Went to Spurs v Brentford last night, enjoyed the football and the beers and particularly watching Conte in the technical area. He's like a demented spider leaping about and waving his arms permanently, directing every move.
As the teams came out it struck me that when I moved down south 30 years ago, town and Brentford were pretty much on a par.  I worked with a lot of Brentford fans in West London and always thought them to be a "proper" club with "proper" fans and always enjoyed visits to Griffin Park. I know they considered us to be a comparable club.
Here we are, less than 20 years on and worlds apart in almost every respect.  On a positive note it does show what a modest club can achieve under good leadership so maybe we can hold out hope for a brighter future. Brentford were pretty poor last night but I walked away feeling positive about what we might achieve, rather than negative about what's happened to us in the last few years
UTM

I’ve had them all night.

Think it was because the mrs cooked

Quoted from buckstown

Went to Spurs v Brentford last night, enjoyed the football and the beers and particularly watching Conte in the technical area. He's like a demented spider leaping about and waving his arms permanently, directing every move.

I went to a Siena home match (2011) when Conte was managing them and I didn’t recognise him. He was virtually bald at the end of his playing career.

It’s amazing. It’s thicker than the average Talksport caller.

Conte is excellent to watch and certainly has the right to sit at the top table with Jose, Pep, Klippan, Heinkes (sp?) etc…

He is bonkers but tactically astute. Sat in the Chelsea end of a league cup game at Leicester, Chelsea were all over the shop but had just started applying pressure. He literally oiked off a midfielder, no questions, they’d been playing well, threw on Costa. Costa went straight up to the centre half, poked him, terrified him. Conte shifted the shape only slightly and bang…Chelsea were back in it and won.

Saw him at Juve too, arguably they played better football under conte than under Allegri (the scummy ultras don’t like conte though)…

Cracking thatch these days too…

It’s never been the same since Les Dennis stopped presenting it.

Quoted from buckstown

Went to Spurs v Brentford last night, enjoyed the football and the beers and particularly watching Conte in the technical area. He's like a demented spider leaping about and waving his arms permanently, directing every move.
As the teams came out it struck me that when I moved down south 30 years ago, town and Brentford were pretty much on a par.  I worked with a lot of Brentford fans in West London and always thought them to be a "proper" club with "proper" fans and always enjoyed visits to Griffin Park. I know they considered us to be a comparable club.
Here we are, less than 20 years on and worlds apart in almost every respect.  On a positive note it does show what a modest club can achieve under good leadership so maybe we can hold out hope for a brighter future. Brentford were pretty poor last night but I walked away feeling positive about what we might achieve, rather than negative about what's happened to us in the last few years
UTM

I get what you mean, worth noting though that Brentford are situated in an area that has a really densely populated catchment, I think in reality we're limited to what we can ultimately achieve due to the population of Grimsby and surrounding areas, doesn't stop us having go though.  

Quoted from HertsGTFC

I get what you mean, worth noting though that Brentford are situated in an area that has a really densely populated catchment, I think in reality we're limited to what we can ultimately achieve due to the population of Grimsby and surrounding areas, doesn't stop us having go though.  

Swings and roundabouts that though. A big catchment perhaps, but also much greater access to Premier League football which, like it or not, appeals to a great many people.

Go back to 2007/08, with both Town and Brentford middling in League Two, their average gate was only a couple of hundred more that ours and will have been buoyed by much bigger away followings.

They still weren’t consistently selling out in the Championship, with gates of around 10,000. Putting BP’s capacity to one side, I think if we now found ourselves with a really progressive side, playing attractive football at the top end of the Championship, we’d be capable of that. We’ve been getting 7,000 home fans in the National League.

The crucial difference is that Brentford have been well financed and brilliantly managed over many years now. They are everything we should aspire to, but I wouldn’t say they are naturally a much bigger club than us or have that many advantages over us. In theory, it should be a damn sight easier to build a new stadium in Grimsby than in the heart of London - but the gulf in investment and good business practice dictates that the two clubs find themselves in their respective positions in English football.

Quoted from Poojah

Swings and roundabouts that though. A big catchment perhaps, but also much greater access to Premier League football which, like it or not, appeals to a great many people.

Go back to 2007/08, with both Town and Brentford middling in League Two, their average gate was only a couple of hundred more that ours and will have been buoyed by much bigger away followings.

