Southampton visit New Griffin Park for our final Saturday game of our first season in the Premier League level on points with Brentford, but below us in the table on goal difference.
The Saints have had an inconsistent campaign and have only twice won back-to-back league games, while they have drawn the joint second-highest number of matches – 13 – level with Burnley and one behind Brighton and Crystal Palace.
They have picked up the majority of their 40 points at St Mary’s (25), while on the road they have won three and drawn six of their 17 games, and are currently on a run of only one win in their last nine matches – over Arsenal.
Southampton had runs in both of the cup competitions – reaching the fourth round of the Carabao Cup and the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.
They started their Carabao Cup campaign by recording the biggest away win in their history – 8-0 at Newport – and then won 4-2 on penalties at Sheffield United after a 2-2 draw, before going out on spot-kicks to Chelsea, 4-3 after the tie had finished 1-1.
In the FA Cup, they won 3-2 at Swansea, before home wins over Coventry (2-1) and West Ham (3-1), but then lost 4-1 at home to Manchester City.
The Saints are in their 10th consecutive season in the Premier League after winning successive promotions from League One and the Championship.
They were founder members of the competition in 1992 and stayed in it until they were relegated in 2005 to end a 27-year stay in the top flight. Their only other top-flight spell was from 1966 to 1974.
In 1976, as a Second Division (now Championship) club, they famously won the FA Cup by beating Manchester United 1-0 in the final.
Southampton joined the Football League with Brentford in 1920.
WHO’S IN CHARGE
Ralph Hasenhuttl is the 13th longest-serving manager in the country, and fourth longest-serving in the Premier League, behind Jurgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola and Thomas Frank.
He replaced Mark Hughes at St Mary’s in December 2018, just under two months after Thomas was appointed as Brentford boss.
Before joining the club, he had managed four clubs in Germany – Unterhaching, Aalen, Ingolstadt and then RB Leipzig, who he led to a second-place finish in their first season in the Bundesliga.
His playing career was spent in Germany and Austria, for whose national team he won eight caps.
WE’VE MET BEFORE
Southampton are another team who we have met more in the cups than in the league in recent years.
Having faced each other in 12 of the 13 seasons from 1947 to 1960, this is only the third campaign since then in which we have been in the same division, with the other two in League One in 2009/10 and 2010/11.
We first met in August 2009 when the Saints had just been relegated and we’d just been promoted and shared a 1-1 draw at St Mary’s, with Cleveland Taylor cancelling out Dan Harding’s opener to earn us a point.
That was the same result in the midweek Griffin Park return the following January when another late Bees goal – this time from Leon Legge – equalised a Southampton opener, this one scored by Lloyd James.
Both the 2010/11 matches ended in away wins.
Goals in the first half-hour by Gary Alexander and Charlie MacDonald gave us a 2-0 pre-Christmas win on the south coast, but the Saints earned revenge at the end of April as goals by Adam Lallana, David Connolly and Oscar Gobern earned them a 3-0 Griffin Park victory.
All our other recent meetings have been in the cups.
They beat us 5-1 on aggregate in the second round of the Coca-Cola League Cup in 1997/98 (1-3 at The Dell and 0-2 at Griffin Park).
The next time we were drawn together was far more memorable – the fifth round of the FA Cup in 2004/05 when the Saints were in the Premier League and we were a League One club.
After the infamous ticket scramble, Bees fans were dotted all round St Mary’s but did not see the start we wanted from Martin Allen’s team as Henri Camara put the hosts 2-0 up by the 36th minute. However, Isaiah Rankin crucially pulled one back before the break before Sam Sodje famously headed us level in the 58th minute to earn a replay.
Despite taking a fourth-minute lead through Eddie Hutchinson at Griffin Park, two goals from Peter Crouch and one from Kevin Phillips took Southampton through to a quarter-final with Manchester United.
We caused a shock when we met in the second round of last season’s Carabao Cup as we beat a strong Saints side 2-0 at St Mary’s, with goals late in the first half by Christian Norgaard, his first for us, and Josh Dasilva.
In our rearranged Premier League meeting in January, after the December match was postponed because of a Bees Covid outbreak, we suffered what is our joint heaviest defeat of the season as we lost 4-1.
Although Vitaly Janelt equalised Jan Bednarek’s early opener, an Alvaro Fernandez own goal restored Southampton’s lead before half-time, and further goals from Armando Broja and Che Adams completed the scoring.
OPPOSITION VIEW
BBC Radio Solent sports editor Adam Blackmore reflects on Southampton’s season so far, discusses whether Brentford can learn anything from the Saints’ long stay in the Premier League and recalls past games between the sides.
Q – How would you assess Southampton’s season?
A – Up until March 2nd, just after they beat West Ham in the FA Cup, I’d have said very promising. But since that cup tie they’ve really struggled, nothing any of us saw coming. The 4-0 loss at Villa seemed to knock the stuffing out of them, and they’ve not been the same since. But overall, some great highlights, and when they get it right, they’re a handful for anyone, as they’ve shown.
Their squad is bigger and more balanced, and that’s helped. But with just one win in 10 now, it feels like an opportunity lost. They were in a great position at the end of February.
