From the Sidelines (From Richmond and Twickenham Times)

From the Sidelines

9:44am Friday 8th August 2008 in Sport By Will Gore

So the lads are as fit as ever, the new players are really starting to gel, there’s a great spirit in the camp, the gaffer’s got a few more irons in the fire, and other assorted football cliches.

Of course, the big kick off is here again and supporters up and down the country are having their sleep punctuated by dreams of promotion and daring cup exploits.

As a football supporter myself, surely I too should be swept up in all the hype and excitement?

After all, Sky’s advert for the new season’s coverage is replete with leggy blondes playing violins in front of images of Ronaldo doing stepovers – violins I tell you! Turn the football on now, the violins commanded me!

But, instead, I have a strange gurgling in my stomach, more commonly known as “that sinking feeling”, and it is for one very good reason – I support Brentford.

My advert for the coming season would see the curvy fiddlers replaced by Jo Brand belching sadly in front of a loop of Simon ‘Chubby’ Brown getting sent off at Peterborough, all because the past couple of years have dulled my appetite for pre-season excitement.

Leroy Rosenior’s talk of passing football enthused me before a ball was kicked and then, despite relegation, like a wild-eyed Heaven’s Gate devotee, I forced myself to believe in the Terry Butcher appointment.

Not this time. The best I’m hoping for is that we are not completely rubbish, and this cause appears to have been aided by the fact that Rotherham and Luton have both been docked points.

Hopefully, this will make relegation a near-impossibility, although it must be noted that last time Rotherham were deducted points, in our relegation season, they finished above us.

Despite all of this pessimism, my esteemed colleague Stuart Amos assures me the Bees have “looked good” in pre-season, so maybe, just maybe, I’m in for a pleasant surprise.

Perhaps it was this close season malaise that meant I didn’t get round to sending off my season ticket form until this week, but it perturbed me that, up until now, no one from the club had got in contact to ask whether I was intending to renew.

Now, I’m not expecting Greg Dyke to drive round to my house in his Jag and beg me to pay up on bended knee, but it seemed strange that at a time when Brentford are desperate for every penny, I didn’t receive one letter or phone call.