Aaaaaaaaaargh! Brentford 2-3 Swindon

So where to begin. They’ll be a separate article for Andy Scott’s increasingly repetitive post match ramblings so lets start somewhere else, the flipside as it were to the tempo fixated one. What say you Danny Wilson:

“This was a tough place to come, I promise you, and when they play like they did in the second half, it looks an even better result for us“

Hmm… well that’s certainly diplomatic.

The truth is however that currently Griffin Park doesn’t look a particularly tough place to come to and that good second half performances count for little if the first half performance is such that the game is already lost.

But Beesy is getting ahead of itself. Far ahead of itself infact.

So to Griffin Park where we lay this scene. Brentford welcomed Ryan Dickson back into the starting line up along with a much improved Carl Cort. Nicky Bull started in goal, which means that Brentford are the only club with two fit goalkeepers but still have a keeping crisis and Scott persisted in the frankly ridiculous right side Wilson-Saunders policy.

Before going further lets start with a positive. This match marks so far the high point for Cort’s Brentford career. Both he and MacDonald looked like they have a chance of forming a partnership and whilst sometimes guilty not being near the goal its was heartening to see both win so much consistently in the air and show some nice touches.

It was Swindon who shaded the early exchanges and fairly dominated the opening half an hour. They looked sharp. were comfortable with passing the ball on the ground and were decisive, making nice diagonal runs and generally playing the style of football that I’m sure Andy Scott dreams of beating the tempo out on his special tactics bongos.

In fact they entirely overran the midfield, in particular the Celtic loanee Simon Ferry (the number 30) and bloody JP McGovern. It was McGovern’s ball into the area for Alex Revell to crash his shot past Nikki Bull after a break down in play after 8 minutes to open the scoring. Maybe Beesy’s being harsh but he should’ve done better with it.

This was just the beginning of the madcap defending for Brentford that saw Swindon squander at least one one on one chance, the defence ignoring the deep run from the midfield whislt appealing for offside against Hutchinson. Oh and there were corners for Swindon. Lots of corners for Swindon which were always played short and no one ever went to the man.

The inevitable inevitably happened after 21 minutes when a diagonal ball past Phillips was picked up by Hutchinson who had the simply task of avoiding Nikki Bull and his ample frame.

Hutchinson is another Celtic loanee and in fairness it was a good goal, albeit one where maybe a challenge should’ve been put in before the ball breached the defence and maybe the defence allowed themselves to drop back too far.

And then not much happened. Brentford if anything improved. It would be nice to say this is due in large parts to tactical changes, but Brentford didn’t do anything especially different. The team at present is currently just not working.

I mean lets take for example the right side. Saunders, I think its fair to say hasn’t exactly set Bees fans pulses racing. Its hard to tell at the moment whether he’s really cut out for the League of the Damned. It would be easier to tell if he had a proper right back behind him of course. James Wilson is a wonderful player but no right back. He’s probably the best centre back we currently have.

And frankly we have a lot.

But Right Back… no. With Phillips looking… well ok-ish and Bennett clearly shot of confidence it would make sense shifting Wilson back across. Foster is clearly out of favour with Scott and Karleigh Osborne… well no-one wants that. What Brentford need is a player who is competent at Right Back but has no bells and whistles.

Enter Kevin O’Connor who fans of the past 8 years or so will tell you has only ever looked half competent when played at Right Back despite playing in ever other position. Even Martin Allen spotted that. This would also mean we could partner a good loan signing with Marcus Bean. I don’t know like Jay Tabb.

O’Connor, despite being a good servant, is not and never will be a central midfielder. The organised teams in this division with progressive midfielders will always dominant a midfield with him in it.

There’s also question marks over Sam Wood and Ryan Dickson (surely a midfielder no?) but it must be remembered a lot of these players are having to prove themselves at this level.

Anyway rant over… the second half.

