99 under manager and chairman Ron Noades.

The club suffered more promotion agony in 2002 under manager Steve Coppell as they lost out to Stoke City in the play-off final having been just minutes away from automatic promotion on the final day of the season, and again under manager Martin Allen in 2004-05, on that occasion losing 3-1 on aggregate to Sheffield Wednesday in the semi-finals after finishing 4th in League One.

Former BBC Director-General and Bees fan Greg Dyke was announced as chairman of Brentford on 20 January 2006 as part of the takeover by Bees United, the Brentford Supporters Trust. On 28 January 2006, Brentford beat Premier League strugglers Sunderland 2-1 in the 4th Round of the FA Cup, but lost 3-1 to another Premier League club Charlton Athletic in the 5th Round. Brentford finished 3rd in the league and lost to Swansea City in the play-off semi-final.

On 30 May 2006 Allen announced his resignation as manager of Brentford[1] and the club named Leroy Rosenior as his successor on 14 June 2006. On 18 November 2006, following a run of 16 matches without a win - leaving the side in the relegation zone - Rosenior was sacked as manager, after the team lost 4-0 at home to Crewe. Following Rosenior's departure, youth team coach Scott Fitzgerald was appointed manager on a full-time basis on 21 December 2006 with Alan Reeves acting as his assistant.[2] Fitzgerald was unable to turn around the club's fortunes, and Brentford were relegated to Football League Two in April 2007. Fitzgerald left the day following confirmation of Brentford's relegation, with youth team manager Barry Quin due to act as caretaker in the managerial role until the end of the season.[3]

On 18 April 2007, The Sun newspaper reported that Micky Adams was in line to return as manager, nine years after being sacked following relegation. Instead, former England captain Terry Butcher was appointed as manager on 24 April. Butcher's assistant was former Brentford winger Andy Scott, who was appointed on 9 May 2007. Butcher's reign at Griffin Park was, however, not a successful one, and his contract was terminated by mutual consent on 11 December 2007[4], after winning just 5 matches in 23. Butcher's assistant Andy Scott was appointed as manager on 4 January 2008 following a successful caretaker spell.

[edit] Stadium

[edit] Griffin Park

Main article: Griffin Park

Brentford have played at Griffin Park since 1904. The ground is unique in British football in that there is a pub in each corner of Griffin Park, one of which is owned by the club.

In 2007 The Ealing Road end of the ground has had a roof installed after a grant by the Football Trust and makes all 4 stands of the ground covered. The Ealing Road remains a terrace but has been "given back" to home supporters and was re-opened for the first game of the season of the 2007/2008 season on Saturday 11th August 2007 against Mansfield Town (4,909 watched the game).

[edit] New Stadium

Brentford, with the aim of securing a more financially sustainable future, have been considering relocation since 2002. Plans were announced in October 2002 for a new 20,000 capacity stadium at a state-of-the-art arena complex in Lionel Road, Brentford. It was announced on 7 December 2007 that the club had secured an option to purchase the site - a major breakthrough in the club's plans to relocate.[5]

The new stadium moved another step closer on 22 February 2008 when it was announced that Brentford's development partner, Barratt Homes, had acquired a 7.6 acre regeneration site in Lionel Road, Brentford.[6]

[edit] Current first-team squad

As of 6th January 2009:

No. Position Player
1 Flag of England GK Ben Hamer (on loan from Reading)
2 Flag of Ireland MF Kevin O'Connor (vice-captain)
3 Flag of England DF Ryan Dickson
4 Flag of England MF Marcus Bean
5 Flag of England DF Mark Phillips
6 Flag of Ireland DF Alan Bennett (on loan from Reading)
7 Flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis DF Adam Newton (captain)
8 Flag of England MF Gary Smith
9 Flag of England FW Nathan Elder
10 Flag of England FW Charlie MacDonald
11 Flag of England MF Glenn Poole
12 Flag of England FW Dean Bowditch (on loan from Ipswich Town)
14 Flag of England DF Brett Johnson
No. Position Player
16 Flag of England MF Sam Wood
17 Flag of England MF Craig Pead
19 Flag of England FW Moses Ademola
21 Flag of England GK Simon Brown
22 Flag of England DF Karleigh Osborne
23 Flag of England FW Ross Montague
24 Flag of England DF Fraser Franks
25 Flag of England MF Lewis Ochoa
26 Flag of England DF John Halls
31 Flag of England GK Seb Brown
32 Flag of England MF Marvin Williams
33 Flag of England GK Lloyd Anderson

