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Brentford F.C.
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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.
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Encyclopedia
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.
History
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.
1945-1989
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.
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 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. 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.
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, 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.
Stadium
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 11 August 2007 against Mansfield Town (4,909 watched the game).
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.
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. Following this news, it was anticipated that the stadium would be completed in time for the 2012/2013 season, and be used as a training venue for teams participating in the 2012 Olympic Games in London. However, due to the on-going economic downturn and fall in property prices, the club and Barratt Homes admitted in early 2009 that this date would no longer be feasible.
Current first-team squad
As of 9th March 2009:
Out on loan
Coaching staff
As of 25 August 2008.
|valign="top"|
| Name
| Role |
|---|
| Andy Scott | Manager | | Terry Bullivant | Assistant Manager | | Goalkeeping Coach | | Youth Team Manager | | Head of Youth Development | | Physiotherapist | | Youth Team Physio | | Kit Man / Chef |
Managers
As of 22 February 2009. Only competitive matches are counted.
| Name | Nat | From | To | Record |
|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % |
|---|
| William Lewis | | August 1900 | May 1903 | | Dick Molyneux | | August 1903 | May 1906 | | W G Brown | | August 1906 | May 1908 | | Fred Halliday | | August 1908 | May 1912 | | Ephraim Rhodes | | August 1912 | May 1915 | | Fred Halliday | | August 1915 | August 1921 | | Archie Mitchell | | August 1921 | December 1922
| 60 | 22 | 13 | 25 | 37 | | Fred Halliday | | December 1924 | May 1926
| 68 | 22 | 12 | 34 | 32 | | Harry Curtis | | May 1926 | February 1949
| 705 | 305 | 157 | 243 | 43 | | Jackie Gibbons | | February 1949 | August 1952
| 150 | 53 | 40 | 57 | 35 | | Jimmy Bain | | August 1952 | January 1953
| 23 | 7 | 5 | 11 | 30 | | Tommy Lawton | | January 1953 | September 1953
| 33 | 8 | 10 | 15 | 24 | | Bill Dodgin, Sr. | | October 1953 | May 1957
| 182 | 65 | 57 | 60 | 36 | | Malcolm MacDonald | | May 1957 | January 1965
| 379 | 160 | 94 | 125 | 42 | | Tommy Cavanagh | | January 1965 | March 1966
| 46 | 16 | 10 | 20 | 35 | | Billy Gray | | 1 August 1966 | 30 August 1967
| 48 | 19 | 13 | 16 | 40 | | Jimmy Sirrel | | 1 September 1967 | 30 November 1969
| 111 | 45 | 26 | 40 | 41 | | Frank Blunstone | | 1 December 1969 | 11 July 1973
| 164 | 67 | 35 | 62 | 41 | | Mike Everitt | | 1 September 1973 | 15 January 1975
| 70 | 21 | 22 | 27 | 30 | | John Docherty | | 20 January 1975 | 7 September 1976
| 69 | 23 | 20 | 26 | 33 | | Bill Dodgin, Jr. | | 16 September 1976 | 1 March 1980
| 166 | 71 | 35 | 60 | 43 | | Fred Callaghan | | 1 March 1980 | 2 February 1984
| 176 | 59 | 52 | 65 | 32 | | Frank Blunstone | | 2 February 1984 | 9 February 1984
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | | Frank McLintock | | 9 February 1984 | 1 January 1987
| 151 | 51 | 43 | 57 | 34 | | Steve Perryman | | 1 January 1987 | 15 August 1990
| 182 | 71 | 48 | 63 | 39 | | Phil Holder | | 24 August 1990 | 11 May 1993
| 158 | 66 | 33 | 59 | 41 | | David Webb | | 17 May 1993 | 4 August 1997
| 216 | 85 | 65 | 66 | 39 | | Eddie May | | 5 August 1997 | 5 November 1997
| 20 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 25 | | Micky Adams | | 5 November 1997 | 1 July 1998
| 33 | 7 | 15 | 11 | 21 | | Ron Noades | | 1 July 1998 | 20 November 2000
| 130 | 51 | 33 | 46 | 39 | | Ray Lewington | | 20 November 2000 | 7 May 2001
| 37 | 14 | 11 | 12 | 38 | | Steve Coppell | | 8 May 2001 | 5 June 2002
| 54 | 27 | 12 | 15 | 50 | | Wally Downes | | 28 June 2002 | 14 March 2004
