Brentford (A) - Wed 3rd Feb 19:45 - Matchday thread

[The Dolman Pragmatist]

3 minutes ago, KegCity said:

First half very encouraging, Massengo played very well and looked like the player he did when he first arrived. Thought Wells looked lively when he came on, be nice to see more of him through the middle.

Can’t see that Holden could have done much to change the outcome tonight.  I liked the starting line-up and the substitutions were decent.  I can’t see what other tactics we could have employed which would have produced a better result.  Edwards was a brave choice and he did well, ditto Massengo.  The first goal was down to a poor error from an experienced player (Mawson), the other two goals were class.  It would have been nice to have got something out of the game, but it was a huge improvement on Saturday, and if we can get Williams in and O’Dowda back to cover the left side (presumably returning to three at the back) then we can improve further.  With the injuries we were never realistically going to be contenders, so I’d settle for mid table obscurity this season, though beating Sheffield United would be terrific.

[redsquirrel]

no bookings,ref was better than that tool at old trafford last night

[Bristol Oil Services]

2 minutes ago, GasDestroyer said:

Is it safe to come out from behind the settee now?

Yes, mate. We can go back on the Rovers thread now, and carry on laughing at them (after our respectable defeat at the might Brentford)

[Numero Uno]

Just now, pongo88 said:

Ignore those who are dramatic and OTT. Just look at the current  league form and overall performance in each match. Even when we occasionally win, it’s a horrid match 

I know all that. Been happening for THREE YEARS. Look at the people at the very top, not Dean Holden. It might be uncomfortable criticising an owner who covers our losses but it's HIS club as he's so quick to tell us and therefore any lack of performance is on HIM.

[JBFC II]

Just now, Prinny said:

Yeah, it was a comfortable 3-2 win. again, didn't you watch it? We weren't ever threatening them. They weren't desperately attacking us, just calmly and consistently going through us.

4 shots on target. 37% possession. their GK didn't really have to make a save. 

Us doing well and it being easy for them isn't mutually exclusive.

If it wasn't comfortable? Where was the last ditch defending, or goal mouth scrambles, or constant pressure, or barrage of corners or free kicks? It wasn't there. None of it was there.

Really really comfortable win for them. Just like it was a comfortable 1-0 for Derby on the weekend, A close score line does not indicate a close game.

Sadly I can’t afford sky sports, so didn’t watch it. Listened instead. 
 

Did you really expect us to go to Brentford and dominate chance and possession? Brentford have averaged 55% this season, we’ve averaged 47, it was obvious we’d be playing a game that was based on sitting back and taking our chances when they came. What I heard though was that we put plenty of effort in and gave Brentford a tougher game then many expected on here. 
 

Brentford were comfortable at times granted, that was going to be the case with the quality in their side. However, we weren’t dominated, it wasn’t a walkover, so maybe we actually did better than we’re being given credit for

[Phileas Fogg]

4 minutes ago, JonDolman said:

What Brentford have done is genius. Certainly not easy to do the same. Maybe if Ollie Watkins would have been sold to us instead it might have helped a bit!

But I think our own plan is quite different to theirs and it will be using our own club developed youth players. Brentford are not too bothered about bringing through their own, but more buying and identifying real young quality.

I think our way can work. Whether Holden is the right man tactically to get us playing like Brentford I'm not so sure. Was impressed early season. I think some of the in game changes he makes too late and gets wrong like keeping on Fam because he's a big unit when clearly his legs have gone and is not sprinting much.

To be fair Dasilva, Williams, O'Dowda, Weimann being options would have given us a much better chance tonight. We need these kind of players back to have more of a chance against teams like this.

Their entire trading model is much better than ours, from scouting to planning ahead. Sure, we’ve got a few right - but they just seem a bit braver in the market than us and stick ruthlessly to a plan. We don’t.

[David Brent]

Huddersfield at home was a fantastic result 

[BCFCGav]

Better performance, but the better team won. Massengo and Nagy had good games. Not many nice games this month, must beat Cardiff...