As suggested about 700 words previously Brentford did play better in the second half. Swindon, of course, didn’t have anything to play for as such but it was a more heartening performance. On another day Brentford may have got something from the game and would of if Sam Saunders curling effort hadn’t clattered off the inside of the post before bouncing to safety (we’ve mentally blocked out Charlie Mac’s ridiculous skied rebound from ten yards from Saunder’s post clattering shot).

Putting the ball on the ground did pay dividends and Brentford enjoyed the lions share of the ball hitting the post again shortly after with a header.

Lucas proved the busier keeper without making particularly searching saves. He will also be known as the keeper who Carl Cort opened his Bees account. Latching onto a direct ball and using his strength to find space at the edge of the area Cort proceeded to lash the ball in (if you were at the ground) or hit a trundler (as it looks on TV) in. In doing so ending Beesy’s great hobo challenge and meaning that my fellow correspondant will soon be enjoy a delicious Plough lunch in the near future.

I hope Steve Kabba is melted done for glue as a result.

This seemed only to angry-fy Swindon who promptly scored the goal of the game with Revell being given too much space was allowed to run on to a through ball cut in side and fairly smashed in a shot into the top corner past Bull.

And so the match ended. Well there was ten minutes left and time enough for Brentford to pull another back… Charlie Mac scoring a header whilst on he’s knees from a corner. Quite what he was doing it such a precarious position in the six yard box Beesy can’t say but seeing as the ball went directly to him it can only be summised he was praying that the ball wouldn’t hit the first defender.

Did Brentford strive to get back into it? Yes. Did they stand a chance… no.

Match Ratings:

Nikki Bull 4 – Being harsh he should’ve perhaps done better on the first but what the hell was he thinking kicking the ball at (not into) the crowd in the second half. He did get a torrent of abuse and Swindon certainly seem to know a lot about he’s parents sexual predilictions but this was clearly evidence that he lacks not only the ability but the temperament to be a professional footballer.

James Wilson 5 – Ok. He’s not a Right Back. It completely neuters our right side and comprimises our defence.

Mark Phillips 5 – Looking a bit one paced.

Alan Bennett 4 – Clearly struggling at the moment

Ryan Dickson 6 – Played solidly. Beesy isn’t sure he’s a Left back but a welcome return

Sam Saunders 5 – Having to go off wing to get the ball. Jury’s Out but decent second half performance

Marcus Bean 5 – Solid

Kevin O’Connor 4 – NOT a central midfielder

Sam Wood 5 – Unlucky header against the post. OK-ish

Charlie MacDonald 6 – Good link up with Cort. Promising.

Carl Cort 7 – Man of the Match comfortably. More please.

Sub:

Weston 3 – Didn’t very little although didn’t have a great deal of opportunity.

Our hobo hell

To what we would love to think is their eternal shame, Messrs Cort and Kabba have performed so appallingly this season that Beesy’s first home game joke about buying a hobo lunch if neither of them scored for a month has come to pass.

We would love to say this comes as a surprise to us, but in truth we’ve been planning how to buy a hobo lunch since, er, the second home game of the season.

So while we hope against hope that the loan window sees the arrival of at least one striker – assuming Charlie Mac is fit enough to resume full-time – your dutiful correspondents are left with the task of finding a homeless person who doesn’t bite for whom to buy lunch; very difficult when we can’t remember when Southend away is.

Here are some ground rules:

• Lunch will not be bought anywhere we have to pay a cover.
• Lunch has to be bought away from where either of us live, work or occasionally travel, as we certainly don’t want a reputation as buyers of food for homeless types.
• Homeless person must not swear at/threaten to kill us prior to the purchase of lunch.
• Main only, by which we mean perhaps a sandwich and a bag of crisps.
• Centrepoint don’t like our bet. At all.
• Which is pretty fucking ungrateful if you ask me, they could just pocket the money and tell us they bought a hobo lunch. The whole point of using Centrepoint was so that we’re as far away as possible from the hobo.
• The hobo will get food, not cash, so no booze or heroin.
• Watch this space for the new expanded Cort, Kabba and Weston bet…

Charlton 2 – 0 Brentford: pretty much as expected

Remind Beesy to follow it’s convictions and start betting on scores… Oh, and shame on Charlton for ruining football’s premier boozy viewing platform.

