Brentford F.C.
File:Brentford.png | ||||
Full name | Brentford Football Club | |||
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Nickname(s) | The Bees | |||
Founded | 1889 | |||
Ground | Griffin Park Brentford, London | |||
Capacity | 12,763 | |||
Owner | Bees United Supporters' Trust | |||
Chairman | Greg Dyke | |||
Manager | Andy Scott | |||
League | League One | |||
2009–10 | League One, 9th | |||
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Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One. They were founded in 1889 and play their home games at Griffin Park, their home stadium since 1904. Brentford's most successful spell came during the 1930s, when they achieved consecutive top six finishes in the First Division. Since the War, they have spent most of their time in the third and fourth tiers of English football. Brentford have been FA Cup quarter-finalists on four occasions, and have twice been Football League Trophy runners-up. Some their most notable players in the last 10 years include: D.J. Campbell, Michael Turner, Stephen Hunt, Charlie MacDonald and Kevin O'Connor.
History
Foundation to 1939
Founded in 1889 to serve as a winter pursuit for the Brentford Rowing Club, the club spent its early years in the lower divisions of the Football League and achieved little of note, save for a move to its present day home ground, Griffin Park, in 1904. In 1920, it was a founder member of the Third Division South. During the late 1920s and 1930s, the club began to make real progress. In the 1929-30 season, the side won all 21 of its home matches in the Third Division South, but still missed out on promotion. They are the last of six teams in English football to amass a perfect home record, and the only one to do so over a season of 42 matches or more. After several more near-misses, promotion to the Second Division was finally achieved in 1932-33. Two years later, Brentford reached the First Division and finished 5th in its debut season - which is still the club's highest ever league position - to complete a remarkable rise for the club. Brentford achieved more impressive placings in the league for the rest of the decade (6th in the following two seasons) before the Second World War interrupted.
1945-1989
Note - Dotted horizontal lines indicate league divisions.
Note - From 1920-1958 the 3rd tier was split into North and South divisions, graph indicates Brentford's position in the South division
During the war, Brentford competed in the London War Cup, losing in the 1941 final at Wembley Stadium to Reading and winning in the final against Portsmouth a year later. The club was relegated in the first season after the War, and a downward spiral set in, which culminated in relegation to the Third Division in 1953-54 and the Fourth Division in 1961-62. The survival of Brentford FC was threatened by a projected takeover by Queens Park Rangers in the late 1960s - a bid that was only narrowly averted with an emergency loan of £104,000 - while the club continued to yo-yo between the third and fourth divisions during the next three decades. The club won promotion in 1962-63, 1971-72 and 1977-78 but only on the final occasion was it able to consolidate its place in English football's third tier. Other bright spots in this period included reaching the final of the Freight Rover Trophy at Wembley in 1985, where it lost to Wigan, and a run to the FA Cup quarter-finals in 1989 which included wins over three higher-division sides and was only ended by the reigning league champions Liverpool.
1990 to present
After a 45-year absence, Brentford were promoted back to the Second Division (renamed the First Division with the advent of the Premier League in 1992) in the 1991-92 season as Third Division champions, though they were relegated again the following year.
There followed several seasons of the club narrowly missing out on promotion. Former Chelsea FA Cup hero David Webb was appointed manager in 1993 and twice led the side into the play-offs. In 1996-97 he led them to the play-off final at Wembley, but the side were beaten by Crewe Alexandra. The club were then relegated to the Third Division (by then the bottom division of the Football League) the following year. Brentford won promotion as champions again in 1998-99 under manager and chairman Ron Noades.
The club suffered more promotion agony in 2002 under manager Steve Coppell as they lost out to Stoke City in the play-off final having been just minutes away from automatic promotion on the final day of the season, and again under manager Martin Allen in 2004-05, on that occasion losing 3-1 on aggregate to Sheffield Wednesday in the semi-finals after finishing 4th in League One.