[edit] Players out on loan

No. Position Player
18 Flag of England DF Darius Charles (at Ebbsfleet United until May 2009)

[edit] Coaching staff

As of 25 August 2008.
Name Role
Flag of England Andy Scott Manager
Flag of England Terry Bullivant Assistant Manager
Flag of England Steve Smith Goalkeeping Coach
Flag of England Darren Sarll Youth Team Manager
Flag of England Barry Quin Head of Youth Development
Flag of England Dave Appanah Physiotherapist
Flag of England Kevin Powell Youth Team Physio

[edit] Managers

As of 26 December 2008. Only competitive matches are counted.

Name Nat From To Record
P W D L Win %
William Lewis Flag of England August 1900 May 1903
Dick Molyneux Flag of England August 1903 May 1906
W G Brown Flag of England August 1906 May 1908
Fred Halliday Flag of England August 1908 May 1912
Ephraim Rhodes Flag of England August 1912 May 1915
Fred Halliday Flag of England August 1915 August 1921
Archie Mitchell Flag of England August 1921 December 1922 60 22 13 25 37
Fred Halliday Flag of England December 1924 May 1926 68 22 12 34 32
Harry Curtis Flag of England May 1926 February 1949 705 305 157 243 43
Jackie Gibbons Flag of England February 1949 August 1952 150 53 40 57 35
Jimmy Bain Flag of England August 1952 January 1953 23 7 5 11 30
Tommy Lawton Flag of England January 1953 September 1953 33 8 10 15 24
Bill Dodgin, Sr. Flag of England October 1953 May 1957 182 65 57 60 36
Malcolm MacDonald Flag of Scotland May 1957 January 1965 379 160 94 125 42
Tommy Cavanagh Flag of England January 1965 March 1966 46 16 10 20 35
Billy Gray Flag of England 1 August 1966 30 August 1967 48 19 13 16 40
Jimmy Sirrel Flag of England 1 September 1967 30 November 1969 111 45 26 40 41
Frank Blunstone Flag of England 1 December 1969 11 July 1973 164 67 35 62 41
Mike Everitt Flag of England 1 September 1973 15 January 1975 70 21 22 27 30
John Docherty Flag of Scotland 20 January 1975 7 September 1976 69 23 20 26 33
Bill Dodgin, Jr. Flag of England 16 September 1976 1 March 1980 166 71 35 60 43
Fred Callaghan Flag of England 1 March 1980 2 February 1984 176 59 52 65 32
Frank Blunstone Flag of England 2 February 1984 9 February 1984 1 0 0 1 0
Frank McLintock Flag of Scotland 9 February 1984 1 January 1987 151 51 43 57 34
Steve Perryman Flag of England 1 January 1987 15 August 1990 182 71 48 63 39
Phil Holder Flag of England 24 August 1990 11 May 1993 158 66 33 59 41
David Webb Flag of England 17 May 1993 4 August 1997 216 85 65 66 39
Eddie May Flag of England 5 August 1997 5 November 1997 20 5 5 10 25
Micky Adams Flag of England 5 November 1997 1 July 1998 33 7 15 11 21
Ron Noades Flag of England 1 July 1998 20 November 2000 130 51 33 46 39
Ray Lewington Flag of England 20 November 2000 7 May 2001 37 14 11 12 38
Steve Coppell Flag of England 8 May 2001 5 June 2002 54 27 12 15 50
Wally Downes Flag of England 28 June 2002 14 March 2004 97 29 22 46 30
Garry Thompson[7] Flag of England 14 March 2004 18 March 2004 1 0 1 0 0
Martin Allen Flag of England 18 March 2004 30 May 2006 124 54 36 34 44
Leroy Rosenior Flag of England 14 June 2006 18 November 2006 23 3 10 10 13
Scott Fitzgerald[8] Flag of Ireland 18 November 2006 9 April 2007 24 4 5 15 17
Barry Quin[7] Flag of England 9 April 2007 7 May 2007 4 1 0 3 25
Terry Butcher Flag of England 7 May 2007 11 December 2007 23 5 5 13 22
Andy Scott[8] Flag of England 11 December 2007 Present 54 23 15 16 43

[edit] Notable players

See also:Category:Brentford F.C. players - a list of all Brentford F.C. players with a Wikipedia article.

