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An international break and transfer deadline day give Beesotted contributor Luis Adriano another reason to write one of his Letters to League One.

Dear League One,

There will be certain times throughout this season when the difference between being in League One and stepping up to the Championship will really hit home.

For example, come November, the likes of Orient, Peterborough, and MK Dons may well find themselves trying to prevent the embarrassment of defeat to non-league opposition in the first round of the FA Cup. Remember Kingstonian for one example? Dark days.

While that happens Millwall will be visiting Griffin Park. We’ll be looking to add to our ever increasing Championship points tally and not even thinking about the FA Cup until we, as part of the ‘the Big Boys’ gang, go into the hat for Round Three.

These two weeks following our fine win at Rotherham, or our battering if you saw the game through the unique eyes of Steve Evans, will be another such time. I’ve resisted taking a complete break myself as I did just want to highlight two things that seem so different now we’re ‘Championship’. I’ll try and keep it relatively short though.

International Breaks = Brentford Breaks

Prior to last season, Will Grigg looked a fantastic signing. One of the stars of League One the previous campaign, he was clearly going to score the goals to finally get us Championship bound. Niggling injuries didn’t help but neither did call ups to the Northern Ireland squad. Being in the third tier, there were no league game postponements and the team cracked on without him.

Even if we had no call ups, there would be breaks for the Bees this season as the Championship contains so many international players. If anyone is likely to be dragged out round the shops on these Saturdays, maybe it’s time to take more of an interest in the international calendar and book some future weekend events for those BFC free Saturdays.

Fans of League One clubs will rarely face this problem and will see their teams pushed up the Football League Show’s scheduling, provided the programme isn’t also given the break.

On this occasion, we do have two players travelling away from TW8 to represent their nation. Alex Pritchard and Stuart Dallas meeting up with the best Under 21s in England and Ireland respectively, is a real display of our development as a club and promising sign of things to come.

While I used to enjoy catching the odd glimpse of John Buttigieg chasing international strikers strolling through his Maltese defence, I sense there will be more and more of our players being picked to play for their country at all different levels up to the full squads. With all due respect, mostly with nations ranked higher than Malta. International tournament finals may even become more interesting with added Bee involvement.

Actually Enjoying Transfer Deadline Day

So Forshaw was eventually found waving a scarf at the DW but, even though I’d happily describe him as one of our best players ever, nobody seemed bothered.

Jamie Allen, Bees supporting Soccer AMer, tweeted a picture of Adam & Uwe saying it was like seeing your ex with your best mate. If that was the case, OFFICIAL confirmation coming through that Portugal Under-21 striker Alberto ‘Betinho’ Coelho had signed from Sporting, was surely the absolute stunner to take your mind off the break up.

Pritchard’s Youtube show reel was impressive, but the clips posted of this Portugeezer’s goals are ridiculous. A stunning feast of finishes that really whet the appetite and if he takes to the Championship as quickly as Andre Gray has then we are in for some delicious football over the next eight months and beyond.

Old Brentford, mostly League One Brentford, meant transfer deadline used to be a day to dread. Now, we can sell a player of Forshaw’s calibre and not go into meltdown.

Wigan coloured dildos, kids trying to broadcast #FHRITP, a football ‘character comedian’ then Chelsea fans taking the piss out of QPR, and all the other shenanigans brought to us by ‘our’ Natalie and her colleagues, were not the annoying monstrosity they could have been had we just had outgoing transfers to hear of.

Back in League One, Peterborough fans still seem delighted at signing Luke James from Hartlepool. He showed some promise towards the back end of the 2012/13 season but I didn’t think he’d moved on much since then. He may do alright for Ferguson, Fry and friends, but I think it’s fair to say, he is no Betinho. We really are stepping things up on the incoming front.

So to the Future

To those reading this in the future… we were 8th in the Championship when I wrote this. Apparently we’ve spent a week or so this high before in my lifetime but back then you knew there was only one way we’d then head. Now, there is a real belief that things will continue to improve.

I shall keep writing these letters. I find such communication is an informative medium of capturing moments in time. I’ve spent most of my Brentford supporting life watching a third tier side. I want fans of the future to understand just how much our first season above it in twenty-two years meant.

One day I’m hoping there will be a reason to write Letters to the Championship, hopefully before the 2036/37 season kicks off. There may well be a few things that are different if/when we reach the top tier. Some of them might not be quite as dramatic as the difference between League One and Championship though.

Yours in the Championship,

Luis Adriano
@LuisAdrianoUK