Former BBC Director-General and Bees fan Greg Dyke was announced as chairman of Brentford on 20 January 2006 as part of the takeover by Bees United, the Brentford Supporters Trust. On 28 January 2006, Brentford beat Premier League strugglers Sunderland 2-1 in the 4th Round of the FA Cup, but lost 3-1 to another Premier League club Charlton Athletic in the 5th Round. Brentford finished 3rd in the league and lost to Swansea City in the play-off semi-final.
On 30 May 2006 Allen announced his resignation as manager of Brentford[1] and the club named Leroy Rosenior as his successor on 14 June 2006. On 18 November 2006, following a run of 16 matches without a win - leaving the side in the relegation zone - Rosenior was sacked as manager, after the team lost 4-0 at home to Crewe. Following Rosenior's departure, youth team coach Scott Fitzgerald was appointed manager on a full-time basis on 21 December 2006 with Alan Reeves acting as his assistant.[2] Fitzgerald was unable to turn around the club's fortunes, and Brentford were relegated to Football League Two - English Football's 4th tier - in April 2007. Fitzgerald left the day following confirmation of Brentford's relegation, with youth team manager Barry Quin due to act as caretaker in the managerial role until the end of the season.[3]
Ex-England captain Terry Butcher was appointed as manager on 24 April 2007. Butcher's assistant was former Brentford winger Andy Scott, who was appointed on 9 May 2007. Butcher's reign at Griffin Park was, however, not a successful one, and his contract was terminated by mutual consent on 11 December 2007[4], after winning just 5 matches in 23. Butcher's assistant Andy Scott was appointed as manager on 4 January 2008 following a successful caretaker spell. (Scott's assistant is the experienced coach Terry Bullivant).
On 25 April 2009 Brentford sealed the Coca-Cola League Two Championship (English Football's 4th tier) with a 3-1 win at Darlington. The Bees were awarded the Trophy in front of 10,223 fans at Griffin Park on May 2. They were the second team (after Doncaster Rovers) to win the fourth tier three times, and the first to win the tier under its three names (Fourth Division, Division Three and League Two).
Scott's excellent first calendar year in charge was recognised with an award, the BBC London 'Manager of the Year 2008'. Scott was also awarded the 'Coca Cola League Two Manager of the Month' award for April/May 2009, which recognised the above title was won in difficult circumstances; with 4 strikers hospitalised in 8 games.
During the 2008-09 campaign, three players also picked up awards:
- Marcus Bean — 'Powerade Player of the Month' for League Two December 2008
- Charlie MacDonald — 'Powerade Player of the Month' for League Two February 2009
- Jordan Rhodes — League Two 'PFA Fans' Player of the Season 2009' and League Two 'PFA Fans' Player of the Month' March 2009.
2009-10: A total of 13 new players were bought in, mostly on free transfers.
On 5 August 2009, the amalgamation of fans' groups which help run the club - Bees United - announced they had ".. negotiated terms with Matthew Benham that will enable BU to continue in its role of ensuring the club is governed well, of protecting the long term interests of Brentford Football Club, and of giving you, our members, the right of veto over any unreasonable sale of the ground in which Brentford plays, so long as Brentford FC remains solvent".
The 2009-10 season has been regarded as great success, with BFC finishing 9th in Coca Cola League One. A shaky start led to changes in personnell, noteably loanees from Arsenal (Goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny) and Tottenham Hotspur (winger John Bostock). While the other promoted teams struggled, Brentford thrived, thanks to excellent home form, (Brentford have only lost four home league games in two years) and some impressive displays against the richer clubs in the division (e.g. Leeds United, Norwich City, Southampton & Huddersfield Town). A new CEO was appointed, Andrew Mills.
Grounds
Griffin Park
Brentford have played at Griffin Park since 1904. The ground is unique in British football in that there is a pub in each corner of Griffin Park, Royal Oak, New Inn, The Griffin - which was used in the film Green Street - and The Princess Royal which is owned by the club.