A very difficult game to describe, with Charlton clearly superior to the West London tyros throughout, yet coming away from the game counting themselves lucky to get the win.

Brentford set out to contain Charlton and play on the break, a strategy quickly undermined by Sam Wood’s horrendous attempted back header to the communication void that is Lewis Price. The nod-down was intercepted by the infinitely-too-good-for-this-league Lloyd Sam, who teed up Deon Burton for the opener. Burton’s performance could not have served as a better reminder of what an intelligent target man can bring at this level, and his movement, anticipation and shrewd manipulation of the Bees defence was a masterclass his more illustrious opposite number could have noted.

Brentford toiled to get a foothold in the game, and those who watched on TV tell us we had a decent penalty shout, but Charlton ascended to a higher plane of passing and moving that slashed a chasm through the Brentford team creating a chance well-taken for Sam to make it two. Shelvey and Bailey are likely to be among the best midfielders we meet in many seasons, although that does little to excuse the level of performance turned in by O’Connor and particularly Hunt, who looked completely out of their depth throughout.

Charlton took their foot off the pedal in the second half with the result that Brentford created a few half chances – mainly squandered by the dire Cort – inbetween three absolute sitters pelted wide by Charlton. Cort did come closer than he has previously to scoring, but his performance was still a long way short of acceptable. Yet presentable chances missed by Cort and Weston, a fantastic save from a Cort header and David Hunt’s belting freekick onto the crossbar, allied to the first half penalty shout, meant Charlton could still count themselves somewhat fortunate.

Highlight of the game was the welcome return of Charlie Macdonald as a second half substitute, although his addition to the fray without a reserve comeback has to be taken as a tacit attacking mea culpa from Andy Scott, who left Steve Kabba kicking his heels on the bench.

So, points to note:

- Sam Saunders: for the love of god stop hitting corners at the first man;
- We need Bean back now, no excuses;
- What exactly are Cleveland Taylor and Miles Weston bringing to the party?
- New strikers please.

Price 6 – Foster 4 (Osborne 5) Phillips 5 Wilson 6 Wood 4 – Taylor 4 (Macdonald 5) Hunt 4 O’Connor 4 Saunders 5 – Cort 3 Weston 4

Hobo Wager Appeal – Find us a Hobo

In what is now appearing increasingly like a foolhardy wager the Hobo is still winning in the “Kabba/ Cort goalscoring lunch off” and is no doubt polishing up his proverbial eating spoon as you read this.

What’s this about… well going here and here will show you the story so far but with only Charlton standing in the hobo’s way Beesy now has to face the unpalatable prospect of having to go without lunch (or just buying our own).

And with this in mind Beesy now needs you to help.

Not knowing any actual homeless persons as such we are looking any nominations for what I have so far not called Hobo-Factor.

• Are you homeless?
• Do you have any family members/ friends living under a bridge*/ doorway of the body shop/ in a skip?
• Are your homeless friends and intimates interested in food?

Now if the answer to any of these is yes get in touch

Now obviously we want this lunch going to someone who will benefit from it, so y’know no crazy people, or smack addicts etc. Hobos with special skills… like playing the kazoo or tap dancing will be prioritised.

Beesy also reserves the right to pick our own hobo for lunch or alternatively lob a sandwich at someone as they sleep.

In conclusion… for the love of god (and lunch) please please start scoring Cort and Kabba.

Next update: What do Hobos eat?

*Not including Trolls who as we all know are meant to live under bridges

Wager watch

The hobo is currently winning.

A gentlemanly wager

Team Beesy has entered into what can only really be described as a two horse sweepstake on which striker scores first: this correspondent has Carl Cort; the other has Steve Kabba. A pub lunch rests on it. If neither scores after a month we buy a homeless person a lunch (not a pub lunch).