New Beesotted columnist, Daniel Vine, serves up another quality article; this time regarding how the current Brentford squad would fare if, and hopefully when, they clinch promotion to the Championship this season.
We’re nearly up, but what about next season? Maybe I’m being premature in discussing Championship football when we’re not mathematically certain but everybody around Brentford knows deep down that all of our heartache over the years will end in the next week or so. How will we do against better opposition? I’m sure we’ll give a better account of ourselves than Yeovil and Doncaster have and with two or three clever signings we should do pretty well.
Despite being relatively consistent this year, I worry about David Button. He’s a good keeper and I don’t want to put him down but we’ve got a defence that is capable of a top half finish in the Championship and I think they’re always expecting a mistake or a poor clearance. I’m sure he’ll do a good job for us next year, he’s still young and hopefully he’ll show more of the potential that Mark and Uwe saw in him.
We’ve got three quality centre backs all fighting for two places and you can’t knock any of them. Tony Craig is a rock and very reliable, James Tarkowski looks to be a great signing and he’s settled in very well, and Harlee Dean is a future club captain – strong, talented and determined.
Jake Bidwell just keeps getting better and better, you wouldn’t rule him out for Player of the Year. Good defensively, offers attacking options and he’s a great crosser of the ball.
Alan McCormack is my Player of the Year. He’s come in to a team that suffered double heartache last season and he’s shown the drive and commitment to become an influential player.
Jonathan Douglas is a beast. He’s commanding and hard as nails – they won’t have the ball for long if JD is running at them! He’s one of the first names on the teamsheet as far as I’m concerned and he’ll be key next season against some strong midfielders.
I hope that we sign George Saville on a permanent deal, he’s improved every game and I’d imagine he’s not in Jose’s plans for the next few years so a move might be possible.
Adam Forshaw fully deserves his League One Player of the Year award. He’s the best midfielder we’ve had in years and he’s a cut above anyone that we play against.
Alan Judge is a quality player. He creates something out of nothing and has the ability to smash one in the top corner from 30 yards. He’s already said he’d be open to a move if he’s not in Blackburn’s plans – Rovers must have some pretty good players if they can let Judgey go!
Clayton is dangerous, he scores goals and he’ll continue to do so in the Championship. Since moving to an inside forward role he’s come into his own, looking more composed and creative and offering one of our main attacking options.
Trotta. Oh Marcello! I’ll openly admit that I didn’t like him for the first 10-15 games after last season’s events. I thought “why are we playing this clown when we’ve got £350k Will Grigg sat on the bench?” Over the season I, like many Brentford fans, have been proven wrong and I couldn’t be happier! For a young striker to go back to a club (a fierce rival of his parent club) where his mistake cost the club promotion and work his socks off, score 12 and be instrumental in many others takes a lot of bollocks and I take my hat off to the lad. Is he good enough for the Championship? I’d rather him play for us than against us.
I really don’t know what’s happened with Will Grigg. He obviously hasn’t become a bad player overnight but he’s not showing any of the hunger that made us splash out and bring him to London from Walsall.
We’ve got a strong squad with Super Sammy Saunders, King Kev, Jake Reeves, Yennaris and Dave all ready to come in and do a good job, we’re more than capable of staying up.
If we don’t sign Saville, Judgey and Trotta on permanent deals then we’ll need to bring in some very good players to replace them. If we signed a quality right back then McCormack could move back into midfield but he’s equally as good wherever he plays. We might struggle in the Championship without an out and out goalscorer – we create chance after chance but we’re always let down in the final third and that could prove costly in a higher division.
My only worry is if Wigan go up this year. If Uwe offered Adam Forshaw and Jake Bidwell five times more money and a regular weekly slot on Match of the Day would they turn it down and stay with us? I don’t know, but what I do know is that Brentford football club is run by some very astute businessmen. Brentford aren’t a selling club anymore but everybody has their price. You can rest assured that we wouldn’t allow any of our prized assets to leave for next to nothing.
We’ve got a new stadium coming and we’re going up. This is the new Brentford and it’s a great time to be a bee!
Daniel Vine
@vineybee
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Good article. Agree with all of the above. For me always thought Clayton could get far more goals playing in the middle week in week out. So assuming everyone stays there are 2 options as I see it – keep clayton playing wider with his pace and get a goalhanger to bang the goals in, or b) move clayton inside and get another pacey winger/forward to do that job. Might be easier to find the first option given clayton’s work rate for the team playing that position (if the 2nd option maybe an akpom type player?). Plus I’d like to see Simon Moore come back – Button’s a good shotstopper but distribution hasnt improved one bit and will cost us more next year.
I don’t want to sound doom and gloom, but going up is still a big if.
In terms of our squad, there’s a reason why Craig (Millwall captain) was sold to us, and that’s his lack of pace.
Douglas, I’d argue similarly, and sorry, Clayton is nowhere near Championship class, as he needs 5 chances to score.
We would need new spine to the team to cope with a step up but what works out favour that are good in possession and create chances. This has clearly been coached into the team and I suspect our home form would be good at a higher level.
I’d like to think that the club has plans in place should we go up, in the same way that alot of our players are on long term contracts, just in case we don’t go up this season. Our better players, such as Bidwell and Forshaw, will undoubtedly flourish at a higher level, but, call me miserable, but I’m not even thinking about next season yet. Lose to Preston, and display the recent poor away form, and it will come to a final game decider. Ok, Leyton Orient, Rotherham, and Preston would need to pull rabbits out of hats too, but they’ve got nothing to lose now.
Personally, I’ll not give it another thought until we do go up.
I know this is a great side and we’re almost there but having been going to Griffin Park for almost 25 years I can tell you: don’t count your chicken before they have hatched.
It’s a curse.
Been to few Brentford matches in the last few seasons the team has been getting better and better Congratulations on winning promotion very well deserved
A great achievement onwards and upwards Can,t wait till you new stadium is up and running. Enjoy the celebrations and well done once again