In 2007 The Ealing Road end of the ground has had a roof installed after a grant by the Football Trust and makes all 4 stands of the ground covered. The Ealing Road remains a terrace but has been "given back" to home supporters and was re-opened for the first game of the season of the 2007/08 season on Saturday 11 August 2007 against Mansfield Town (4,909 watched the game).
The dug-outs will be switched from the Braemar Road side of the ground to the Bill Axbey side for the 2010/11 season.
The Braemar Road stand will be renamed the Bees United stand for the 2010/11 season. The stand opposite is called The Bill Axbey stand. The away fans' end is known to Brentford fans as 'The Wendy House'.
(A fan's guide to Griffin Park can be found at Duncan Adams's website www.footballgroundguide.co.uk)
Lionel Road
Brentford, with the aim of securing a more financially sustainable future, have been considering relocation since 2002. Plans were announced in October 2002 for a new 20,000 capacity stadium at a state-of-the-art arena complex in Lionel Road, Brentford. It was announced on 7 December 2007 that the club had secured an option to purchase the site - a major breakthrough in the club's plans to relocate.[5]
The new stadium moved another step closer on 22 February 2008 when it was announced that Brentford's development partner, Barratt Homes, had acquired a 7.6 acre regeneration site in Lionel Road, Brentford.[6] Following this news, it was anticipated that the stadium would be completed in time for the 2012/13 season, and be used as a training venue for teams participating in the 2012 Olympic Games in London. However, due to the on-going economic downturn and fall in property prices, the club and Barratt Homes admitted in early 2009 that this date would no longer be feasible.
Current squad
- As of 23rd July 2010
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Coaching staff
- As of 1st July 2010
Name | Role |
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Manager |
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Assistant Manager |
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Goalkeeping Coach |
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Physiotherapist |
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Fitness Coach |
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Director of Youth Development |
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Reserve & Youth Team Manager |
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Kit Man / Chef |
Managers
As of 5 April 2010. Only competitive matches are counted.
Name | Nat | From | To | Record | ||||
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P | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
William Lewis | ![]() |
August 1900 | May 1903 | |||||
Dick Molyneux | ![]() |
August 1903 | May 1906 | |||||
W G Brown | ![]() |
August 1906 | May 1908 | |||||
Fred Halliday | ![]() |
August 1908 | May 1912 | |||||
Ephraim Rhodes | ![]() |
August 1912 | May 1915 | |||||
Fred Halliday | ![]() |
