November – getting back into our stride
Brentford 1 Norwich City 2 – Saturday 6 November
After three straight league defeats this was starting to feel like a must-win tussle against a side who haven’t won a single game all season.
The Last Post was well observed by all, except for one drunken Norwich fan, at what would be the last home game before Remembrance Sunday. The Norwich fans were first out of the blocks with the singing, easily out-performing the Brentford. The Norwich players were doing well on the pitch too, smelling blood as Brentford couldn’t get their act together.
When Normann scored for Norwich their fans let off a yellowy-green flare. People were complaining about the smell, but I quite liked it. Then Pukki scored, but no follow-up flare was forthcoming. Perhaps the fans hadn’t considered they’d get more than one goal. They settled instead for a rendition of ‘We’re winning away, we’re winning away. How s**t must you be…’
Thomas Frank made some bold substitutions in an attempt to right the ship. Bold as in surprising, to some of the fans around us. Only Bryan Mbeumo appeared to be playing well. Rico got one back for us on 60 minutes and we looked good for a while. An equaliser seemed possible.
It was so disappointing. We really should’ve won at home to the bottom club, who up till now had lost seven and drawn two. Brave Thomas Frank still did his walk round the edge of pitch, applauding the fans. Many of the players did a shorter lap of appreciation, not much more than the edge of the centre circle.
Some Brentford fans with children were seated near the away fans section. A couple of them weren’t happy at the intimidating behaviour of some of the Norwich fans. Apparently it was much worse than the usual away fan banter.
To top it all, the Norwich manager, Daniel Farke, was sacked after the game despite winning. Harsh. He was soon replaced by ex-Brentford boss Dean Smith. And so it goes, round and round.
In the days that followed Brentford fans were taken to task on social media for not singing loud enough for long enough. Some are suggesting that outsiders have been applying to be club members in order to buy tickets to sell to away fans at a profit, thus diluting the proportion of true fans in the crowd. Whatever the truth of it, while we do need to be more consistently supportive when things aren’t going well, it can’t be the reason things are patchy on the pitch.
We’re singing a sad song at the moment, and the whole club needs to make it better (preferably by the end of the international break).
Newcastle United 3 Brentford 3 – Saturday 20 November
We have fond memories of coming here when Newcastle were in the Championship, even though we lost. Is it really five years since we were last in The Home of Greggs?
We were also excited at the prospect of our first game since the international break and return to a place we like, so we went up on the train the day before. We passed through Durham, which looks beautiful and unspoilt – must visit one day. Then the Angel of the North up on the hill just to the east. We had a lovely seafood meal at Big Mussels – they should have these everywhere.
The morning before the game, we walked across the curved angle of a bouncy footbridge over the river to Gateshead and west along the south bank of the Tyne footpath. Then back over the river on the high road bridge, my legs weak with vertigo.
More vertigo was experienced while climbing/crawling up to our seats. St James’s Park is lower on two sides to give light to some beautiful Georgian terraced houses right by the stadium. The very top of one of the high sides is where they put the away fans. Somewhere far, far below, the Bees are playing the Magpies. Meanwhile, up here, Bees fans are reminding Newcastle that Ivan Toney was once on their books – ‘He left cos you’re s**t!’, etc.
It was certainly an exciting game. Newcastle scored on 10 minutes and Ivan Toney equalised a minute later. Rico then put us in the lead on the half-hour, and Newcastle equalised shortly after.
When Newcastle fans cheer, they sure do cheer, a tumultuous roar from 50,000-odd Geordies whenever Newcastle went on the attack. Wonder if they ever heard us, a thousand or so Bees fans up in the gods, as anything more than a distant faint buzz, even though we sang our hearts out.
New manager Eddie Howe wasn’t present; he’s got Covid. But he was on the cover of the match day programme. At least, I think it was him. The programme’s away team section was interesting, as always. Spent most of half time looking at a picture of Kevin O’Connor that didn’t look like him. But who else could it be?
The second half didn’t disappoint. Onyeka put us back in the lead on the hour mark but we knew it was far from over. On 75 minutes Newcastle equalised again and went all out for the winner. But we held on. We’re getting better at that.
After the game we met up with some Bees friends and went to the Trent Star pub nearby. Heaving with Newcastle fans it was. A few of them clocked our accents and turned round for a chat. Asking us about the game and the club. All very friendly and not a hint of bother.
Brentford 1 Everton 0 – Sunday 28 November
‘Tickets?’ was the one-word email sent by my Everton-supporting friend that was supposed to pass for a message of congratulation when Bees got promoted way back in sunny May.
Rafa Benitez didn’t pick Ivan Toney when both were at Newcastle Utd. We always do. Rafa’s now at injury-ravaged Everton. Bet he wishes he had an Ivan Toney there.
Our first home game in a while and boy was it cold. So cold Sergei’s barnet had turned a frosty snowman grey. Or maybe he’s been at the hair-dye again. Everton were wearing their home kit at an away fixture. Is that unusual?
Brentford started brightly, controlling the midfield, with Toney sometimes coming deep to help out more than usual. Indeed, we bossed the whole of the first half.
We got a VAR-assisted penalty on 24 minutes after Andros Townsend kicked Frank ‘the Tank’ Onyeka in the side of the head. We were all surprised that Townsend wasn’t booked, but after seeing it on telly later I reckon the ref got it right. I hate watching Ivan Toney take those two-step penalties. They always go in, though. He doesn’t look at the ball, or the goal. His eyes stay fixed on the goalie. He sent England’s No.1, Jordan Pickford, the wrong way.
The wags in the row behind proceeded to discuss the heights of various goalkeepers. Eventually I worked out that ‘T-Rex arms’ is Pickford. A little harsh.
Everton seemed sluggish and ordinary, apart from Dacouré. But in the second half they were much better and we were mostly pretty awful. Desperate clearances hoofed high and hopeful. We just couldn’t keep possession of the ball. But weirdly, the longer it went on, the less likely it looked that Everton would score, for all their domination and waves of attacks. For us it was more frustrating than fingernail-biting.
But three points is three points and a clean sheet is a clean sheet. The victory came as a welcome respite from a winless run of five games in the league. There were some good Brentford performances, too, particularly from Alvaro ‘Woah-Oh!’ Fernandez and Charlie ‘E’s a’ Goode. And Wissa looked useful when he came on near the end. So good to see him back from his ankle injury.
‘Aaaaaaaargh!’ was the one-word email sent by my Everton-supporting friend later that evening.
Next time…
Nice to end the month on a high note. And nice that although we’ve lost a few games we haven’t been tonked yet, so the goal difference is OK. Now we need to gird our loins for a whole eight games in December – seven in the league and one in the EFL Cup. Merry Christmas everyone and Bee Happy!
Words and spaces, sounds and places 