Brentford 1 Norwich City 3. We’re out of the EFL Cup after a night in which we were never even close to being in it. Hey, let’s be positive though. At least Bolton Wanderers lost ahead of Saturday after their long trip to West Ham.
Dean Smith would later describe the second half performance as being “insipid” but I’d also question if he watched the opening period. It was a 45 minutes punctuated by strange refereeing decisions and a Bees team who were second to just about everything.
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.
Barbet’s pen. (Inset: now)
Dean Smith – nice trainers ; tough challenge
Nick Bruzon
BrentfordFC 
Do you blame the players or the manager, A team low on confidence with a potential winnable game ends up being an embarrassment.
Mepham gives away a penalty with a tug of the shirt with the player going nowhere, struggled after that.
Barbet was playing his own game, boys watching from the side must have laughed their socks off as his performance did nothing to suggest that he should be in the 1st eleven.
Yennaris tried to press but you cannot press alone and in the end had the ball popped around him into the gaps
Josh has all the silky passes but cannot move, have seen pensioners in Zimmer frames move faster down Brentford High Street
Mokotjo i am still trying to work out as at times he runs around like a headless chicken
Maupay needs a rest, he runs around but delivers nothing, Its time to play Watkins up front. he is is not a right winger.
Jozefzoon offered little protection to Chatzitheodorides.
The youngsters that came in did what they could but they are not ready for first team and do not pose a threat to the first eleven.
Last night was men v boys, Norwich passed the ball around us as if they were in a practice session with mannequins
I am getting a little tired of Deans we had possession and deserved more.
How many saves did their goalkeeper have to make, apart from one game Villa away we do not penetrate.
We retain the ball but that’s about it, If the boys fail to beat Bolton on Saturday then its time to look for a new manager.
He will be the sacrificial lamb for the boards lack of investment in a striker, someone who knows where the goal is.
Fail to win at Bolton and Dean Smith will be left wandering what if.
Combination of the above – and you are spot on with your analysis.
The manager picks the team. The manger sets them up. Motivates, inspires, educates, changes things if needed.
Has a Plan B…..
The players still need to do the business though.And last night, they didn’t
Not sure we even retained the ball that much tbh. Afraid it was a woeful performance. Worse in some ways than the Oxford debacle.
Cannot get the possibility of taking League One football to LR out of my head!!Heaven forbid.Those who have experienced the lack of atmosphere at the half empty MK Don’s stadium will share my concerns!
Great comments. No need for me to write anything now!
Despite all the ‘don’t blame the manager’ rhetoric out there, the facts speak for themselves. Winless in the league. Dumped out the cup. So who carries the can? Players, Directors of Football or manager? For me it’s a combination of all three, but ultimately Smith picks the team and picks the tactics. Something has to change somewhere.
Maupay is knackered.
One up front is not working.
Watkins should be given a go in the middle.
More bite needed in midfield.
Josefzoon contributes absolutely nothing.
After two years at the club, McEachran needs to contribute actual goals and assists. Step up or get rid.
More CHAMPIONSHIP EXPERIENCE NEEDED in January window, to help us win games dirty.
Oh dear. Looks like I did write something after all! Saturday is massive. Smith has been extremely unlucky in the league but that excuse cannot be used for last night. 6 (six) points needed from the three games pre-international break or his position finally becomes untenable.
HEY NICK!! leave off on mrs browns boys oh hang on you are quite right, keep it up after all. last nights game was depressing we were never in it. they beat us to every ball and passed around too easily. but as you said Saturday is what really matters. here’s hoping COYB
Starting eleven for Saturday at Bolton :
Bentley
Disgaard – Egan – Bjelland – Henry
Yennaris – Woods – Sawyers
Clarke – Watkins – Jozefzoon
Canos for Jozefzoon if he was fit
Wasnt at the game but following via Twitter & Sky. But did see Barbet’s penalty go past my house in Bournemouth, we since had reports on Twitter of its sighting in WSM, Devon, Helston, Canada, the Cassini probe before reportedly finally landing in Sydney.
According to Sky this is our worst start to a season for 47 years yet some people feel we should still not be questioning the coaching set up. My views havent changed from after the Reading game. Questions have to be asked of how the players are being coached. Are they being over coached? Maupay has turned from an instinctive striker in August to almost being afraid to shoot and pass it to someone else in September. The first teamers last night reportedly put in an abject display yet King Kev’s B-team players did not shame themselves.
The bottom line is we have been very much found out. Opposition teams now set themselves up tactically to frustrate us and hit us on the counter. Men behind the ball. We dont seem to have a Plan B, there is no bite and we are just too nice. Its time the management stopped being so nice
excelent blog!! face de facts Brentford as never been a cup team but as always bin a league team even in de days whn de cup was important. dat being so we as dis Saturday to look forward too. no reason to fink bfc wil not com good up in t’manchester an am I alone in me konfidence burnden park as long been a favorible venue for de bbes roll on Saturday!
Feeble and disjointed performance. I do not want to focus on individuals, beyond saying that I thought Illias was definitely not the weakest link; but at least Dean did not trot out the we were unlucky trope.
We have not been unlucky. Anyone who thinks our shots stats suggest we should have scored more is missing the point. Too many are from distance, too many from poor angles. We do not get behind teams enough. There are too few runners from midfield going behind the defence and too few midfielders who slot that clever little pass in behind for someone to run on to.
I am not even close to thinking in terms of Dean’s tenure; but please stop pretending that a team you can very easily keep playing in front of you rather than getting behind is unlucky.
Football landed in my back yard in Melbourne, Australia about half an hour ago. Do I keep it as a souvenir or should it be returned by express post for penalty practice?