August 1915 | August 1921 | |||||
Archie Mitchell | ![]() |
August 1921 | December 1922 | 60 | 22 | 13 | 25 | 37 |
Fred Halliday | ![]() |
December 1924 | May 1926 | 68 | 22 | 12 | 34 | 32 |
Harry Curtis | ![]() |
May 1926 | February 1949 | 705 | 305 | 157 | 243 | 43 |
Jackie Gibbons | ![]() |
February 1949 | August 1952 | 150 | 53 | 40 | 57 | 35 |
Jimmy Bain | ![]() |
August 1952 | January 1953 | 23 | 7 | 5 | 11 | 30 |
Tommy Lawton | ![]() |
January 1953 | September 1953 | 33 | 8 | 10 | 15 | 24 |
Bill Dodgin, Sr. | ![]() |
October 1953 | May 1957 | 182 | 65 | 57 | 60 | 36 |
Malcolm MacDonald | ![]() |
May 1957 | January 1965 | 379 | 160 | 94 | 125 | 42 |
Tommy Cavanagh | ![]() |
January 1965 | March 1966 | 46 | 16 | 10 | 20 | 35 |
Billy Gray | ![]() |
1 August 1966 | 30 August 1967 | 48 | 19 | 13 | 16 | 40 |
Jimmy Sirrel | ![]() |
1 September 1967 | 30 November 1969 | 111 | 45 | 26 | 40 | 41 |
Frank Blunstone | ![]() |
1 December 1969 | 11 July 1973 | 164 | 67 | 35 | 62 | 41 |
Mike Everitt | ![]() |
1 September 1973 | 15 January 1975 | 70 | 21 | 22 | 27 | 30 |
John Docherty | ![]() |
20 January 1975 | 7 September 1976 | 69 | 23 | 20 | 26 | 33 |
Bill Dodgin, Jr. | ![]() |
16 September 1976 | 1 April 1980 | 166 | 71 | 35 | 60 | 43 |
Fred Callaghan | ![]() |
1 April 1980 | 2 February 1984 | 176 | 59 | 52 | 65 | 32 |
Frank Blunstone | ![]() |
2 February 1984 | 9 February 1984 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Frank McLintock | ![]() |
9 February 1984 | 1 January 1987 | 151 | 51 | 43 | 57 | 34 |
Steve Perryman | ![]() |
1 January 1987 | 15 August 1990 | 182 | 71 | 48 | 63 | 39 |
Phil Holder | ![]() |
24 August 1990 | 11 May 1993 | 158 | 66 | 33 | 59 | 41 |
David Webb | ![]() |
17 May 1993 | 4 August 1997 | 216 | 85 | 65 | 66 | 39 |
Eddie May | ![]() |
5 August 1997 | 5 November 1997 | 20 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 25 |
Micky Adams | ![]() |
5 November 1997 | 1 July 1998 | 33 | 7 | 15 | 11 | 21 |
Ron Noades | ![]() |
1 July 1998 | 20 November 2000 | 130 | 51 | 33 | 46 | 39 |
Ray Lewington | ![]() |
20 November 2000 | 7 May 2001 | 37 | 14 | 11 | 12 | 38 |
Steve Coppell | ![]() |
8 May 2001 | 5 June 2002 | 54 | 27 | 12 | 15 | 50 |
Wally Downes | ![]() |
28 June 2002 | 14 March 2004 | 97 | 29 | 22 | 46 | 30 |
Garry Thompson[7] | ![]() |
14 March 2004 | 18 March 2004 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Martin Allen | ![]() |
18 March 2004 | 30 May 2006 | 124 | 54 | 36 | 34 | 44 |
Leroy Rosenior | ![]() |
14 June 2006 | 18 November 2006 | 23 | 3 | 10 | 10 | 13 |
Scott Fitzgerald[8] | ![]() |
18 November 2006 | 9 April 2007 | 24 | 4 | 5 | 15 | 17 |
Barry Quin[7] | ![]() |
9 April 2007 | 7 May 2007 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 25 |
Terry Butcher | ![]() |
7 May 2007 | 11 December 2007 | 23 | 5 | 5 | 13 | 22 |
Andy Scott[8] | ![]() |
11 December 2007 | Present | 130 | 52 | 43 | 35 | 40 |
- See also:Category:Brentford F.C. managers - a list of all Brentford F.C. managers with a Wikipedia article.
