Brentford 0 Woves 0 . A point apiece probably a fair result as both sides ended this one guilty of missing gilt edge chances. For The Bees, Jota and Maupay. For Wolves, some players. At the death, it was almost a case of Doncaster Rovers all over again as a fluffed dead ball (Nico’s great, but he’s no Sam Saunders) saw a three on one break saved only by the linesman’s flag. And that wasn’t the worst of them. Yet before all this was the lunchtime fan forum to discuss the Lionel Road updates.
Joining compere Billy Grant at the event were Chairman Cliff Crown, director Nity Raj (also CEO at Smartodds and Matthew Benham’s lawyer, as he was introduced), Mark Devlin, Dave Merrit from Bees United, Trevor from the GPG and representing BIAS, Gemma Teale. The hour and a half session was split between the panel answering pre-submitted questions before going to the floor.
And if you’d like to read more whilst helping the Brentford FC Community Sports Trust …. the rest of this article can now be found in the Kindle e-book Ten Times Better. Brentford FC Season review: 2017/18. Inspired by ‘that’ interview it contains the least bad of these columns in one, handy volume as it looks at our own campaign as well as wider divisional life and the promotion / relegation races.
As a bonus there’s a whole host of new material. New that is, for my pages. Specifically, all the programme articles submitted (both home and away where, if nothing else, you can get the original versions of both Birmingham City and Millwall).
In addition, There Is No Plan B. Brentford FC Season reviews: 2013/14 – 2017/18 takes us all the way back to the start of this latest leg in the journey. That penalty. League One. Harlee Dean was a hero. Jota was something we thought happened to the temperature for one week in July. Alan Judge had joined on loan whilst the Marinus Experiment was something nobody had contemplated. Bringing things bang up to date by the inclusion of this year’s volume alongside the four previously published campaign round ups, it has five seasons in one weighty tome. As weighty as a download can be, that is.
Relive the memories. See how often the same material gets regurgitated. Remind yourself about the likes of Betinho, Martin Fillo, Javi Venta and Marcos Tebar. Certainly, if there’s no Marcos Tea Bar at Lionel Road it will be an opportunity missed.
All proceeds from any sales will go to the Community Sports Trust. For less than the cost of a half / pint respectively, they may help while away some time on the commute. By the pool on holiday. In the bathroom. Who knows? It will certainly do some good for the Trust, whose work has been well documented at Griffin Park but you can read all about it on their site.
And if that wasn’t enough, I’ve been given something very special. A 2017/18 third team shirt with Lewis Macleod’s squad number on the reverse in the EFL typeface. Anyone with half an interest in Bees kits will know that these were never made available in the club shop. Anyone who has read any of this before will know what a kit nerd yours truly is so when I say this is rare, take that in good faith!
To be in with a chance of owning it, download a copy of either before the end of June 2018 and you’ll go into a draw to win this. Just DM/tweet me (@NickBruzon) a copy of your purchase confirmation mail and I’ll add your name to the list before selecting a random Bees fan to win this on July 1st.
Last minute preparations from the panel
The new look Lionel Road picture as doing the rounds
Jota on a sortie forward
Nick Bruzon
BrentfordFC 
Excellent synopsis, as usual, I just wanted to add that Jota just had a quiet game, he still tracked back and his work rate was as good as I’ve seen. Had his right foot shot hit the post and gone in, he would have been a hero……how fickle is supporters opinion….I do hope he stays….he’s a wonderfully skilled individual, a stand-out performer capable of match winning moments….not too many of those around…..U🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝
Thank you HB. It was a wonderful chance. Perhaps we are just spoiled by his utter brilliance. I’d love him to stay but am preparing for ‘adios’.
There are still a lot of us who were here long before MB arrived , and there are a lot of younger supporters who will still be here when he has gone.
Whilst football might have sold its soul , Brentford FC and its supporters will always exist and flourish at what ever level football we play .
Myself included 🙂
It’s hard to comment on the Jota situation without knowing all the facts. Looking at it from the outside, in the two games I’ve seen him in (Forest and Wolves) he has looked well off the pace. In fact, for the Forest game, I’d go so far as to say he was just going through the motions. Apologies if that offends anyone, but that’s what it looked like to me.
How much has the transfer speculation affected him? A lot, in my opinion. How much is his agent in his ear, tempting him with the promise of Premier League football and untold riches? Who knows? But the fact is, his dip in form has happened at exactly the same time as these bids have come in. So make of that what you will.
For me, as wonderful as he is, I feel the same way about him as I do about Harlee Dean. Until he commits himself to the club, he shouldn’t play. Until his head is 100% right and focused on his job for Brentford, he shouldn’t play. Yesterday was screaming out for Josh Clarke. Man of the match on Tuesday night, yet nowhere to be seen against Wolves (unless you happened to take a glance at the substitutes bench). Yes, Jota is a genius and an iconic player – but there’s a lot of uncertainty hanging over him and we have other players, young players, hungry players, waiting to be given a chance. Players who also happen to have committed themselves to the club beyond this season.
