Danny

It's as if someone at the Guardian reads this forum, a good article about our B Team: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/apr/05/brentford-ditched-their-academy-premier-league-outcasts

Not surprised, Liverpool have a lot of average to good, good to can be really good at times sort of players. If that makes sense Emre Can is young, Adam Lallana will never be a great player to take you over the line, Coutinho is inconsistent even if brilliant at times, there seemed to be a crumble when Mane left in Jan and you're left relying on the Jordan Henderson's and Divock Origi's of this world. There's a good squad of players as it is, but you just lack the class that the likes of Suarez or Gerrard afforded you. Maybe a big bid for 1-3 key players in the Summer? I imagine that'd only be possible with Champions League football otherwise you're relying on more inconsistent players to come in. I know you're top four now which is you lot being on target at the moment, and whilst I can't see United catching you up, you've still got Arsenal and City to contend with.

I don't think United's rotten to the core, all they really lack are goalscorers outside of Ibra. Mata has done well but they need another 20+ forward. I try not to bet because I'm shit so for now I'm just making predictions and seeing how they turn out, but nearly all of United's front line have scored 1-2 goals since January each and Jermaine Defoe hasn't scored in 6 games. SkyBet have the game down as a draw at 18/5, not bad odds. Either be a 0-0 mind, or United run riot as Lingard, Martial, Rashford and Ibra all score

It's interesting to see really because for the months prior to him publicly berating his forwards, they were being carried by Mata and Ibrahimovic. Ibra has only scored three goals in open play in the Premier League since the beginning of January, four goals altogether. In the Cups United have been a lot better but if you look at who they've played; St Ettiene, FC Rostov and Blackburn Rovers, they've not had difficult tests. The biggest test was Southampton which is probably the highest quality opponent in a Cup game they've played all season. They did beat Man City at the beginning of the season, but in terms of quality on the pitch, it was largely an inexperienced side. The last two games in the league they've scored two goals, against Everton and Bournemouth. Everton don't have a watertight defence, though a fairly decent record of 36 conceded, but Bournemouth's defence is fucking gash. I wouldn't be surprised if United draw 0-0 with Sunderland next, but if they win I imagine it'll be a paper over the cracks job. I think the only thing that can boost United coming back is Juan Mata but how fit/sharp he'll be remains to be seen. United need to throw everything at the Europa League this season because I can't see them catching the top 4, especially when they still have to play Chelsea, City, Arsenal and Spurs. I think out of the 7-8 games they've played the top 6 teams, they've won 2, maybe lost 1 or 2, but drawn the rest.

Tbh no one talks about Brentford on here so I've gotta do something to try and get a bite here and there With that said if you knew the amount of times what happened with him is held against us still to this day you'd know why he has been mentioned so much.

Yeah and no. A few from the academy originally, a few from obscure picks in Europe and a few from Arsenal, Stoke, Benfica etc

We're a club that likes to think "outside of the box", you pump in a load of money into an academy system to have your best players snatched away. We have the ability to sign quality reserve players in one team and offer them a pathway to first team football. Theyre actually looking into this in Scotland after someone from the club carried out a presentation on it as there are too many academies there.

That thing you're trying to get relegated from

If there were 20 odd different Championship clubs represented on here you'd have a point. #peanutbutterandjelly

For me the only good thing that can come out of Brexit is CANZUK, that would literally be my life made and I'd move to either Canada or New Zealand in a heartbeat. But that's just a pipedream.

