Are you looking for the perfect Christmas gift for the Brentford fan in your life? Then here are two books that will have them writing their Boxing Day thank you letters, pronto.
Just a Bus Stop in Hounslow: Brentford FC’s 2021/22 Season in The Premier League
Looking back, the 2020/21 promotion season was a triumph for persistence, perseverance and planning. The Bees shook off the massive disappointment of falling no less than three times at the final hurdle the previous season, and somehow missing out on reaching the top tier of English football for the first time since 1935 (against Bradford) when promotion surely beckoned.
The hoodoo was broken as – after a record nine previous playoff failures – victory over Swansea City at Wembley on the 29th of May finally brought Head Coach Thomas Frank and his team the promotion they had worked so hard for, and fully deserved. Now, the club needed to come to terms with, and indeed embrace, the demands, challenges and opportunities presented by the Premier League and the giants of the game.
As the philosopher George Santayana so aptly put it – “To know your future you must know your past.” To put Brentford’s current achievements into context, it is crucial to examine where they came from.
From Just a Bus Stop in Hounslow
In this outstanding review of the 2021/22 season, interspersed with flashbacks to pivotal events from yesteryear, Greville Waterman (author of numerous Brentford books over the years) replays the club’s momentous first season back in the top division. But it’s so much more than that; it’s a proper love letter to a club that is fast becoming a fan-favourite up and down the country.
With behind the scenes access to club management and players, Greville weaves a fascinating story about how an apparent underdog club can survive (even thrive) by doing things differently… by doing things their way. It includes commentary into the signing of Christian Eriksen, historical insights, match reports, the amazing bond between the club, its fans, the community, and so much more.
Just a Bus Stop in Hounslow is interesting, profound, funny, and a pleasure to read.
*****
A Pub on Each Corner: Stats and Facts from Griffin Park – The Home of Brentford FC for 116 Years
When Brentford Football Club was looking for a new ground early in the 20th century, they identified an orchard located on a plot of land surrounded by Ealing Road, Braemar Road, Brook Road and New Road in Brentford; it was an area large enough for a pitch, with room for the building of stands. The adjoining roads were already developed with houses, and the orchard site already had a pub on each corner – a fact that would become synonymous with Griffin Park.
From A Pub On Each Corner.
For 116 years, Griffin Park was the unmistakable, atmospheric, and very special home to the Bees.
Note: On the 26th of August 2020, the final match was played at Griffin Park, when the B team hosted an outstanding semi-final match in the London Senior Cup against Erith Town (which The Bees won 6-3), before the club moved to the new Brentford Community Stadium, Lionel Road. [end]
But, as you can imagine, over 116 years, and the many matches that were played there, Griffin Park represented the club’s history… the ups, the downs, and everything in-between.
In this 400-page book from Jonathan Burchill, an exclusive history of Brentford is offered through season-by-season reviews of the events at Griffin Park. Mixing statistics and stories from on and off the pitch – from the building itself to the characters who played and worked there (and 24 possible occasions when the club could have relocated to a new ground) – this is an epic book for anyone who knew and loved (hey, still loves) Griffin Park!
*****
We also can recommend some other Brentford books, from our sister publisher… click on a cover to learn more.
Merry Christmas!