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Brentford F.C.

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Brentford
File:Brentford FC logo.svg
Full nameBrentford Football Club
Nickname(s)The Bees
Founded1889
GroundGriffin Park
Brentford, London
Capacity12,300
OwnerMatthew Benham
ChairmanCliff Crown
ManagerMark Warburton
LeagueThe Championship
2013–14League One, 2nd
(promoted)
Websitehttp://www.brentfordfc.co.uk
Current season

Brentford Football Club are a professional football club based in Brentford, in the London Borough of Hounslow, that currently play in the Football League Championship. They were founded on 10 October 1889 and play their home games at Griffin Park, their home stadium since 1904, after a nomadic existence playing at 5 previous grounds. 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 three times been Football League Trophy runners-up.

History

Foundation to 1939

Founded on 10 October 1889, at the Oxford and Cambridge Hotel PH in Brentford – next to Kew Bridge – a meeting was held, between the members of the Brentford Rowing Club, to decide between association football or rugby union, to serve as a winter pursuit for the rowing club and its members. As a result of a vote, by 8 votes to 5, taken 6 days later, association football was successful as the sport to partake in.

The football club started out playing its home matches at the Clifden House Ground – this was recreational land between what is now Clifden Road and Lateward Road – in Brentford, from November 1889 to March 1892. The very first fixture, between Brentford FC and Kew FC, was on 23 November 1889. Due to ownership of the land changing hands, Brentford FC were on the lookout for a new ground, after only 30 months. In October 1892, Benn's Field – land behind The Plough PH Little Ealing Lane – in Little Ealing, was the clubs new home. The football club decided to move nearer to Brentford and in December 1894 they moved to Shotter's Field – what is now Gunnersbury School, The Ride – and stayed there until April 1898. Due to high rent increases, the club were once again forced to move on, so in September 1898 the club moved to the Cross Roads Ground, in Little Ealing – land on the north west side of the junction of Little Ealing Lane and Ealing Road – this was used until April 1900. As the club grew, therefore entertaining larger crowds, a move to a ground with the chance of improving better spectator facilities, with under cover enclosures and changing rooms, was looked for. Boston Park Cricket Ground, in York Road, Brentford – what is now land along the east side of Ealing Road and south of the Great West Road – was then used from September 1900 to April 1904. Finally, in January 1904, the club agreed a 21-year lease on an orchard, once owned by Chiswick brewers Fuller, Smith and Turner. The clearance of the orchard, over 200 trees, and the levelling of the land took several months. Griffin Park, as it became known – supposedly named after the local The Griffin PH once used as a changing rooms in the early years – was now ready for use as a football ground after banking was raised along three sides of the ground and an enclosure, moved from their previous ground, was erected. In August 1904 trial matches were played on the pitch. Then the first competitive match was played, a reserve team game in the Western League v Plymouth Argyle. On 7 September 1904, Brentford and West Ham United played out a 0–0 draw, in the Southern League First Division, which was the first first team match.

In 1920, 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, but still missed out on promotion. They are the last of six teams in English football to amass a perfect home record, and the only one to do so over a season of 42 matches or more. 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. Under manager Harry Curtis and captain Arthur Bateman, 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

League positions of Brentford since the 1920–21 season of the Football League.

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. In the process Brentford became the first team to play the other ninety-one clubs in league football.[1]

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 the team 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[2] 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.[3] Fitzgerald was unable to turn around the club's fortunes, and Brentford were relegated to Football League Two – English Football's 4th tier – 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.[4]

Ex-England captain Terry Butcher was appointed as manager on 24 April 2007. 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,[5] 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. (Scott's assistant is the experienced coach Terry Bullivant).

On 25 April 2009 Brentford sealed the League Two championship (English football's fourth tier) with a 3–1 win at Darlington. The Bees were awarded the Trophy in front of 10,223 fans at Griffin Park on 2 May. They were the second team (after Doncaster Rovers) to win the fourth tier three times, and the first to win the tier under its three names (Fourth Division, Division Three and League Two).