Q – This is the Saints’ 10th year in the Premier League and they are heading for their fifth consecutive bottom-half finish – what is the next step for the club?
A – They have new owners, and of course Brentford fans know of Rasmus Ankersen. So the next step will be dependent on the new owners’ ambition as much as anything. Can Saints finally have a competitive summer budget without selling their best talent? That will be the key to any next stage – holding on to their best players and adding to that, not just replenishing every summer.
Q – What can Brentford learn from their longevity in the division to try to match it?
A – I think the overall business models of both clubs have had many similarities, notably around recruitment and keeping faith with a manager and giving him time to develop a squad and an identity. So I’m not sure they can learn too much, I think Brentford can learn more from looking at the second season syndrome suffered by Sheffield United and currently Leeds United. You can’t stand still and admire the view – they have to push on.
Q – Ralph Hasenhuttl is one of the longest-serving managers in the country – how good a job has he done in his time in charge?
A – You will get a big divergence of views from Saints fans – there are some for whom two separate 9-0 losses will never be forgivable, and for whom falling away every season is equally damning. And then there are fans who realise that the grass isn’t always greener, and that with a low budget he’s kept them up for three seasons at a time when they had a lame duck of an owner who didn’t invest a penny, and developed young talent. He also of course kept them up when he arrived in December 2018 against the odds.
I’m in the latter camp – I think he’s been great for the club. But it can’t last forever, and runs like the current one need to stop if he’s going to really show progress, as it’s happened every season.
Q – James Ward-Prowse is obviously a key man – what are his other strengths apart from his set-pieces?
A – James is a quiet leader, but make no mistake, he’s a leader by example. Yes, his set-pieces are world-class and a great weapon, but his partnership with Oriol Romeu is the bedrock of the side, and their consistency has been a huge factor in any success. His play without the ball has improved dramatically under Ralph, allied with his football intelligence. He’s at the peak of his powers.
Q – Apart from Ward-Prowse, who are the other key men in the Southampton side for Brentford fans to watch out for?
A – One of Saints problems in recent weeks is that for one reason or another, selection has been inconsistent. But players who can make a difference? Stuart Armstrong and Moi Elyounoussi have proven to be Saints best “10s” this season, and if they play and can rediscover some form, they are difficult to handle and pop up all over the pitch with their intelligent movement.
Q – What do you remember of Brentford’s defeat at St Mary’s earlier in the season?
A – I remember being worried about the game, but it turned out to be one of Saints’ best home games of the season. Ultimately I was disappointed at what Brentford showed that night. I was expecting more.
Q – What memories do you have of other past meetings between the sides?
A – I remember being so impressed with the way Brentford played at Saints in the League Cup win at St.Mary’s, I remember being at Griffin Park in the sunshine when Saints won 3-0 there on their way to promotion from League One in 2011, but whenever I think of Saints playing Brentford my first thought is always back to 2005 and Brentford’s great FA Cup run, and then-manager Martin Allen saying he’d go for a swim in the river if the Bees beat Saints. They drew at St. Mary’s, before Southampton squeaked the replay.
Q – How much are you looking forward to your first trip to the Brentford Community Stadium?
A – Very much to be honest. The atmosphere seems great, and my experience of your media staff in the lead-up to this game has been terrific – not sure anyone has ever been more accessible and helpful! I also think that the match will be better than some neutrals may think.
They are level on points in the league, and with both clubs realising sides below are creeping up on them, I think this game is going to have an edge to it, and be a tight contest.
Q – Finally can you give me a possible Saints line-up and formation please?
A – As I said in a previous answer, guessing Saints’ line-up and formation has got tougher in recent weeks as Ralph has looked for a solution to their problems. But if it were me, I’d be back to what I think is Saints’ best team, in a 4-2-2-2 (it’s how they play most games, and Ralph calls it that, as opposed to a 4-4-2, because his wide men tuck in and out.)
Forster; KWP, Bednarek, Salisu, Perraud; S Armstrong, Romeu, JWP, Elyounoussi; Adams, Broja
HOW TO FOLLOW THE GAME IF YOU CAN’T BE THERE
If you can’t get to the Brentford Community Stadium for our final Saturday 3pm kick-off of the season, there are various ways of following the game.
Radio – There will be reports on BBC Radio London 94.9.
iFollow – If you want Brentford commentary, iFollow audio coverage is available via monthly or seasonal passes. Coverage starts half an hour before kick-off and is advert-free, with Mark Burridge and Karleigh Osborne. At half-time there will be an interview with Suzanne Rowan, wife of the late Rob Rowan, about the A-K-A-DAY virtual charity challenge. You can sign up and find more details here.
IAN WESTBROOK
@ianwestbrook
PUBS IN BRENTFORD AND TRAVEL NEWS
For Southampton fans coming to the Brentford Community Stadium for the first time, there are plenty of pub options pre and post-match and all are most welcoming and away-fan-friendly (as it should be).
The pub areas are split into two zones. There is the area around Brentford’s old Griffin Park stadium. The pubs there are still very busy on match day frequented by Bees locals before heading down the road to the stadium at Kew Bridge which is only 15 minutes walk.