Famous former players include:

Australia
Canada
England
Ghana
Iceland
Jamaica
Malta
Nigeria
Republic of Ireland
Scotland
Senegal
Wales

[edit] Honours

[edit] Rivalry

Main article: West London derby

Brentford’s main rivals are Fulham and Queens Park Rangers. Most fans would consider the Fulham rivalry to be the biggest, however, it may depend on what generation the fan is from.

The Fulham-Brentford rivalry is undoubtedly one of the most fiercely competed derby games in London and the two teams competed regularly until 1998 when Fulham were taken over my Egyptian millionaire Mohamed Al-Fayed. Despite not having played for many years, there is still a lot of bad feeling between the two traditional rivals.

The rivalry with QPR was each club’s biggest game of the season until 1966. Then QPR went on to spend many seasons in the top flight whilst Brentford struggled in the lower leagues. The two clubs met again in 2001 and spent several seasons at the same level. The rivalry with QPR runs deeper than geography though, as in 1967 QPR attempted to take over Brentford and move into Griffin Park. This would have resulted in the death of Brentford FC. Ultimately the Brentford fans rallied together and crisis was averted.

During the 1970s, Brentford’s biggest rivals were Watford. This fixture would often result in disagreements and outbreaks of violence on the pitch and on the terraces. Other lesser rivals include Birmingham City and Reading.

[edit] Mascot

Brentford FC's mascot is the ever-smiling Buzz Bee. Standing at 6 feet tall, he has black and yellow stripes and wears a Brentford FC club strip. He circles the ground before each game, and is a great hit with the kids who come to watch the matches. In keeping with tradition, various supporters of the Bees have been asked to play the part of Buzz Bee.

[edit] Club songs

Brentford's club song is Hey Jude by The Beatles. This is played at every home game and sung by the Brentford supporters throughout the game. In 1993 the band One Touch To Go recorded the song Red On White for the team. The track can be found on the album Greatest Hiss 1983/1999. The song has been played at the ground till at least 2002. In 2001 Status Quo bassist John 'Rhino' Edwards recorded a track called Brentford's Big Day Out after the Bees reached the final of the LDV Trophy at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff. More recently Lloyd Owusu, on his short comeback to Brentford recorded a track about himself and his connections with the club. Surprisingly, this spent a short while being downloaded rapidly off music websites. The track's main word is Owusu as during his time at the club Lloyd was a fan favourite and whenever his name was read out the fans shouted back his surname as well as raised their hands. This referred to how he liked to 'raise the roof'.

[edit] Trivia

  • Rod Stewart was an apprentice at the club, before he focussed on his music career.
  • Comedian and actor, Bradley Walsh was a professional at the club in the late 1970s but never made the first team squad.
  • In the early sixties during a league game, both the first team and substitute goalkeepers were injured during the 90 minutes, leaving young keeper John Clack to come on in the dying seconds. This was one of the first times that three goalkeepers had to be used in one game due to injury.

[edit] Club records

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Allen resigns from Bees", skysports.com (2006-06-30). Retrieved on 18 November 2006. 
  2. ^ "Rosenior sacked as Brentford boss", BBC Sport (2006-11-18). Retrieved on 19 November 2006. 
  3. ^ "Boss Fitzgerald leaves Brentford", BBC Sport (2007-04-10). Retrieved on 10 April 2007. 
  4. ^ "Boss Butcher leaves Brentford job", BBC Sport (2007-12-11). Retrieved on 11 December 2007. 
  5. ^ "Brentford given new stadium boost", BBC Sport (2007-12-07). Retrieved on 13 December 2007. 
  6. ^ "Brentford Football Club and Barratt Homes team up to acquire land for new Community Stadium", Brentford F.C. (2008-02-22). Retrieved on 25 February 2008. 
  7. ^ a b Served as caretaker manager.
  8. ^ a b Initially as caretaker manager.

[edit] External links