Scott's excellent first calendar year in charge was recognised with an award, the BBC London 'Manager of the Year 2008'. Scott was also awarded the League Two Manager of the Month award for April/May 2009, which recognised the above title was won in difficult circumstances; with 4 strikers hospitalised in 8 games.

During the 2008–09 campaign, three players also picked up awards:

  • Marcus Bean — 'Powerade Player of the Month' for League Two December 2008
  • Charlie MacDonald — 'Powerade Player of the Month' for League Two February 2009
  • Jordan Rhodes — League Two 'PFA Fans' Player of the Season 2009' and League Two 'PFA Fans' Player of the Month' March 2009.

2009–10: A total of 13 new players were bought in, mostly on free transfers.

On 5 August 2009, the amalgamation of fans' groups which help run the club – Bees United – announced they had ".. negotiated terms with Matthew Benham that will enable BU to continue in its role of ensuring the club is governed well, of protecting the long term interests of Brentford Football Club, and of giving you, our members, the right of veto over any unreasonable sale of the ground in which Brentford plays, so long as Brentford FC remains solvent".

The 2009–10 season saw the club stabilise in League One – with Brentford finishing 9th. [citation needed] A shaky start led to changes in personnel, notably loanees from Arsenal (Goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny) and Tottenham Hotspur (winger John Bostock). While the other promoted teams struggled, Brentford thrived, thanks to good home form, (Brentford only lost four home league games in two years) and some impressive displays against the richer clubs in the division (e.g. Leeds United, Norwich City, Southampton & Huddersfield Town).[citation needed] A new CEO was appointed, Andrew Mills.[citation needed]

The 2010–11 season saw a League Cup run, with Premier League opposition – Everton – beaten at Griffin Park, and Birmingham City taken to a penalty shoot-out. The Bees' league form took a dive in January 2011 however; and manager Scott and assistant Bullivant parted company from the club on 3 February; with senior pro Nicky Forster taking over as manager (with Mark Warburton, a former Watford Academy Coach as his assistant). Brentford reached the final of the Football League Trophy in which they lost 1–0 to Carlisle United.

At the end of the 2010–11 season, Nicky Forster was informed that he would not be getting the manager's job on a full-time basis, and on 10 June 2011 Uwe Rosler was confirmed as the new manager, on a two-year contract. The Management structure runs along the 'European model': i.e. a 'Sporting Director' (Mark Warburton) works with the Manager on sourcing players.

At the end of the 2011/12 season, in which the Club finished 9th in League One missing out on the play-offs by 6 points, the club's supporters voted to sell the entire club's shareholding to supporter-investor Matthew Benham. Supporters trust Bees United, the club's previous majority shareholders, elected at a special general meeting to bring its five-year deal with Benham to a conclusion two years early. Benham had initially come on board back in 2009, striking a deal which would see him take over the club in July 2014 if the trust were not able to buy him out by then.[6]

The 2012–13 season saw Brentford go on an FA Cup run, taking holders Chelsea F.C. to a fourth round replay, and mount a promotion challenge, missing out on automatic promotion on the final day of the season before losing the playoff final to Yeovil Town.

25 June 2013 – Cliff Crown elected Chairman Of Brentford Football Club

18 April 2014 Brentford were promoted to the Championship after they beat Preston 1–0 at Griffin Park in front of 10,774 people sparking a pitch invasion. However they also needed other results to go their way, and they did as Crawley beat Leyton Orient 2–1 and Wolves beat Rotherham 6–4 at Molineux, although there was an anxious wait as the Wolves match was delayed by several pitch invasions. This meant The Bees' return to second tier after 21 years.

Grounds

Griffin Park

Main article: Griffin Park

Brentford FC have played at Griffin Park since September 1904. Griffin Park is unique in British football, in that there is a pub on each corner, The Royal Oak, The New Inn, The Griffin – which was used in the film Green Street – and The Princess Royal (which was once run by Brentford FC).