[Numero Uno]

Just now, Phileas Fogg said:

Their entire trading model is much better than ours, from scouting to planning ahead. Sure, we’ve got a few right - but they just seem a bit braver in the market than us and stick ruthlessly to a plan. We don’t.

We? It's one man's club.

[bexhill reds]

4 minutes ago, JBFC II said:

A comfortable 3-2 win? Perhaps they weren’t at their best but maybe that’s to do with us actually competing with them. 
 

It’s amazing on here sometimes. We win 2-1 against Huddersfield and we’re lucky we didn’t lose, we lose 3-2 in a game many said we’d be beaten 5 or 6-0 in and we’re lucky Brentford didn’t get out of second gear. 
 

Maybe, just maybe, we actually did well tonight, considering the difference in quality on the pitch. Or does that not fit in with the club bashing that we’ve been seeing recently?

Appreciate what you are trying to say, but Brentford largely nullified any attacking threat we had, and looked constantly threatening. Once they sussed out Edwards they dealt with him, had a plan for Semenyo, kept Fam quiet.  Apart from the first 20 mins, I wouldn’t say we were competing, I would say they pretty much controlled the game. 
 

We are turning into a bottom half of the table championship team, which is probably our rightful place in life.

[robin_unreliant]

6 minutes ago, ashton_fan said:

So you're saying DH out as we're in the bottom half when we're in the top half?

You know when it gets to the point in the match where we can all see we're gonna let in a goal if DH doesn't change something. Then he doesn't and we do. It's a similar principle.... 

[Phileas Fogg]

1 minute ago, JBFC II said:

Sadly I can’t afford sky sports, so didn’t watch it. Listened instead. 
 

Did you really expect us to go to Brentford and dominate chance and possession? Brentford have averaged 55% this season, we’ve averaged 47, it was obvious we’d be playing a game that was based on sitting back and taking our chances when they came. What I heard though was that we put plenty of effort in and gave Brentford a tougher game then many expected on here. 
 

Brentford were comfortable at times granted, that was going to be the case with the quality in their side. However, we weren’t dominated, it wasn’t a walkover, so maybe we actually did better than we’re being given credit for

I don’t know how you can give that analysis if you’ve only listened to the game

[Numero Uno]

Just now, robin_unreliant said:

You know when it gets to the point in the match where we can all see we're gonna let in a goal if DH doesn't change something. Then he doesn't and we do. It's a similar principle.... 

Agree that point. Edwards should have been off sooner....before the third goal.

[Bristol Oil Services]

1 minute ago, Swede said:

A far better performance against one of the best teams in the league gives food for thought.

Why are Brentford streets ahead of us.

They're absolutely hammering us on the player recruitment front, before we even think about playing. And look at the respective owners, too. 

[Jeez]

5 minutes ago, Chivs said:

Sack Holden now.

Is it any surprise that we look just like a LJ outfit?  Always reacting to the opposition?

We have good players.  We just need a half-decent manager.

 

To be honest I think LJ was tactically better but lacked the team spirit aspect the DH brings.

 

 

[Dr Balls]

I thought you meant the women winning a second game in a row and making their league cup final...

[Wiltshire robin]

3 minutes ago, Robin Wood said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3-2 defeat at Brentford but at least we had corners and shots on target a big improvement 

Yeh really happy to lose to a team with a fan base the size of rovers and played in a shed up until this year

[JBFC II]

Just now, Phileas Fogg said:

I don’t know how you can give that analysis if you’ve only listened to the game

Sorry, didn't realise only sky sports customers were allowed to comment... 

Even on the radio, you can, through the analysis of Gary owers mainly, understand that we were much better than Saturday 

[Superjack]

14 minutes ago, RedsTilliDie said:

What’s really ******* annoying is, if we played like this against any other of our recent losses, with the exception of Norwich, we could have won. Why can we only play watchable football (mostly first half) against the side that has gone 19 unbeaten.

no sympathy for Holden at all, even tho we had lots of injuries he had a good team and good subs there, didn’t do enough with them.

a proven championship manager, one who has experience in play off chasing would get the draw there.

