Bees Media Watch

Welcome to our new column bringing you a round-up of the latest Brentford coverage around the web.

PAY WHAT YOU CAN EARNS PRAISE

Not surprisingly, Brentford`s pay what you can initiative has earned plenty of praise around the media from both likely and unlikely sources.

Take the Wrexham Daily Post for example, where Andrew Gilpin examines ticket initiatives run by different clubs in a bid to suggest ways in which the Red Dragons can improve their attendances.

He says: “This weekend Brentford FC – another club with a proud fans-owned tradition – are trying a “pay what you can” day. Put simply you can get an advance ticket for any amount as long as it`s over a pound.

“Many floating fans will come in and pay around a fiver to have a discounted afternoon out, while die-hard fans are likely to give more to boost the club coffers.

“Such ideas are worth a try as a one-off, but they must remain experiments otherwise season ticket holders will rightly ask why they bothered.”

Link to Daily Post

The incentive also led to an interesting discussion on the Reading messageboard Hob Nob Anyone.

Comments included: “Fair play to them for doing this for a game day generally regarded as being one for lower attendances than normal.”
And: “Good idea hope it works for them. Nobody dislikes Brentford, do they?”

While one poster suggested a similar scheme has been tried in other fields of entertainment: “Have noticed similar schemes being done by indie game developers (see the Humble Indie Bundles) as well as bands (Radiohead if I remember correctly) and whilst the average amount paid tends to be lower than normal rrps it also tends to be high enough for it to be worthwhile.”

Link to Reading Messageboard

Leicester fans also discussed it on their Foxes Talk forum – and the discussion spread out into how much the posters enjoyed coming to Griffin Park.

One poster wrote: “Great idea. No surprise a club owned by its fans is adopting something like this. Would love them to come up, Brentford would be a class awayday.”

Another added: “One of the best grounds too?although I have heard people moaning about it?modern fans eh? But I think they are looking to move?sadly.”

More praise from ealingfox, who wrote: “My local team when I am living at home?excellent little club. Pub on every corner of ground, standing at one end and things like this. They give free tickets out for kids at local schools too.

“I have also played and scored on their pitch in a schools tournament, and this summer I met Patrick Vieira in the main stand. So they have given me almost as many good times as LCFC.”

Link to Leicester messageboard


FORRESTER PLEDGES FUTURE TO BRENTFORD?
In a very good and comprehensive interview with Harry Forrester by Gerard Brand of Mail Online, the reporter suggests our star winger will be staying at Griffin Park if he believes we will win promotion.
Brand wrote: “But the question on many Bees fans’ lips is whether their young dynamo will stay at the club when January calls. Villa have been linked with a move to bring him back to the Midlands, but with six months left on his contract, Forrester suggested there was no point in jumping ship if this particular vessel is going with the current.

Forrester said: “I think we can go up this year, we genuinely believe that now after beating those around us.”

“We are where we need to be, where we want to be which is testing the top of the league and if we continue no doubt we`ll be in the Championship next year.”

Harry also explains in the piece why he decided to join us and not Ajax at the start of last season.

“I felt what I needed was first-team football and that`s what I chose, to stay in the lower leagues in England and get some games under my belt here, rather than stay out in the reserves out there,” Forrester said.

“Looking at players in front of me [at Ajax], I was thinking ‘will I ever get my chance?’ so I had to weigh it up.”

Link to Mail Online article


ROBINS IMPRESSED BY “BIG-SPENDING” BEES

Coventry manager Mark Robins has been answering questions from the club`s Twitter and Facebook followers on the Coventry Telegraph website.

He was asked who he thought were stronger on paper than the Sky Blues and said: “There are several good teams in this division – Tranmere, for instance are doing fantastically well.

“I like the way MK Dons play, move the ball around; Sheffield United are obviously a strong, well-organised outfit; Brentford are starting to do well and they`ve got a healthy budget down there.

“But as things stand I think that on our day we can give anybody in this division a game.”

Link to Coventry Telegraph article


YOU LEARN SOMETHING EVERY DAY CORNER

Bet you didn`t know this.

The Londonist website revealed in its Things To Do In London Today column for December 19 under the heading “Random London Fact of the Day”:

“Griffin Park, home of Brentford Football Club is unique in British football (and possibly the world) for having a pub at each corner of the ground.”

Link to Londonist article