In 2007, the east stand, The Ealing Road end of the ground, had a roof installed after a grant given by the Football Trust, therefore making all 4 stands of Griffin Park covered. The Ealing Road stand still remains a terrace and is now the home supporters stand. It was re-opened for the first game of the season of the 2007/08 season, on Saturday 11 August 2007, against Mansfield Town (4,909 watched the game).

The Braemar Road stand, south stand, was renamed the 'Bees United' stand for the 2010/11 season. The New Road stand, north stand opposite, was renamed The Bill Axbey stand. The Brook Road, west stand, is used specifically as the Away supporters stand. Sometimes called the 'Wendy House'.

The dug-outs were moved from the Braemar Road side (south side) of the ground to the Bill Axbey side (north side) for the 2010/11 season.

Lionel Road

Main article: Brentford Community 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 all seater stadium at a state-of-the-art arena complex in Lionel Road South, 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.[7]

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 (31,000 m2) regeneration site in Lionel Road South, Brentford.[8] Following this news, it was anticipated that the stadium would be completed in time for the 2012/13 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.[citation needed]

The club's plan to move to a new community stadium took a massive step forward, on Thursday 28 June 2012, when the club, via Matthew Benham, purchased the 7.6 acre site in Lionel Road South, Brentford, from Barratt Homes who had originally acquired the site in January 2008. The club is planning to build a 20,000-spectator capacity stadium on the land. Along with outline planning permission for a Hotel and Apartment buildings, on unused land surrounding the site, to help fund the project, as well as applying for outline planning permission for Griffin Park which will also be sold to developers as to fund the Lionel Road South project.[9]

Outline planning approval was given, by the London Borough of Hounslow, on 5 December 2013, by 8 votes to 5, and so this planning application now goes to the Mayor of London and the Secretary of State for final approval. On 18 February 2014, the Mayor of London's office officially gave their approval for the stadium to be built. The planning application then went to Eric Pickles, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for final approval, which was given on Friday, 14 March 2014. Building work is expected to commence in the summer of 2014.

Current squad

First-team squad

As of 7 August 2014

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK England ENG Richard Lee
2 DF Ireland EIR Kevin O'Connor (captain)
3 DF England ENG Jake Bidwell
4 MF England ENG Adam Forshaw
5 DF England ENG Tony Craig (vice-captain)
6 DF England ENG Harlee Dean
7 MF England ENG Sam Saunders
8 MF Ireland EIR Jonathan Douglas
9 FW England ENG Scott Hogan
10 MF England ENG Moses Odubajo
12 MF Ireland EIR Alan McCormack
14 MF Spain ESP Marcos Tébar
15 MF Northern Ireland NIR Stuart Dallas
16 GK Ireland EIR Jack Bonham
No. Pos. Nation Player
18 MF Ireland EIR Alan Judge
19 FW England ENG Andre Gray
20 MF France FRA Toumani Diagouraga
21 MF England ENG Alex Pritchard (on loan from Tottenham Hotspur)
22 MF England ENG Jake Reeves
24 FW England ENG Tommy Smith
25 DF France FRA Raphaël Calvet
26 DF England ENG James Tarkowski
27 GK England ENG David Button
28 DF England ENG Nico Yennaris
29 MF England ENG Charlie Adams
30 MF England ENG Josh Clarke
34 DF Finland FIN Daniel O'Shaughnessy

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
11 FW Northern Ireland NIR Will Grigg (at MK Dons until 31 May 2015)

Development squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
33 FW England ENG Montell Moore
— GK England ENG Mark Smith
— DF England ENG Alfie Mawson
— DF England ENG Kieran Morris
— DF Scotland SCO Lionel Stone
No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF England ENG Louis Hutton
— MF England ENG Joe Maloney
— MF England ENG Tyrell Miller-Rodney
— MF England ENG Emmanuel Oyeleke
— MF England ENG Jermaine Udumaga

Academy squad

Further information: Brentford F.C. Reserves and Academy and the development and academy squads

Coaching staff

As of 8 January 2014
Role
England Mark Warburton Manager
Scotland David Weir Assistant Manager
England Frank McParland Sporting Director
England Simon Royce Goalkeeping Coach
Wales Tom Perryman Fitness Coach
England James Purdue Fitness Coach
England Daryl Martin Physiotherapist
England Neil Greig Head of Medical
England Bob Oteng Kit Man

Managers

As of 22 February 2014. Only competitive matches are counted.

