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Beesotted contributor Luis Adriano is still waiting for the season to begin … with baited breath …
 
So, if you take a kid to Florida, we’ve established they’ll be asking you, “are we nearly there yet” again and again, pretty much from the moment you set off. Likewise for this Brentford FC fan waiting to get to the start of the 14/15 CHAMPIONSHIP season, the month of June was like the trip to the airport, the take off and the flying over Blighty.

Still a long way to go but you can’t help asking are we nearly there yet? The child on the plane will find, and be given, all kinds of things to keep their mind off how far they actually are away from their destination. On this trip, to the second tier, I’ve also been thrown all sorts, even a World Cup tournament, but all I want is to be watching the Charlton keeper keeping on picking the ball out of his net on 9th August.

Eventually that brat, sorry young person, on the plane will get all tired and no distraction will help. The next phrase you’ll be guaranteed to here is, “wake me up when we get there”. They will then nod off and their dreams will encompass much of what they expect to see on their holiday. On the evening of Monday 14th July 2014, this is about where I find myself as the answer to the common question gets closer and closer to, “yes”.

There will no doubt be further signings to cast an opinion over (possibly even more Youtube clips from the Puzzle Master Mr Benham), friendly games to try and sense just how far this team has come and also various happenings at other Championship clubs to mock, point and laugh at (most notably at the ground just 5.4 miles away according to Google Maps). While some of this might prove to be rather fun, if you gave me the option now to sleep until the Addicks visit Griffin Park, I’d probably take you up on it. I know the kinds of dreams I’d be having too and I’m confident there’d be no nightmares.

The beauty of putting one’s thoughts down in writing, especially publishing them in the public domain like this, is the world can revisit them in the future and judge whether you knew what you were talking about or whether you were a complete fool. If you’re reading this post May 2015 then feel free to judge me on what I’m about to write. I’m certainly more Rose Tinted than Doom and Gloom if we have to pick sides but let me tell you all about the dream sequences going through my head right now ahead of this trip away from League One (it’s not a vacation as we ain’t going back).

Get any thoughts of relegation out of your mind. As long as the sun keeps rising in the morning then we will certainly finish in the Top 20. I see no upper limit to where this group of players and staff can finish during the seasons we have left at the old lady GP. At this moment in time, I honestly think Birmingham City, Blackpool, Bolton Wanderers and Brighton will all finish below us and that is only the teams beginning with B.

If the dreams allow me to get a little carried away, I see no reason why by the time we say goodbye to our Ealing, New or Braemar Road vantage points, we have seen that successful Play Off campaign Martin Lange must have hoped for when he let everyone in on his idea. I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it, we have never lost in the Championship Play Offs.

Ok, I’ve probably lost a few of you already. Before you ask, I can confirm I have had a CT scan and they told me there was a brain there. Again though, if this is May 2015 and you’re feeling now like we did coming out of Ashton Gate twenty-two years ago, then I’ll close my laptop down for good. Let me be known as that bloke that got it all wrong. I just can’t see it though I’m afraid

Having spent a fair while catching up on Bees Player interviews, these dream sequences I’m having, which lead me to think the future is so bright, have a few characters poking their heads in and I catch a lot of what their saying. I see and hear a confident, but one million miles from arrogant, Mark Warburton relaying how impressed he was with the Florida pre-season trip. I sense how genuine he is in his respect for the group of players who achieved their objective last season and the belief he has in the new additions. I hear from some of these players, the likes of Forshaw, Saunders, Lee and O’Connor, and understand what a positive working environment they feel they are in.

If you want to spend a moment thinking back to this World Cup, all the talk ahead of it was about individuals. Could Neymar lead the home nation to a sixth triumph? Could Messi finally become World Class and win it so single-handedly for Argentina just as that other Number Ten did? – I forget his name. Is Ronaldo actually the best in the world and therefore able to lead Portugal to glory?

No, no and no.

This World Cup showed great teams, rather than great individuals, win tournaments/competitions. Don’t get me wrong, we have some great individual players. If I compiled a team of the Best Bees I’ve Seen, quite a few would make that eleven. However, there is no single, stand out star – we just have an even greater team. The sum is greater than the parts and all that. Those Germans have the great mix of experience and youth. So do we. Our away kit might now mimic Colombia or Brazil, but hmm, what colours do Germany wear?

White, red and black.

Bingo, f**k Barcelona, we are the Germany of the lower, oops, sorry, we are the Germany of the CHAMPIONSHIP!
Those dream sequences keep coming as I refrain from asking are we nearly there yet and wait to be woken up when we get there. I hear Neil McIlhargey chatting. Who? Neil McIlhargey – Head of Analysis.

He’s talking about all the in depth videoing of training and matches he and his team record before analysing it and feeding the insights to both management and players. He’s saying how receptive everyone is to these findings and the ever pursuit of improving performance. He’s talking about how this analysis is done from the First Team down to the Under 9s. This trip away from League One and below is sure going to be a long one, possibly even never ending.

The Head of Analysis used a few long words but now I’m struggling to keep up with all the Scientific terminology Matt Springham is using. Our new Head of Conditioning is talking about some speed tests the players have been put through, the purpose of which are to, “individualise their speed thresholds for the purpose of the GPS data”. You what?

No, if I concentrate, I once more get an understanding of just how professional the current set up at ‘lil ole’ Brentford is nowadays. The days of players just running up and down Richmond Park hills with no other feedback than, “no pain, no gain” are long gone.

Seriously, the more these dreams kick in, the more excited I’m getting about what we’ll see, first of all over the next ten months, but also beyond.

It’s not even just the prospect of forthcoming performances on the pitch titillating me. The next dream, features Bob ‘The Kitman’ Oteng. I’ll do him the honour of giving him his proper title ‘Logistics Manager’ for an admission he has made that has put a sad part of my mind at ease. I’d always thought the current adidas contract to provide the Bees kit was for two years. There were concerns in the back of my head that 2015/16 would see some inferior brand like Avec or Fila take over the responsibility.

A look at Southampton’s abomination of a strip for the forthcoming season had me in complete fear that we could follow suit and take kit production in house. Bob confirms meanwhile that he has already seen the home and away kit for 2015/16 and will soon be working with adidas on the 2016/17 on field attire. It looks like our Germanesque team will be wearing those German three stripes down their sleeves for the foreseeable. If you’ve read my earlier pieces on this site about our adidas kits, you’ll maybe start to realise why this brings a nice colon and closed bracket to my face.

So, the dreams that keep coming are all good. Forgive me while I dribble and talk in my sleep. The team go to Boreham Wood on Thursday and with Warner Brothers’ Harry Potter Studio Tour nearby, expect to see all sorts of wizardry all over the pitch.

Are we nearly there yet?

I believe we nearly, nearly are.

Luis Adriano
@LuisAdrianoUK