"Analytics is a way of thinking..." - Rasmus Ankerson, Brentford FC Co-Director of Football. Warburton's end to Dean Smith Our first season in the Championship in 2014/2015 saw us compete with the second tier's best as we failed to win promotion after a brilliant season, losing out to eventual Play Off winners Middlesbrough in the Play Off Semi Finals. Mid way through the season it was to be announced that Mark Warburton's contract would not be extended and Brentford FC would bring in a new manager in the Summer as we looked to make the best of statistical analysis in a game dominated by £££. We appointed Marinus Dijkhuizen, who eventually was sacked due to a personal difference between him and the players after a poor run of results, our owner Matthew Benham later came out and admitted a mistake was made when appointing him as the club ignored the advice of an agent that referred to the issues the players had. Development Squad Manager Lee Carlsey was put in charge, he lost his first two games however went onto winning the Championship MOTM award after winning 4 out of 5 games. Carsley was soon replaced with current Manager Dean Smith, who at the time was leading League 1 with Walsall. The season was one of ups and downs for Dean Smith also, who lost 12 games and drew 3 games in his first 20 games in charge for us, causing most outsiders and a lot of fans to prepare for relegation. However from April onwards we won 7 games, drew 1 and lost 1. Dean Smith guided us to a 9th place finish in his first season in charge. Benham's Brentford I've backed Matthew Behham's vision of Brentford FC since the beginning, backed it when Warburton left the club and still back it today. I've definitely wavered at times, when Dijkhuizen was sacked, when Dean Smith couldn't buy a win for love nor money, but backed them still. In the end it's paid off for us and we're now in a healthier position as a club than we were in Mark Warburton's first season in the Championship. There were a lot of mitigating factors that the media and fans outside have ignored, even some of our own fans. We've been looked at as a selling club, a club with no loyalty, a club who's owner tries to get involved with team selections. But here's a list of what happened in our first Summer without Warburton: We got rid of a manager reluctant to add to a squad in dire need of goals throughout a January transfer window, and didn't buy into the club's philosophy. We lost a key player and arguably best midfielder in the division after a great loan deal in Alex Pritchard. We had key players in a position to hold the club to ransom on short contracts. We lost Jonathan Douglas, Stuart Dallas and Toumani Diagouraga all to "bigger" clubs who could afford bigger wages (Ipswich and Leeds x2). We lost Moses Odubajo to Hull City and sold Andre Gray to Burnley. AFTER SELLING ANDRE GRAY FOR £9M, WE STILL WEREN'T FFP COMPLIANT. We did not have the funds to keep the team that played under MW together, and would never have challenged again in the same way. Our star summer signing, Andreas Bjelland, broke his leg in a pre-season friendly. In the January transfer window, our best defender James Tarkowski refused to play for us so he could move "up norf" to Burnley, to be near his sick mum. The playing staff was largely ripped apart as we rebuilt a squad that would be younger, have more potential and be on longer contracts. It was the beginning of a period of upheaval and change as the club had little control over it's short term future. The one clear mistake was Marinus Dijkhuizen, however Dean Smith has shown we have our manager right now. We've had a mixed season as the rebuild has continued with the youngest squad in the league, we also sold Scott Hogan to Villa in January for around £12m-£15m. After selling Hogan we've been able to bring back Canos on a 5 year deal, bring back Jota and offer a contract extension till the end of next season, re-sign Alan Judge on a two year deal after he was due to leave the club on a free and also sign young and promising full back Rico Henry from Walsall. Since selling Hogan we have averaged 2 goals a game with the goals now being spread around the team as opposed to being reliant on him. Current Players on Long Term Contracts Our current team has key players on long term contracts: Yennaris 2019 Sawyers 2020 Rico Henry 2021 Ryan Woods 2020 Judge 2019 Egan 2020 Canos 2021 (plus 1 year option) Bentley 2020 Josh Clarke 2020 Introduction of the B Team, goodbye Academy After losing our most promising academy product Joseph Bogui for a pittance to Manchester United, the club made the decision to close down our academy entirely. All funds and focus from the academy has been set into a B Team, a side which is there to offer young players on the fringe of first team professional football an environment to grow in and play the best academies from around the world, with a direct route into first team Championship football should the players be good enough, rather than be loaned out with futures unknown. Our B Team this season have played Chelsea, Man City, Villarreal, Valencia, Liverpool, Man Utd, Southampton, Tottenham, Bayern Munich, Hamburg, Crystal Palace and the Nike Academy. We have had wins over Hamburg, Southampton, Man Utd, Liverpool and West Brom, as well as other clubs. We've seen many B Team players make the first team bench and also seen B Team players break through to the first team, like Josh Clarke and Tom Field. Premier League Ambitions Currently we're around 10-12 points off of the play offs and in good form, with a well balanced team. Promotion this season would be an achievement in itself but looks extremely unrealistic. Next season however I think everyone will see a Brentford team in and around the play offs and promotion places, and we'll see a Summer where we're able to keep hold of our best players and actually strengthen the squad instead. The sale of Scott Hogan will have helped us strengthen in January, if we did receive £10m for him, we've spent around £4m on transfer fees and then wages will be thrown in there too, so how much is left of that kitty who knows. I hope we can strengthen with the addition of one or two key players in midfield and up front, but I'm confident with the team we currently have that they'll be able to step up and be a lot more consistent next season. "You should never have sacked Warburton..." - Every cunt going.

Ronald Kieran vs ROI seems silly, no idea why he's constantly being a little bitch towards O'Neill.

I tried to get into it, I did like it to be fair but only for the Paul Scholes-esque passing

Not really, can often find furnished places at similar prices to non furnished, and even then having to buy a bed, sofa, table, to stand etc all adds up

It is pretty mad over here, in Queensland and NSW it's given the same treatment football gets at home. Whereas in England most of the country won't even know when the League season starts.

You can defo find furnished places in the U.K. no problem

The country he was born in a family tree loop hole

I was drinking in a bar the other night and Mitchell Pearce walked past me, had no idea who he was until my mate mentioned the dog humping

I do agree with Storts in a sense, thats what always drew me away from League was the you have it we have it nature of the game. I love great game of Union but most northern hemisphere games bore me. You can spend ten minutes watching a kick, line out, scrum and scrum some more before getting any action. The flip side to Leagues 5 phase rule is that there's constant excitement, top quality Rugby being played and maybe not as much in Super League but the guys in the NRL are beasts, tall, muscular, strong athletes in peak physical condition. Though I did find it difficult to enjoy League in the UK and if it wasn't for coming to Australia I'd probably still dislike it. As much as there is a snobbery from Union as it is a posh boys game really, I'd never come across many welcoming northerners when talking about Rugby, they just do the same as southerners and slag off the others code.

I currently live in a hostel in Sydney. I have come to realise I'll probably have to buy a new build in Slough or High Wycombe if I ever want to buy close to home.

I was swearing at my girlfriend showing her what a real mu'fuckin G looks like

Not sure if I've posted this one before but me and the missus went for a day out to see a windmill.

I'm not questioning Germany or any country within the EU uses its status for its gain, just that the hysteria about "having our own laws" and "running our own country again" was well over the top, as if we actually lived under some form of dictatorship where we weren't in control, we were some in control we've decided to leave the EU.

There were lies and exaggerations on both sides, Remainers predicting an apocalyptic crash if we left, Leavers under the weird assumption the UK was powerless and being ruled under some Brussels led dictatorship. In the end the dictatorship argument won.

Scottish Independence has become a joke now, how can you have a referendum and then push for another referendum because of a democratic decision made afterwards. Complete bollocks. I voted to remain, majority voted Brexit, that's democracy. On the subject of Brexit, I look forward to when we leave the EU and people are still complaining about immigration and overloaded schools/hospitals. Also can't wait to see nowhere near, or if any of the amount of the EU "fee" that was promised to be put into the NHS throughout the campaign actually get put back in it. Probably carry on cutting the NHS down and closing needed departments and A&E's.