Name Nat From To Record
P W D L Win %
William Lewis England August 1900 May 1903
Dick Molyneux England August 1903 May 1906
W G Brown England August 1906 May 1908
Fred Halliday England August 1908 May 1912
Ephraim Rhodes England August 1912 May 1915
Fred Halliday England August 1915 August 1921
Archie Mitchell England August 1921 December 1922 60 22 13 25 37
Fred Halliday England December 1924 May 1926 68 22 12 34 32
Harry Curtis England May 1926 February 1949 705 305 157 243 43
Jackie Gibbons England February 1949 August 1952 150 53 40 57 35
Jimmy Bain Scotland August 1952 January 1953 23 7 5 11 30
Tommy Lawton England January 1953 September 1953 33 8 10 15 24
Bill Dodgin, Sr. England October 1953 May 1957 182 65 57 60 36
Malky McDonald Scotland May 1957 January 1965 379 160 94 125 42
Tommy Cavanagh England January 1965 March 1966 46 16 10 20 35
Billy Gray England 1 August 1966 30 August 1967 48 19 13 16 40
Jimmy Sirrel England 1 September 1967 30 November 1969 111 45 26 40 41
Frank Blunstone England 1 December 1969 11 July 1973 164 67 35 62 41
Mike Everitt England 1 September 1973 15 January 1975 70 21 22 27 30
John Docherty Scotland 20 January 1975 7 September 1976 69 23 20 26 33
Bill Dodgin, Jr. England 16 September 1976 1 March 1980 166 71 35 60 43
Fred Callaghan England 1 March 1980 2 February 1984 176 59 52 65 32
Frank Blunstone England 2 February 1984 9 February 1984 1 0 0 1 0
Frank McLintock Scotland 9 February 1984 1 January 1987 151 51 43 57 34
Steve Perryman England 1 January 1987 15 August 1990 182 71 48 63 39
Phil Holder England 24 August 1990 11 May 1993 158 66 33 59 41
David Webb England 17 May 1993 4 August 1997 216 85 65 66 39
Eddie May England 5 August 1997 5 November 1997 20 5 5 10 25
Micky Adams England 5 November 1997 1 July 1998 33 7 15 11 21
Ron Noades England 1 July 1998 20 November 2000 130 51 33 46 39
Ray Lewington England 20 November 2000 7 May 2001 37 14 11 12 38
Steve Coppell England 8 May 2001 5 June 2002 54 27 12 15 50
Wally Downes England 28 June 2002 14 March 2004 97 29 22 46 30
Garry Thompson[10] England 14 March 2004 18 March 2004 1 0 1 0 0
Martin Allen England 18 March 2004 31 May 2006 124 54 36 34 44
Leroy Rosenior England 14 June 2006 18 November 2006 23 3 10 10 13
Scott Fitzgerald[11] Republic of Ireland 18 November 2006 10 April 2007 24 4 5 15 17
Barry Quin[10] England 10 April 2007 7 May 2007 4 1 0 3 25
Terry Butcher England 7 May 2007 11 December 2007 23 5 5 13 22
Andy Scott[11] England 11 December 2007 3 February 2011 168 64 55 49 38
Nicky Forster[11] England 3 February 2011 7 May 2011 21 9 5 7 43
Uwe Rösler Germany 10 June 2011 7 December 2013 137 60 40 37 44
Alan Kernaghan[10] Republic of Ireland 7 December 2013 9 December 2013 1 0 0 1 0
Mark Warburton England 10 December 2013 Present 25 16 6 3 64
See also:Category:Brentford F.C. managers – a list of all Brentford F.C. managers with a Wikipedia article