Players with most appearances
as at 8 May 2010
Name | Appearances in League and Cup | Career at Brentford |
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559 (514 lge 35 FAC 10 LC) | 1949–1964 |
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524 (419 lge 21 FAC 40 LC 44 Other) | 1986–1999 |
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516 (471 lge 28 FAC 17 LC) | 1960–1975 |
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433 (388 lge 27 FAC 18 LC) | 1959–1970 |
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409 (374 lge 21 FAC 14 LC) | 1970–1980 |
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401 (344 lge 27 FAC 11 LC 19 other) | 2000–Present |
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379 (305 lge 18 FAC 26 LC 30 other) | 1984–1992 |
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374 (348 lge 20 FAC 6 LC) | 1955–1964 |
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371 (325 lge 17 FAC 19 LC 10 other) | 1975–1986 |
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350 (316 lge 19 FAC 15 LC) | 1967–1976 |
Highest goalscorers
as at 1 October 2009
Name | Goal Scorers in League and Cup | Career at Brentford |
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163 (153 lge 9 FAC 1 LC) | 1951–1961 |
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136 (124 lge 12 FAC) | 1953–1962 |
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122 (119 lge 3 FAC) | 1932–1939 |
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105 (79 lge 7 FAC 9 LC 10 other) | 1987–1993 |
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90 (85 lge 5 FAC) | 1935–1938 |
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89 (79 lge 10 FAC) | 1929–1932 |
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88 (83 lge 3 FAC) | 1932–1947 |
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87 (76 lge 4 FAC 3 LC 4 other) | 1998-2002 & 2005-2007 |
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86 (74 lge 12 FAC) | 1925–1931 |
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80 (77 lge 3 FAC) | 1932–1947 |
Capped international players
The following players earned international caps whilst playing for Brentford (number of caps awarded whilst at Brentford FC in brackets, if known and confirmed):
Full International
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U-21 International
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Youth International
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Schoolboy International
- England
Amateur Internationals to have played whilst at Brentford FC are:
Martin Woosnam, Kevin O'Flanagan, Jackie Burns, Alec Barclay, Vivian Gibbins, T.H. Robinson, Maurice Edelston, A.H. Gibbons, Bill Slater.
Victory International (Matches Played Soon After WWI)
- England
Patsy Hendren (1)
War Time International (Matches Played from 1939–1945)
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Honours
- Football League First Division
- Best finish: 5th - 1935/1936
- Football League Second Division
- Champions: 1934/1935
- Football League Third Division
- Champions: 1932/1933 (South), 1991/1992, 1998/1999
- Football League Fourth Division
- Champions: 1962/1963, 2008/2009
- FA Cup
- Best performance: Sixth Round/Quarter-Final - 1937/1938, 1945/1946, 1948/1949, 1988/1989
- Football League Cup
- Best performance: Fourth Round - 1982/1983
- Football League Trophy
- Best performance: Finalists - 1984/1985, 2000/2001
- London War Cup
- Winners: 1941/1942
Rivalry
Brentford’s main rivals are Fulham and Queens Park Rangers.
In recent years, Brentford's main rivals have been Queens Park Rangers. The two clubs competed regularly up until the 1965/1966 season, when Brentford were relegated from the Third Division. It was not until the 2001/2002 season that the two clubs competed again. The rivalry intensified in 1967, when Queens Park Rangers failed in a controversial attempt to buy Brentford and amalgamate the two clubs together. The last competative match between the two clubs took place at Griffin Park on 14 February 2004; Brentford 1-1 Queens Park Rangers (in what is now League 1).
Brentford also have a long standing rivalry with Fulham. The two clubs competed regularly up until Fulham were bought by Egyptian millionaire Mohamed Al-Fayed during the summer of 1997. The last competative match between the two clubs took place at Griffin Park on 11 April 1998; Brentford 0-2 Fulham (in what is now League 1).
Mascot
Brentford's mascot is named Buzz Bee.
Club songs
Brentford's club song is Hey Jude by The Beatles. This is played at every home game and sung by the Brentford supporters throughout the game. In 1993 the band One Touch To Go recorded the song Red On White for the team. The track can be found on the album Greatest Hiss 1983/1999. The song has been played at the ground till at least 2002. In 2001 Status Quo bassist John 'Rhino' Edwards recorded a track called Brentford's Big Day Out after the Bees reached the final of the LDV Trophy at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff. More recently Lloyd Owusu, on his short comeback to Brentford recorded a track about himself and his connections with the club. Surprisingly, this spent a short while being downloaded rapidly off music websites. The track's main word is Owusu as during his time at the club Lloyd was a fan favourite and whenever his name was read out the fans shouted back his surname as well as raised their hands. This referred to how he liked to 'raise the roof'.
