The passage of time in Wellington and elsewhere
Brentford are struggling. On a losing steak and not playing well. Yesterday was a bad draw against Wolves in the FA Cup 3rd round. 80 minutes v 10 men!
The above headline I think is chasing optimism. We shall see. Toney is back next game- and given the injury problems have hit the front men then maybe he will be the rescue act.
I have been following the early kick-off game on the BBC website. Another win, against the dominance of possession, amazing outcome.
SAT 28 OCT 2023PREMIER LEAGUE
Chelsea0 Brentford2
By Joe RindlBBC Sport
Last updated on4 minutes ago4 minutes ago.From the sectionPremier League523
Brentford held on for their third Premier League win of the season as goals from Ethan Pinnock and Bryan Mbeumo sank a wasteful Chelsea in the West London derby at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues, who missed several chances, were punished through Pinnock’s thumping header from Mbeumo’s wicked cross.
With Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez up the field for a late corner, Neal Maupay led a Brentford counter-attack and set up Mbeumo for the second.
Chelsea, who went closest in the first half when Noni Madueke struck the woodwork, slipped to a ninth home defeat this year thanks to some poor finishing.
Brentford keeper Mark Flekken was never truly stretched and the visitors defended resolutely before hitting Chelsea on the break.
The World Cup is still going on. Last week was the QF round. Some disappointments in that.
But we were in Lyon for the groups stages, seeing Namibia v Uruguay and NZ v Italy.
The game between the two lesser teams was good entertainment- particularly for the first 60 minutes- until a spate of yellow/ red cards ruined the balance and momentum of the match.
The big game lacked surprise and competition. It was an All Black walkover. However, the atmosphere was good with lots of Kiwis and many Italians. Being close to Italy, Lyon has a strong Italian community related to previous migration. Also, the French locals sang their anthem powerfully.
Thanks to Raphael for picking us up after the the ABs game.
I went to my sole match of the season at ‘new Griffin Park’- as PB now has the season ticket and we are off to NZ.
I managed to get something on the screen for Peter- which was nice- though they added an error- shame.
And the match itself- terrible! The worst I ahve seen for so long. No single player did themselves any good. Lack of effort, lack of skill and lack of ideas. Everton- who are considered hot favourites for relegation- looked excellent in comparison. Very worrying indeed.
Analysis: Brentford 1-3 Everton
Harry Poole, BBC Sport
This was a rare off day for Brentford, or at least Thomas Frank will hope that proves the case, with Everton leaving west London fully deserving of the three points.The Bees made uncharacteristic errors and ultimately failed to assert themselves on home soil, where prior to Saturday they had suffered just two league defeats since the start of last season.The hosts’ struggles were evident in the first half when Bryan Mbeumo reacted to a misplaced pass by waving his arms in frustration.Of course, the day got off to a suboptimal start when club-record signing Kevin Schade suffered an injury in the warm-up – although his replacement, Keane Lewis-Potter, showed flashes of inspiration.Frank made no excuses for his players, who he will now demand an immediate response from when they host Arsenal in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday (19:45 BST).Brentford 1-3 Everton
We managed to go to the Ireland v Tonga game in Nantes thanks to Lauren.
I chance for me to wear my green shirt- last seen RWC 2011 quarter final?
Good experience and an excuse to visit Nantes again and see Lauren ‘for real’.
Good atmosphere in the stadium with mostly green shirts around. Match not bad, and relatively easy for Ireland in the end.
I did pick up a bit of the ‘who is real Irish’ with a person were were sitting with and similarly on the bus back to the centre after the game.
Good chats with Lauren’s friends who were sat next to me. Good practice of la langue frainçaise!
My first attendance since watching the League Cup semi with TC against Tottenham- as a neutral guest.
Definitely ‘skin in the game’ for this one.
Another historic win with a very happy travelling support. Not a great spectacle. Brentford well-organised and Chelsea very limited.
Enjoy the ride!
Off to see Brentford play West Ham last night with JQ.
Another sporting event for Joe. We were truly in the gods and so the players looked like ants running around on a large patch of green.
A good win in the end for the Bees but not a great football match. At the of the first half it was 2-0 and reasonably say against the run of play. However, WHU had lots of possession without much threat after the first fifteen minutes. In the 2nd half Brentford played better, more control, and little threat from the oppo.
The crowd of red were very happy- Hammers fans less so. There was a large exodus with 20 minutes to go and by the finish not many more WHU fans thans Brentford supporters.
Then it was a long journey home because of signal problems on the Tube. Home after 2 hours at nearly midnight.
Unexpected win!
So apparently the first time Brentford have beaten Manchester United since 1938.
It was a complete thrashing- 4-nil.
The Perc and I were in a new seats – in the same stand but a few rows higher up allowing us to see more of the action.
Man U were terrible and gave away 2-3 of the goals.
It was the return of Eriksen who looked out of place and position and did not have the influence that he had just a little while ago playing in a Brentford shirt.
The crowd were happy at the end singing along. We went to the pub for a few celebratory pints.