Then there is the area in and around the stadium in Kew Bridge.
It is possible, if you have a good early start, to savour a few pubs in and around Griffin Park and Brentford zone before heading off to the pubs in the Kew zone or even vice versa if you so fancy.
Pubs in Griffin Park/Brentford zone (still very lively but easier to get a pint)
When at Griffin Park, Brentford was well known for its four pubs – one on each corner of the ground. Three are still operating.
The Griffin is closest to the old away end and has always been very popular with both home and away fans and has its regulars who still make the journey down to the new stadium from there on matchday. The New Inn is on the other side which used to also be popular with away fans before the move. The Brook pub is the other option if you want to savour a pub in and around what is left of our old home. Worth a peep if you want to reminisce about old Brentford.
About five minutes’ walk away from the old ground are two pubs which are enormously popular. The Globe (Windmill Rd) is a “lively but comfortable” pub on matchday. Incredibly friendly and cosy, it has always been popular with a selection of away fans who fancied having a beer a few minutes further walk away from the ground without having to queue six persons deep. After the move to the new ground, The Globe has retained many of lot its regulars from the Griffin Park days and with screens throughout the pub and in its sheltered beer garden, it shows both Premier League and EFL football before and after each match.
Meanwhile around the corner, The Lord Nelson (Enfield Rd) is another incredibly friendly and cosy away-friendly pubs about one minute walk from The Globe. Again with a TV screen for live sports and a lovely beer garden, this is another pub frequented by “away fans in the know”.
The other pub worth checking out in the Griffin Park region is The Black Dog Beer House, formerly The Albany, on Albany Road, if you like your real ales.
There are plenty of other pubs in and around Brentford High Street including real ale pub Magpie and Crown (Brentford High Street) and the cosy Brewery Tap (Catherine Wheel Road) near the river.
For a Griffin Park area pub crawl before heading over to Kew we recommend the following: Take the Piccadilly line to Northfields station. Turn left and walk for 2 mins and you will come to The Plough (Northfields Ave). Then walk to The Lord Nelson (10 min walk from The Plough) & then The Globe (1 min walk from The Nelson) en-route before hitting The Griffin (8 min walk from The Globe) and then The Black Dog (2 mins from The Griffin). You can also try and do the other three pubs on the corner whilst down here if you fancy.
Then you can then either walk (15 minutes from The Globe/The Nelson and The Griffin/Black Dog ) or take a train from Brentford station (which is five minutes walk away from both The Globe/The Nelson and The Griffin/Black Dog) or a bus (237/267) to Kew Bridge.
Trains run at 24 and 54 minutes past the hour to Kew Bridge from Brentford and take two minutes.
Pubs in the Kew Bridge zone (very busy on match days)
Right next to Kew Bridge station, you will find the Express Tavern – an ale pub with a retro feel. The pub has been refurbished in readiness for the new football season and needless to say, is popular before the match due to its close proximity to the stadium.
Across the road by the river is One Over the Ait – a spacious boozer right next to Kew Bridge. This pub is situated on the location of the now-demolished Oxford & Cambridge pub where Brentford Football Club was founded in 1889.
Across Kew Bridge and the River Thames, there are two pubs on Kew Green – the Cricketers and the Greyhound – very close to the pier where Brentford fans have embarked on their away journeys by water to F*lham, Orient, Charlton, West Ham and even Southend.
North of the river along hoity-toity Strand on the Green, you will find The Steam Packet, in an old Cafe Rouge, and The Bell. A bit further down are The City Barge and the Bulls Head – two pubs side-by-side in which you would often see Ant and Dec hanging out.
There is also The Pilot which you can get to coming out of the BACK entrance of Gunnersbury station and we believe the old John Bull pub at the front of the station has been refurbed as The Gunnersbury but we have never been there so can’t give it a rating.
Transport to Brentford and Kew Bridge
TRAIN DISRUPTION THIS WEEKEND
No trains from Clapham Junction to Kew Bridge on Saturday –
Your best bet will be to jump on the tube from King’s Cross or Euston and head to Northfields or South Ealing on the Piccadilly Line as it is quicker and trains are more frequent.
It is only 40 minutes max station by tube to station meaning you could be in a Brentford pub within an hour of embarking your train at Kings Cross, Euston or Liverpool Street.
The other station option is Gunnersbury. You can walk to the stadium from Gunnersbury tube station (District line) in 25 minutes or take a bus (H91, 237, 267, 110), but note that it is closed for entry for one hour after the match.
For the Brentford/Griffin Park pubs you can get the Piccadilly line tube to Northfields station from King’s Cross or Euston (35 minutes) then walk down to The Plough, The Globe, The Lord Nelson and The Griffin and other pubs from there.
The new stadium is around 25 minutes’ walk from South Ealing station – if you don’t fancy Gunnersbury – or you can get on the 65 bus from across the road which will drop you almost outside in 15 minutes.
You can also pick up the 65 bus from Ealing Broadway (District and Central line) which will take you to the new stadium in 25 minutes.
You can check out Transport for London’s guide to travel on the Tube and Overground.