 

what’s the point in going for the win if all you do is sub on all your attacking players on and just put them all up front. Route one doesn’t work against premier league quality teams. There’s a reason you see it mostly in league two. 
If we were really a club hunting for promotion, IMO you would sack Holden and bring someone experienced in, because with our team and our current position play offs is still possible but not with Holden 

But we didn't. And we don't.

Better off losing 20-0 tonight and turning up for the winnable ones.

It's a squad that only performs when the pressure is off. Why? Because a soft underbelly runs through the whole club from top to bottom and has done for the last 35 years apart from the reigns of Cotterill, Johnson Senior and Jordan.

You can't blame the players for that. The present manager (sorry, "head coach")isn't helping, but you can't lay the blame at his door either. He just shouldn't be there.

[Kibs]

4 minutes ago, RedsTilliDie said:

 

Agreed. 
first half was the best I’ve seen us play in a long while 

I agree. The fearlessness and energy of youth. 
 

Semenyo and Edwards looked a threat and Massengo was back to his best.

[Lew-T]

Serious question, when was the last time we played well for 90+ minutes in a league game?

Too many times we go through phases of being under pressure. No real control of the game, we’re just crying out for somebody in midfield to calm us.

I know it was Brentford tonight but it’s been the same throughout this whole season.

[Phileas Fogg]

Just now, JBFC II said:

Sorry, didn't realise only sky sports customers were allowed to comment... 

Even on the radio, you can, through the analysis of Gary owers mainly, understand that we were much better than Saturday 

There are ways to watch TV games without Sky.. 

I don’t think radio tells you much. Sure, you get an impression - but not enough to comment on how we played or a performance imo.

[KegCity]

4 minutes ago, The Dolman Pragmatist said:

Can’t see that Holden could have done much to change the outcome tonight.  I liked the starting line-up and the substitutions were decent.  I can’t see what other tactics we could have employed which would have produced a better result.  Edwards was a brave choice and he did well, ditto Massengo.  The first goal was down to a poor error from an experienced player (Mawson), the other two goals were class.  It would have been nice to have got something out of the game, but it was a huge improvement on Saturday, and if we can get Williams in and O’Dowda back to cover the left side (presumably returning to three at the back) then we can improve further.  With the injuries we were never realistically going to be contenders, so I’d settle for mid table obscurity this season, though beating Sheffield United would be terrific.

I agree, we were beaten by a side with more quality. There’s things to work on for sure but I think that was the best account that team could’ve put across.

[bcfc01]

39 minutes ago, JonDolman said:

Should have gone with Wells up top on his own and Palmer Pato and Semenyo floating behind.

Keep Nagy and Vyner in middle. That would have brought us energy and pace and would have at least given us chances of getting the ball high up the pitch

Hindsight ?

[Kodjias Wrist]

1 minute ago, Red Alert said:

To be honest I think LJ was tactically better but lacked the team spirit aspect the DH brings.

Dont want to sound like a dick but how do you know he raises their spirit any more than LJ did? 

LJ did actually comment a couple of times that he may have over complicated things tactically. 

[JBFC II]

Just now, Phileas Fogg said:

There are ways to watch TV games without Sky.. 

I don’t think radio tells you much. Sure, you get an impression - but not enough to comment on how we played or a performance imo.

There are, but I can't risk streaming games on my work computer, so sadly I'm stuck with the radio. Was anything I said incorrect or not accurate though? 

[Ska Junkie]

How, in just a few years, have we fallen so far behind Brentford that we fear playing them?

[BigTone]

7 minutes ago, Robin Wood said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3-2 defeat at Brentford but at least we had corners and shots on target a big improvement 

First half we fought our ground. Second half Brentford showed their class. Think they will go up this year and well deserved.

[Lordofthebling]

14 minutes ago, stephenkibby. said:

You reckon they can speed it up a bit can't be doing with a 5 year plan at my age.

I know a 5 year plan is being a bit, well optimistic.

Don't forget the 10 years bristol city takes off every supporter with stress 

[Dan Robin]

Better performance than expected and a narrow defeat against a strong side so I'm not disappointed. 

Worried about the unstoppable injury trend (Rowe,Adelakun, now Martin too) though.