They still weren’t consistently selling out in the Championship, with gates of around 10,000. Putting BP’s capacity to one side, I think if we now found ourselves with a really progressive side, playing attractive football at the top end of the Championship, we’d be capable of that. We’ve been getting 7,000 home fans in the National League.

The crucial difference is that Brentford have been well financed and brilliantly managed over many years now. They are everything we should aspire to, but I wouldn’t say they are naturally a much bigger club than us or have that many advantages over us. In theory, it should be a damn sight easier to build a new stadium in Grimsby than in the heart of London - but the gulf in investment and good business practice dictates that the two clubs find themselves in their respective positions in English football.

The last part is interesting really, it could easily become an anti Fenty post but in truth, what you say is true. The level business folk at Brentford operate on, and significantly more progressive mindsets rather than empire building are clearly a positive influence. I’d argue fan mindset helps too.

I never for one minute believed GTFC in its previous guise would ever get a new ground for various reasons and then when you see divisions on here with folk getting their knickers in a twist over parking or worrying what food outlets look like on match day give an indication of mindset.

Brentford’s new ground is excellent and architecturally astute, can only imagine the negativity something like that would receive locally, not just from a pocket of town fans.

With the new owners and as you say, improving footballing prowess, albeit slow development there is a possibility we could emulate the likes of a Brentford or Lincoln, Donnie etc…

Quoted from buckstown

As the teams came out it struck me that when I moved down south 30 years ago, town and Brentford were pretty much on a par.  I worked with a lot of Brentford fans in West London and always thought them to be a "proper" club with "proper" fans and always enjoyed visits to Griffin Park. I know they considered us to be a comparable club.

Those "Proper" fans who bricked a Town supporters bus at Griffin Park you mean? Only the actions of the bus driver prevented more serious injuries to our supporters than the numerous cuts from flying shattered glass.

Morons on a par with Millwall I'd say!

Quoted from malkamalka

Those "Proper" fans who bricked a Town supporters bus at Griffin Park you mean? Only the actions of the bus driver prevented more serious injuries to our supporters than the numerous cuts from flying shattered glass.

Morons on a par with Millwall I'd say!

That’s a bit unfair on Brentford fans generally though isn’t it?

I doubt the ones who did that represent their fanbase any more than the morons who put the Barnet team bus windows through at BP a few years back represent ours.

I’ve always found most Brentford fans to be a decent bunch.

Quoted from malkamalka

Those "Proper" fans who bricked a Town supporters bus at Griffin Park you mean? Only the actions of the bus driver prevented more serious injuries to our supporters than the numerous cuts from flying shattered glass.

Morons on a par with Millwall I'd say!

It’s thinking like that (tarring everyone with the same brush) that got our Boxing Day fixture moved and with limited tickets.

Quoted from Knut Anders Fosters Voles

I went to a Siena home match (2011) when Conte was managing them and I didn’t recognise him. He was virtually bald at the end of his playing career.

It’s amazing. It’s thicker than the average Talksport caller.

See the Dock Tower replica?

Quoted from KingstonMariner

See the Dock Tower replica?

Yep.

Siena’s is much easier to access than our beloved Riby model.

I sniffed some Copydex at the top, closed my eyes and thought of a bitter easterly.

I was blubbering like an Icelandic whaling crew.

Quoted from malkamalka

Those "Proper" fans who bricked a Town supporters bus at Griffin Park you mean? Only the actions of the bus driver prevented more serious injuries to our supporters than the numerous cuts from flying shattered glass.

Morons on a par with Millwall I'd say!

A minority I'd say.   I used to go to Griffin park a lot as a neutral when I lived down Sarf .  Went to see Town there and ended up in the Brentford end ( I can't remember why now.)  I had a black and white scarf in a sea of red and white.  Never felt any animosity. We ran rings round them with Tony Rees playing a blinder. The Brentford fans were clapping us.  A couple of them noticed me and were asking me about out players.   I guess each team has its idiots.  Only last week, some QPR fan was up for attempted murder of a Luton fan.  For me, Loftus road was the epitome of a family friendly footie venue.  Once I was in the queue and QPR fan offered me a ticket.  I scrutinized it and asked him how much.  He shrugged his shoulders and told me it was free. But they still have at least one nutter.