From the Beesotted vaults - To boo or not to boo

We've been in the cellar and dusted down this article from 2006...... note the comments on Darren Powell before the 'disappointing second spell'... and some love for Andy Scott too.....

To boo or not to boo, that is the question

In recent weeks the Bees have faced both Paul Evans and Jason Price who have both met a mixed reception from the Brentford faithful. This left me wondering exactly when it is right to boo an opponent who used to play for the Bees and when it isn`t. There are no simple rules to follow, sadly, and various factors will affect a player`s popularity with the crowd after they have left Griffin Park. I have thus thought about a few players who have left over recent years and below are my thoughts on whether or not they should be booed or cheered when playing the Bees.

Darren Powell
Lets start with an easy one. We plucked Powell from non-league football and turned him into a quality defender before selling him to Palace at the start of this season for £400k. Always gave his all for the team and his fee has probably kept us afloat for a large part of this season
Verdict : Cheer him. Top class player.

Paul Evans
Now things start to get trickier. We signed Evans for £100k in the days when we were a big spending club and all the supporters wore white wigs. He became club captain and was a brilliant dead-ball player and on-pitch motivator. Eventually he fell out with Noades, we failed to offer him a new contract and he lost a bit of form (culminating in a below par performance in the play-off final). Moved on better money to debt-ridden Bradford last summer but failed to make an impact and has now been shipped to Blackpool on loan. So he is a bit of a money-grabbing judas but had to witness Noades selling his close team-mates Gavin Mahon and Paul Gibbs during the promotion run in. Made a point of coming over to clap the Bees fans at the final whistle in our recent 1-0 defeat.
Verdict : Cheer him until he scores against us. Then boo his every touch.

Kevin Rapley
Was a massive crowd favourite and rumoured to be a player who could turn into "our" Shearer. Shipped out by Noades after the crowd kept calling for him to be given a run in the team. Then he returned to Griffin Park with Notts County, scored, and gave it the big one in front of Hate Corner.
Verdict : Boo him. The journeyman judas.

Danny Boxall
I reckon this one is about as cut and dried as they come. We signed him from Palace reserves and he was a major part of the Division Three promotion season with a number of impressive displays at right back. Then he got injured for 18 months and came back into the first team squad at the end of last season making a couple of fleeting appearances. Thanked the club for standing by him during his recovery from injury (and effectively paying him full wages for no work) by leaving for Bristol Rovers in the summer saying that "they showed more ambition" than Brentford. Looks set to be playing in the Conference next season. Isn`t life a bitch sometimes.
Verdict : Boo him until your cheeks go red. And shake your fists.

Andy Scott
Andy was a player who was transformed from a workmanlike midfielder to a goal-scoring striker two seasons ago. Scored many many goals very very late in several games before being sold mid-season against his wishes to Oxford. Posted on the internet shortly after his departure thanking the fans for the support they had given him during his time at Griffin Park.
Verdict : Cheer him. We probably wont play against him again for a while anyway

Leo Fortune-West
A big gangly waste of space that scored one goal in the LDV and was then sold again. Now at Cardiff.
Verdict. Boo him. He was rubbish. And now he`s Welsh.

Paul Gibbs
Gibbo was never the best player in the squad but was guaranteed to give his all and was a real character in the dressing room. Another player offloaded by Noades against his wishes, Gibbo returned to Griffin Park with Barnsley this season. Stayed behind after the game to auction one of his shirts off for Bees United and then matched the £200 raised with his own money. A true gentleman.
Verdict : Cheer him like you`ve just won the lottery. The lovely chinny man.

Jason Price
Another thorny one. The Bees gave Jason a three month contract when nobody else wanted him at the start of last season. He was a major factor in us going top of the league, including scoring the winner at Reading. A week later he was a Tranmere player and is thus, technically, a money-grabbing judas. However I think there are certain other factors which should be taken into consideration. Firstly, we didn`t offer him a new contract until ten weeks of his three months had elapsed despite the fact he was clearly a quality player - if things hadn`t worked out for him at Griffin Park then he would have been returned to soccer`s scrap-heap without a second thought. Secondly, Tranmere offered him DOUBLE the wages he had been offered by the Bees. Imagine that - being offered the twice the money you are currently on by a rival firm - to turn your back on a company that you had only worked with for three months. I think I know what decision I would make.
Verdict : He was only here for three months. Nod politely as you would an acquaintance in the street.

Ijah Anderson
Played for the bees for several seasons and was a massive favourite with the crowd due to his tough tackling. I will never forget hate corner giving the "Ijah" salute as he dispatched another right winger into the advertising hoardings. Then at the start of this season it all went wrong. Having seen most of the team released over the summer Ijah petulantly decided he wanted to go on the transfer list. He got himself dropped from the first team squad when he should have been asking to be captain. He was thus sent to Wycombe for a lacklustre loan spell before recently being transferred to Bristol Rovers.
Verdict : Clap him onto the pitch, boo him when he kicks O`Connor and Dobson for 90 minutes, clap him back off. He is a Bees legend after all.

So who would YOU boo and cheer of the more recent departees from GP and why? Does Nelson still get your goat? Have you an overwhelming love for Charlie Mac? Have your say on the Beesotted forum HERE....

Click here to join in the debate on the club forum.