Players with most appearances

as at 3 May 2014

Name Appearances in League and Cup Career at Brentford
England Ken Coote 559 (514 lge 35 FAC 10 LC) 1949–1964
England Jamie Bates 524 (419 lge 21 FAC 40 LC 44 Other) 1986–1999
England Peter Gelson 516 (471 lge 28 FAC 17 LC) 1960–1975
Republic of Ireland Kevin O'Connor 500 (420 lge 31 FAC 19 LC 30 other) 2000 – present
Scotland Tommy Higginson 435 (388 lge 27 FAC 20 LC) 1959–1970
Scotland Jackie Graham 409 (374 lge 21 FAC 14 LC) 1970–1980
England Keith Millen 379 (305 lge 18 FAC 26 LC 30 other) 1984–1994
England Gerry Cakebread 374 (348 lge 20 FAC 6 LC) 1955–1964
England Danis Salman 371 (325 lge 17 FAC 19 LC 10 other) 1975–1986
England Alan Nelmes 350 (316 lge 19 FAC 15 LC) 1967–1976

Highest goalscorers

as at 22 June 2014

Name Goal Scorers in League and Cup Career at Brentford
England Jim Towers 163 (153 lge 9 FAC 1 LC) 1951–1961
England George Francis 136 (124 lge 12 FAC) 1953–1962
England Jack Holliday 122 (119 lge 3 FAC) 1932–1939
England Gary Blissett 105 (79 lge 7 FAC 9 LC 10 other) 1987–1993
Scotland Dave McCulloch 90 (85 lge 5 FAC) 1935–1938
England Bill Lane 89 (79 lge 10 FAC) 1929–1932
Ghana Lloyd Owusu 87 (76 lge 4 FAC 3 LC 4 other) 1998–2002; 2005–2007
England Billy Scott 86 (83 lge 3 FAC) 1932–1947
England Jack Lane 86 (74 lge 12 FAC) 1925–1931
Wales Idris Hopkins 80 (77 lge 3 FAC) 1932–1947

Capped international players

The following players earned international caps whilst playing for Brentford (number of caps awarded whilst at Brentford FC in brackets, if known and confirmed):

Full International

U-21 International

Youth International

Schoolboy International

England

B International

England

Amateur Internationals

England

Victory International (Matches played in 1919, 1945–1946)

England

War Time International (Matches played from 1939–1945)

Honours

Champions

  • West London Alliance: 1
    • Champions: 1892–93
  1. ^ Received silverware

Cup Winners

  • West Middlesex Cup: 1
  • Southern Professional Charity Cup: 1
    • Winners: 1908–09[16]

Records

Leagues

Cups

  • Southern Professional Floodlit Cup
    • Best performance: Semi-Final – 1955–56, 1956–57[16]
  • First Alliance Cup
    • Best performance: First Round – 1988[16]

Awards

Rivalry

Main article: West London derby

Brentford's main rivals are Fulham and Queens Park Rangers.[18]

Brentford have a long standing rivalry with Fulham.[19] The two local rivals competed regularly until the late 1990s when Fulham were taken over by Egyptian millionaire Mohamed Al-Fayed. In the past this fixture has been marred by crowd violence.[20]

QPR are also considered to be rivals. Brentford and QPR clashed regularly 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.[21]

Celebrity connections

Celebrity supporters include:

Actor and comedian, Bradley Walsh was a professional at the club in the late 1970s but never made the first team squad.[22]

Late Jazz Band Leader, Billy Cotton, who hosted the long-running Billy Cotton's Band Show on Radio and TV, played for Brentford as an amateur in his youth.[citation needed]

Singer/pop icon Rod Stewart is often reported to be a former player, but this is believed to be a myth. Stewart admitted to not have been signed by Brentford in a 1995 issue of Q Magazine, but possibly had trials in 1961 and left before being offered any 'deal' to stay on.