And talking of Josh Clarke, leads me to my usual gripe. Dean ‘I don’t know what I’m doing so here’s another meaningless sound bite’ Smith.
Before yesterday’s match, I tweeted (to my one follower) that Smith needed to play the same side that hammered QPR. That was a team with momentum. That was a team that deserved to be given a chance in the league. And what happened? Egan out, even though he was superb on Tuesday. Dean back in, even though he wants to leave. Daniels out, even though he’s only let in 2 goals in 2 games. Bentley back in, despite letting in 9 goals in 4 games. Clarke out, despite playing a blinder on Tuesday. Jota back in, despite missing the last game injured and having this transfer cloud hanging over him. Yennaris captain one minute, then Egan captain, then Yennaris captain again. And most ridiculous of all, Colin at left back, when we have an outstanding young player in Chatzistheodoridis who also played well on Tuesday.
And what about the substitutions? Yet more tactical brilliance from Smith. Bring Canos and Clarke on to run at an average Wolves defence when the game was there for the taking? Of course not. Jozefzoon and Woods. Brilliant. And who should take a free kick in the last minute in a fantastic position? Jozefzoon (who hit the post against Forest)? Maupay? Watkins? Of course not! Yennaris, naturally! Like I say, tactical brilliance.
What I don’t understand… why everyone is going so easy on Smith. He has the players, but he is getting absolutely nothing out of them. Then, when he gets a great performance, he completely changes the team! Am I missing something?
Does he know what he’s doing? In my opinion he does not. Does he inspire confidence in either the players or the supporters? No, he doesn’t. Anyone look at him on the touchline yesterday? Just stood there, motionless. No clue. No ideas. No passion. We might as well have a sack of spuds in a tracksuit. Harsh? Look at the table. Unlucky? Yes, we have been in many games. But we all know how tough this league is, and to a large extent you make your own luck. For me, strong leadership breeds player confidence and the performances (and results) come from there.
Will I change my view if we beat Villa and Wednesday? No. Because this isn’t about one or two games. It’s about a coach who has been in the role for nearly two years and a team that has gone backwards. Two top ten finishes – great. And now what? Great summer signings, but a head coach who doesn’t know how to deploy them.
No doubt many will disagree with me. No doubt many will say it’s early days and to give him more time. No doubt many will say we’ve just been unlucky. None of that stands up for me. Yesterday was a perfect case in point. In the second half, Wolves were there for the taking. And Smith did not know what to do. Yes, Jota and Maupay should have both scored. But they didn’t. And it’s in situations like that that you need a manager who can a) use the right tactics and b) inspire the players to find that extra 10%. Smith isn’t good at either.
Lovely guy. Two top ten finishes. Nice bloke. But the leader with the tactical knowledge and nouse to take us forward? Not for me.
As long as he is good enough to keep us in this division thats ok by me and most supporters Dave, suspect that will not keep Benham happy though, so you may get your wish?
Agree with Dave Washer in failing to understand the non selection of Josh Clarke. Just could not believe it and thought it must have been a miss communication! Concerned about the current hymn sheet- “a good performance with the wrong RESULT” How about winning three points with an indifferent performance?? if that is what it takes
……………………….2
To be fair to him, the two seasons he’s been in charge, he’s kept us up well – worrying dips in form notwithstanding. But what is the long-term plan for Benham? Apparently it’s sustainable Premier League football. If that’s the case, is Smith the man to get us up? At the moment, he’s doing a great job of plotting our escape from the Championship. The only trouble is, he’s taking us down to League One!
Dear All
Early doors and all that, look at the league table after 10 games and all that…
Firstly, positives…
A clean sheet for the first time in a very long time.
And then…
Our manager proclaimed before the game, ” Defensively, we’ve done really well.” Seriously, which planet? Look at the stats and they tell you how many chances. Look at the games and they tell you what kind of chances. Which is why you should be suspicious of stats.
Yet again yesterday there were poor decisions made all over the field. Most chances given to the opposition come from these. I love Maxime Colin and Barbet, but they were as guilty as anyone. As for that free kick at the end, that had Doncaster written all over it.
The boy Dalsgaard? Is he seriously in the Danish squad? Presumably not as a defender.
Three times now we’ve drawn a blank in five matches. A bit worrying. Not least when we have a golden chance late doors and try (once again) to walk the ball into the net.
Going forward, so much nice approach play which comes unstuck as soon as we are faced with nine men behind the ball.
The stats table might tell you we’re on a false position, but in my view while we fail to make the most of our superiority I really worry.
Regards
Gordon