Forum Topic

Wembley Woe

A great day on Sunday, One would have thought it was the FA Cup rather than a Paint Roller trophy.All the same the Brentford fans made the trek (and it was) to Wembley in huge numbers and anticipation was quite justifiably high.What happened on the pitch was akin to Englands performances in South Africa. Someone must have put Diesel in the Petrol tank.. So it's fourth time unlucky.But one wonders where all these fans came from? And why are they not at Griffin Park where they may actually see the team win?Walking home past Griffin Park my companions from afar spotted the reason. "Over 20 quid to see a lower league game?  They're having a laugh!, You can get to see premiership games for just a few quid more. That's unaffordable for the people round here and families, way beyond us and we have a reasonable income"  " That's a once a year outing for us".Then we looked at the array of flashy cars the players had parked in Breamar road.It drove the exclamation home.£14 would be a better price and unders 12s free always.A bigger crowd, a better atmosphere and probable the same or better income.

Anthony Waller ● 5509d9 Comments

Thanks all.. a very informative thread!What fun you had great..there was certainly excitment beforehand.It's the reports on the deteriorated of Wembley Town which is most concerning and the spitting of that red stuff which caused great alarm to several local Councils. Has it arrived in Hounslow Borough?

Jim Lawes ● 5505d

Having been before to an England night game with a tube strike on was prepaired for the worse!But left home at 10.30, 65 to Ealing Broadway, 83 to Wembley High St took 35 minutes. Something to eat & a walk up to the Green Man pub, great beer garden with jerk chicken, barbeque etc & packed out.After the game the buses are always on diversion so a nice stroll in the sun down to Sudbury Town Stn, no queues, seat on empty train as one stop before Alperton, back to Boston Manor, choice of 195 or E8, back in Brentford by about 16.45!Right about the s***hole of a High St but you wouldn't go hungry or thirsty there.Great stadium & facilities but as I've always said, complete wrong location for a national stadium!

Kevin Farnan ● 5507d

Watched it on my computer, waste of my broadband.

Neil Chippendale ● 5508d

The posters and TfL website said there was no Met service to Wembley Park due to planned engineering works.Also the Rayners Lane service is a normal sunday service with just 5 trains per hour scheduled.We took the piccadilly to Alperton and walked. 20 mins. No 79,83 0r 297 buses with capacity appeared.Coming back was by foot to Alperton but the station was closed due to over crowding. Took 35 mins to get back to Acton and another 30 to get to Brentford. Not good.

Anthony Waller ● 5508d

Did you see the queues at Wembley park?

Chris Dakers ● 5508d

Piccadilly line to Rayners Lane; Metropolitan to Wembley Park. Couldn't have been easier.

Chris Calvi-Freeman ● 5508d

Took 83 to Wembly with son & daughter; after game confused as road outside closed and buses diverted eventually found a working 83 busstop, no signs to help; took 2 hours to return to Brentford; will be a long time before I go to Wembly again even if Brentford are playing.

Chris Dakers ● 5508d

Nice day out but poor match and worse result.Agree with cost of ticket at Griffin Park.Too much.As for transport to Wembley - TfL even closed the Overground to Willesden from Richmond! I would have gone from Gunnersbury but drove to Stonebridge Park and got a train from there instead.

Peter McGovern ● 5508d

Could not agree more!But it was a great day out with the atmosphere both locally and at Wembley. One to savour.The team may have failed, but the fans most certainly won the day.But walking through Alperton and Wembley made me appreciate what a half decent place Brentford is.It is Unbelievably filthy. The pavements, walls, shop fronts, and street furniture are thick with deposits of red spit! I'm told its from chewing something called Paan. Either way, it's everywhere and disgusting and like most spit a health hazard. Shop windows were dirty and pavements peppered with chewing gum.Hard to believe that in just over a year, Wembley is to host part of the Olympics.There seems to be no civic pride and no effort from businesses to even bother to present themselves as enticing.In Alperton, there was one Brent Council street sweeper with the classic 1950's kit. One had to feel for the poor bloke, you would need at least a dozen like him keep on top of it!But what an embarrassment if it is still like that in a years time.How TfL managed to mismanage is of no surprise. No Extra 65 or E2s to Ealing and no extra 83s laid on, No trains to Wembley and Alperton Station could not cope with the numbers. The fixture was known several months ago and the actual teams weeks and weeks ago.TfL manage to lay on extra buses for the Gunnersbury park Mela which never seem to get used but for an event at the national stadium cannot manage a tea trolley!

Michael Brandt ● 5509d