Former Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp was in the first team at Brentford in 1976 but only made one appearance.

Club records

  • Record Victory: 9–0 v Wrexham, Third Division, 15 October 1963
  • Record Defeat: 0–7 on three occasions, most recently v Peterborough United, League Two, 24 November 2007
  • Most League Points (2 for a win): 62, Third Division South, 1932–33
  • Most League Points (3 for a win): 94, League One, 2013–14,
  • Most League Goals Scored in a season: 98, Division 4, 1962–63
  • Most League Goals Conceded in a season: 94, Division Three South, 1925–26
  • Highest League Scorer in a season: Jack Holliday, 38, (39 in total) 1932–33
  • Most League Goals in Total Aggregate: Jim Towers, 153, 1954–1961
  • Most Capped Player: John Buttigieg, gained 22 caps whilst at Brentford for Malta (awarded 97 full caps in total for Malta)
  • Most League Appearances: Ken Coote, 514, 1949–1964
  • Record Transfer Fee Received: £2,500,000 from Wimbledon for Hermann Hreiðarsson, October 1999
  • Record Transfer Fee Paid: £1,000,000 to Leyton Orient for Moses Odubajo, June 2014[23]
  • Highest home attendance: 38,678 v Leicester City, 26 February 1949
  • Most league games without a defeat: 26, 20 February 1999 to 16 October 1999
  • Most league games without a win: 18, 9 September 2006 to 26 December 2006

In February 2013 it was announced that Brentford had entered into partnership with Icelandic 1. deild karla club UMF Selfoss, enabling Brentford to send youth and development squad players to Iceland to gain experience. The partnership also sees the two clubs exchanging coaching philosophies and allows Brentford to utilise UMF Selfoss' scouting network. In May 2013, the Brentford staff forged links with Ugandan lower league club Gulu United as part of the "United for United" project, aimed at forming the region's first youth training camp and identifying talented players.

Affiliated clubs

Team colours and badge

Brentford's predominant home colours are; a red and white striped shirt, black shorts and red or black socks. These have been the clubs predominant home colours since the 1925–1926 season, bar one season - 1960–1961 - when yellow (gold) and blue were used, unsuccessfully.[29] The colours on entering the Football League, in 1920-21, were white shirts, navy shorts and navy socks. Away kits have varied over the years, with the current colours being a blue and yellow stripe shirt, blus shorts and yellow socks.

Brentford have had several badges on their shirts since they were formed in 1889. The first one, in 1893, was a white shield, with 'BFC' in blue and a wavy line in blue, which is thought to represent the river and the rowing club, who founded the football club. The next known badge, the Middlesex County Arms, were on shirts donated by a club supporter in 1909. The Brentford and Chiswick arms, as a badge, was used just for the one season, in 1938–1939. The next badge wasn't until 1971–72 when a shield, formed into quadrants, which had a hive and bees in one, 3 seaxes in another and the other two with red and white stripes. In 1972, the club organised a competition to design a new crest, which was won by Mr BG Spencer's design, a circle with a bee and stripes with founded 1888. This was introduced in 1973 and used until May 1975, when it was brought to the clubs attention, via Graham Haynes, that Brentford FC were formed in 1889 and not in 1888. Therefore, a new badge, reputedly designed by Dan Tana – the clubs chairman at the time – was introduced for the 1975–76 season and continued until 1994 when the current badge was introduced.

In 2011 Russell Grant claimed to have designed the badge in a BBC interview,[30] however it was in fact designed in 1993 for two season tickets by supporter Andrew Henning, following a request from Keith Loring the then chief executive.[29] Russell's involvement was to suggest to Keith Loring the inclusion and then ensure the accuracy of the Middlesex arms prior to the badge's release.