Celebrity connections
Celebrity supporters include:
- Comedian Dominic Holland
- Ex-Eastenders actor Dean Gaffney
- Hollywood actor Jim Carrey
- Hollywood actress Cameron Diaz[9]
- Sky Sports News presenter Natalie Sawyer
- Hard-Fi leads singer/guitarist Richard Archer
- The Bluetones guitarist Adam Devlin
- Status Quo bassist John 'Rhino' Edwards
- Author Robert Rankin
- The Who guitarist Pete Townshend
- Saint Etienne singer Sarah Cracknell[10]
Actor and comedian, Bradley Walsh was a professional at the club in the late 1970s but never made the first team squad.
Late Jazz Band Leader, Billy Cotton, who hosted the long-running Billy Cotton's Band Show on Radio and TV, played for Brentford as an amateur in his youth.
Singer/pop icon Rod Stewart is often reported to be a former player, but this is believed to be a myth. Stewart admitted to not have been signed by Brentford in a 1995 issue of Q Magazine, but possibly had trials in 1961 and left before being offered any 'deal' to stay on.
Club records
- Record Victory: 9-0 v Wrexham, Division 3, 15 October 1963
- Record Defeat: 0-7 on three occasions, most recently v Peterborough United, Coca Cola League Two, 24 November 2007
- Most League Points (2 for a win): 62, Division Three South, 1932–33
- Most League Points (3 for a win): 85, Division 2, 1994-95 & Division 3, 1998–99, League 2 2008-09
- Most League Goals Scored in a season: 98, Division 4, 1962–63
- Most League Goals Conceded in a season: 94, Division Three South, 1925–26
- Highest League Scorer in a season: Jack Holliday, 39, 1932–33
- Most League Goals in Total Aggregate: Jim Towers, 153, 1954–1961
- Most Capped Player: John Buttigieg, gained 22 caps whilst at Brentford FC for Malta (awarded 97 Full Caps in total for Malta)
- Most League Appearances: Ken Coote, 514, 1949–1964
- Record Transfer Fee Received: £2,500,000 from Wimbledon for Hermann Hreiðarsson, October 1999
- Record Transfer Fee Paid: £750,000 to Crystal Palace for Hermann Hreiðarsson, September 1998
- Highest home attendance: 38,678 v Leicester City, 26 February 1949
- Most league games without a defeat: 26, 20 February 1999 to 16 October 1999
- Most league games without a win: 18, 9 September 2006 to 26 December 2006
See also
References
- ^ "Allen resigns from Bees". skysports.com. 2006-06-30. Retrieved 2006-11-18.
- ^ "Rosenior sacked as Brentford boss". BBC Sport. 2006-11-18. Retrieved 2006-11-19.
- ^ "Boss Fitzgerald leaves Brentford". BBC Sport. 2007-04-10. Retrieved 2007-04-10.
- ^ "Boss Butcher leaves Brentford job". BBC Sport. 2007-12-11. Retrieved 2007-12-11.
- ^ "Brentford given new stadium boost". BBC Sport. 7 December 2007. Retrieved 13 December 2007.
- ^ "Brentford Football Club and Barratt Homes team up to acquire land for new Community Stadium". Brentford FC. 22 February 2008. Retrieved 25 February 2008.
- ^ a b Served as caretaker manager.
- ^ a b Initially as caretaker manager.
- ^ "Hollywood Supporter". The Observer. 2002-04-07. Retrieved 2010-05-27.
- ^ "Sarah Cracknell interview from Boyz magazine". Boyz Magazine. 1998-04-04. Retrieved 2010-04-27.
External links
- Brentford FC - the club's website
- Bees United - The Brentford Supporters' Trust and owners of the majority of shares in BFC
- BIAS - Brentford Independent Association of Supporters
- The Griffin Park Grapevine - The Griffin Park Grapevine, the "Communication Never Centre" of BFC.
- "In The Blood" Documentary - Independent film chronicling the fight over the future of Brentford FC.
- Brentford on BBC Sport: Club news – Recent results and fixtures