| 97 | 29 | 22 | 46 | 30 | | Garry Thompson | | 14 March 2004 | 18 March 2004
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | | Martin Allen | | 18 March 2004 | 30 May 2006
| 124 | 54 | 36 | 34 | 44 | | Leroy Rosenior | | 14 June 2006 | 18 November 2006
| 23 | 3 | 10 | 10 | 13 | | Scott Fitzgerald | | 18 November 2006 | 9 April 2007
| 24 | 4 | 5 | 15 | 17 | | Barry Quin | | 9 April 2007 | 7 May 2007
| 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 25 | | Terry Butcher | | 7 May 2007 | 11 December 2007
| 23 | 5 | 5 | 13 | 22 | | Andy Scott | | 11 December 2007 | Present
| 64 | 29 | 17 | 18 | 45 |
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
Adam Griffiths
Canada
Gordon Sweetzer
England
Doug Allder
Marcus Bent
Gary Blissett
Stan Bowles
Dudley Campbell
Richard Cadette
Ken Coote
Roger Cross
Maurice Edelston
Terry Evans
Les Ferdinand
Nicky Forster
Ron Greenwood
Ron Harris
Patsy Hendren
Jimmy Hill
Dean Holdsworth
Terry Hurlock
Keith Jones
Francis Joseph
Tommy Lawton
Chris Kamara
Andy McCulloch
Gavin Mahon
Paul Merson
Tony Parks
Steve Perryman
Steve Phillips
Harry Redknapp
John Salako
Kenny Sansom
Steve Sidwell
Andy Sinton
Neil Smillie
Paul Smith
Robert Taylor
Ghana
Iceland
Ólafur Gottskįlksson
Hermann Hreišarsson
Ķvar Ingimarsson
Jamaica
Malta
Nigeria
Republic of Ireland
Bill Gorman
Chris Hughton
Stephen Hunt
Paddy Roche
Jay Tabb
Scotland
Chic Brodie
Stewart Houston
Graeme Hogg
David McCulloch
Senegal
Wales
Honours
Rivalry
Brentfords main rivals are Fulham and Queens Park Rangers.
Brentford have a long standing rivalry with Fulham. The two local rivals competed reguarly until recent years when Fulham were taken over by Egyptian millionaire Mohamed Al-Fayed. The fixture is often marred by crowd violence. Fulham are considered to be Brentford's traditional rivals and vice versa.
QPR are also considered to be major rivals. Brentford and QPR clashed reguarly until 1966 when QPR spent many years in higher divisions. It wasn't until 2001 that they met again. The rivalry intensified in 1967 when QPR failed in an attempted takeover of Brentford which would have spelled the end for Brentford and seen QPR move into Griffin Park. As with the Fulham rivalry, this fixture sees passions run high amongst both sets of supporters with local pride at stake.
During the 1970s, Brentfords biggest rivals were Watford. This fixture would often result in disagreements and outbreaks of violence on the pitch and terraces.
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.
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'.
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.
Club records
- Record Victory: 9-0 v Wrexham, Division 3, 15 October 1963
- Record Defeat: 0-7 on three occasions, most recently v Peterborough United, Coca Cola League Two, 24 November 2007
- Most League Points (2 for a win): 62, Division Three South, 1932-1933
- Most League Points (3 for a win): 85, Division 2, 1994-1995 & Division 3, 1998-9
- Most League Goals Scored in a season: 98, Division 4, 1962-1963
- Most League Goals Conceded in a season: 94, Division Three South, 1925-26
- Highest League Scorer in a season: Jack Holliday, 39, 1932-1933
- Most League Goals in Total Aggregate: Jim Towers, 153, 1954-1961
- Most Capped Player: John Buttigieg, 95, Malta
- Most League Appearances: Ken Coote, 514, 1949-1964
- Record Transfer Fee Received: £2,500,000 from Wimbledon for Hermann Hreišarsson, October 1999
- Record Transfer Fee Paid: £750,000 to Crystal Palace for Hermann Hreišarsson, September 1998
- Highest home attendance: 38,678 v Leicester City, 26 February 1949
- Most league games without a win: 18, September-December 2006
See also
External links
- - the club's website
- - The Brentford Supporters' Trust and owners of the majority of shares in BFC
- - Griffin Park Grapevine. Fully independent unofficial site and the most popular website about Brentford FC.
- - an ongoing attempt at an online encyclopaedia on everything related to Brentford FC.
- - Brentford Independent Association of Supporters
- - The Swedish Supporters Club
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