The design of the new badge is based on a previous Brentford badge of the late 60s/early 70s that featured quadrants and included the hive and Middlesex arms (without the crown). The "Founded 1889" was included as the design exercise coincided with Graham Haynes's research into verifying the actual formation of the club to 1889 rather than 1888 as previous thought.

The badge was introduced initially onto the away kit for the 1993/94 season. It also featured on the programme for that season. For the 1994/95 season it was added to the home kit.

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.[citation needed]

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 Hits 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.[citation needed]

Lloyd Owusu, on his short comeback to Brentford recorded a track about himself and his connections with the club.[citation needed] Surprisingly, this spent a short while being downloaded rapidly off music websites.[citation needed] The track's main word is Owusu as during his time at the club Lloyd was a fans' 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'.[citation needed]

See also

References

  1. ^ Harvey, Geoff & Strowger, Vanessa, Rivals: The Off-Beat Guide to the 92 League Clubs, Aesculus Press Ltd, 2004
  2. ^ "Allen resigns from Bees". Sky Sports. 30 June 2006. Retrieved 18 November 2006.
  3. ^ "Rosenior sacked as Brentford boss". BBC Sport. 18 November 2006. Retrieved 19 November 2006.
  4. ^ "Boss Fitzgerald leaves Brentford". BBC Sport. 10 April 2007. Retrieved 10 April 2007.
  5. ^ "Boss Butcher leaves Brentford job". BBC Sport. 11 December 2007. Retrieved 11 December 2007.
  6. ^ http://www.hounslowchronicle.co.uk/west-london-sport/west-london-brentford-fc/2012/06/19/bees-fans-give-green-light-to-benham-takeover-109642-31216600/
  7. ^ "Brentford given new stadium boost". BBC Sport. 7 December 2007. Retrieved 13 December 2007.
  8. ^ "Brentford Football Club and Barratt Homes team up to acquire land for new Community Stadium". Brentford FC. 22 February 2008. Retrieved 25 February 2008.
  9. ^ http://www.brentfordfc.co.uk/news/article/lr-exhibition-17.01.13-604314.aspx
  10. ^ a b c Served as caretaker manager.
  11. ^ a b c Initially as caretaker manager.
  12. ^ http://www.johnpaul2foundation4sport.org/wpsystem/wp-content/uploads/Soccer-Schoolmasters-Part-3.pdf
  13. ^ Bill Slater (footballer)
  14. ^ http://www.rsssf.com/tablese/eng19.html
  15. ^ http://www.newspapers.com/newspage/35671708/
  16. ^ a b c d e Hayes, Graham (1998). A-Z Of Bees: Brentford Encyclopedia. Yore Publications. ISBN 1 874427 57 7.
  17. ^ http://www.brentfordfc.co.uk/news/article/brentford-fc-roll-of-honour-201314-1568150.aspx
  18. ^ Club Rivalries Uncovered Results Football Fans Consensus
  19. ^ Fulham Rivals Football Ground Guide
  20. ^ Fulham F.C. – The 1995/1996 season Fulham F.C. – The 1995/1996 season
  21. ^ Brentford FC vs. QPR FootballDeries.com
  22. ^ "Bradley Walsh". JLA. 21 September 2010. Retrieved 21 September 2010.
  23. ^ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2672584/Leyton-Orient-winger-Moses-Odubajo-joins-promoted-Brentford-1million-deal.html
  24. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/28129294
  25. ^ http://www.brentfordfc.co.uk/news/article/selfoss-partnership-13.02.13-655813.aspx?pageView=full
  26. ^ http://www.brentfordfc.co.uk/news/article/gulu-united-845850.aspx
  27. ^ http://www.brentfordfc.co.uk/news/article/stuart-english-gulu-1102947.aspx
  28. ^ http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/united-for-united-supporters-of-the-biggest-little-football-club-in-the-world
  29. ^ a b http://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Brentford/Brentford.htm Historical Football Kits – Brentford
  30. ^ "Which Strictly star designed Brentford's badge?". BBC News. 12 November 2011.
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