Across the Seas but Forever Bees - An American Brentford Podcast Tim Searls

What a season.   The Luton victory says as much about this lost season of such high expectations as any match could.   Now that we are back to a near first team (ok...without Rico, Norgaard, Toney and DaSilva!!) we are rampant against a Luton side that really couldn't afford to be beaten.  

What could have been...

This week Adam Harder and Greville Waterman join me in the ASFB studios.  Adam is a  fascinating and insightful guest that I've been eager for weeks to have on.   He is here to discuss his experience as a Brentford fan, be it a walk down Braemar Road past Griffin Park to The Griffin pub or a Saturday morning pint of Guinness in the Red Lion with the lively crew that has grown there.   We look back at the Luton match, and on to our effectively guaranteed future in the Premier League.  

Tempting fate, I'm declaring us 'safe' for another glorious season in the rarified air of the Premier League after a professional defeat of Sheffield United.  Greville Waterman is along to tell me that Luton remains a 'must win' and if not it's 'squeeky bum time'.   But, really?

The free-flowing conversation includes a review of the match (it was never a foul by Collins!!!), and then some actual looking ahead to a Summer that will require big decisions for so many of the squad.

I appreciate the comments, and of course the time that you give us.

Could any three matches have such competing stories as the draws against ManU, Brighton and Villa?   Each tell a different version of the season:  So much ability and potential in the first, so much exhaustion in the second, so much chaos in the third.

Michel Cowdry was at the Gtech for the first two, and was at Fan Fest in Nashville for the third.  He's just one of the best guests ever (we've had so many extraordinary people on though!).   He has so many great experiences and stories to tell, all representing different facets of Brentford fandom from an American perspective.  He rightfully steals the show again for us.  :)

Oh...and Greville is here too.  Listen for Greville eventually!

What a joy it was to speak with Marcus Gayle and with Megan Bespolka, who is the International Marketing Manger for Brentford Football Club.  We talk the Nashville Fan Fest as well as about international membership for American fans - and how to plan your journey to the GTech.  

Along with Greville Waterman I get a chance to ask Marcus about some of the memories he has of his two spells at Brentford.  Some simply great stories that are alone really worth a listen.   Marcus is truly the definition of an Ambassador for the club.

This is a great podcast, if I do say so myself, and I hope you enjoy it as much as we did putting it together.

...unless you're a "Big" club obviously.   The rules aren't 'different', just malleable apparently.

Brent James and Bill Ireland drop into the ASFB studios all the way from Boone, North Carolina to talk Arsenal and Burnley.   I really cannot believe how nice all the Brentford people I meet are.  Honestly.  And I'm also amazed at the passion this little West London club inspires.   From meetups each week in the local pubs in so many cities, to backyard parties in towns like Boone, North Carolina.

Along with Greville Waterman we have a really interesting discussion of the opportunities that our season-long injury crisis has provided.  Who has make a case for themselves, who might be moving on?  

Brentford plays a wonderfully topsy turvy match against Chelsea, a match we could have, and maybe should have, won.  A match that Chelsea could have, and maybe should have, won.  Yah, that sort of match.  

Greville Waterman and I discuss this and look ahead to the daunting task of taking on an in-form Arsenal.  We disagree on the use of the term 'free hit', but agree it'll take a mighty effort to get anything from the match.  Still, we're modern Brentford and 'mighty effort' is what we do.