Brentford manager Mark Warburton held his first ever fans forum at The Hive on Thursday night. Flanked by his Assistant Manager – David Weir (DW), Sporting Director – Frank McParland (FM) and CEO Mark Devlin (MD), Warburton took questions from the floor .. as well as on social network … about about everything Brentford … Forshaw … not scoring goals from corners … the recall of Will Grigg …. safe standing at Lionel Road …… plus more.
Here is a summary of the some of the questions and answers … as well as a post-match podcast where fans discussed key points from the forum
BillytheBee
@billythebee99
Does the management team have a plan B when things don’t go to plan …. like up at Middlesboro
MW: Our plan B is to do plan A better. We believe in our approach and how we play our football. We don’t believe there is any reason to panic or change things because one game goes wrong. The facts state that we had more possession this season up at Boro .. but we had the least shots. This game we have fallen behind our normal standard. Plan A overall has been effective. We need to maintain that
DW: We have to look at big picture … not be reactionary … Boro was a bad result .. but we have to look at bigger picture and can’t rip up what we have done … we need to get a balance … we must improve …
Why do our corners never seem to produce goals?
DW: This is something were trying to work on … we have to be creative to score goals .. we haven’t mastered the corner like we would want to ….
With regard set pieces … David Weir works a lot of the set pieces .. he knows what works well .. he has scouting tools .. and gets information from all around Europe …
Is Moses Odubajo a winger or a full back?
MW: Moses is a very good right sided player. Orient played him more at right back than on the wing. He is a versatile player who plays on the right and he plays with pace. These two aspects could separate him from being a good player or a great player. We can use him in 4-4-3 … 4-4-2 .. as full back … in the central mid .. up front … For me he is a very effective talent …
How long can we expect the team to take to get settled after moving to Brentford?
MW: Players take a while to adapt. Hogan was gobsmacked how busy London was. Tarky – comes from quiet place up north. Players being unsettled does affect performance … it’s up to us to ensure that the players are settled off pitch. Thats what Frank does .. and Peter Gilham does … some take 3 months .. some take not long. The Spanish guys are ultimate professionals … they have a great attitude when they on the pitch … I’m not sure how the feel bout food etc etc as they hold stuff back
However, the Spanish players are shocked by intensity of every single game. Thats a huge culture shock for them.
The Spanish players were frightened by Norwich ..
MW: I disagree and the facts speak for themselves. The fact of the matter is …. we battered Norwich … for 65 minutes … OK we lost 3-0 …. but we gave them a proper game … We never got the result the team deserved ….
Look at our team … we have Jake Bidwell 21 going on 31. I wouldn’t mess with Dougie
We had a poor decision go against us against Norwich. We make some mistakes. Tarkowski made a bad pass. They scored. He’s been outstanding this season. He will learn from that ..
FM: The way we play – the manager and DW work on that every day .. the work they do on the pitch is incredible and it caries over to Saturday. Judge is probably the best signings for the money you will get at Championship level. He has energy. Enthusiasm. The way he picks players out … and he does it every day ….
Will Grigg scored against Man United. Is there a chance of getting him back?
MW: Will Grigg needed to play. A decision was made internally that we had to get him to play regularly … as part of his development … If Will is scoring goals, he’s developing … technically he could come back in January if it worked for all parties
Should Brentford have used more squad players at Boro … after we played three games 8 days
DW: We ask that question every week … should we rotate our squad or keep the same side? It’s a balancing act … and it’s hard to leave players out if they’re doing well. Sometimes it’s a gamble … we don’t always get it right. We’re not happy how the Boro game turned out …
Vast majority of games has been good ….. we’ve got it right
The pay what you can match .. will there be one??
MD: We have ear-marked the Rotherham game as pay what you can game … with slight modifications …
How can we build on the fans we have already ….
MD: We’ve just got a new marketing manager … Kirk Pitman who used to me Marketing Manager at F*lham. He’s working on ways how we can utilise database better .. as well as utilise the current fans .. and work with The Trust. The club is going thru a whole new marketing and communication strategy ….…. F*lham were only just ahead of where we are now at this stage .. we must reach out to more youngsters in the community ….
Card entry has given has much much more information then the club expected . No cash on the turnstiles means we can speak to fans well beyond the time when they walk through the turnstiles on the day. The new stadium will accommodate up to 3000 away fans. We need to fill the remaining seats with Bees fans …
Can Brentford be a guniea pig for safe standing?
Gammon: The board and club are committed to providing safe standing. Our fans want it. Club wants it. With safe standing, our capacity can go higher that 20k .. so we’re committed .. but it is dependent on regulations changing ..
MD: Football League is positive towards this .. but there is no real government support … none of man parties put their head above the parapet .. it won’t happen before election .. … Hillsboro families don’t want this to happen .. there are a lot of sensitivities ….
Bristol City have put themselves up as a guniea pig … it is safe. No one will be allowed to do it until outcome of enquiry is complete and we need central government to support .. only Aston Villa interested to support .. the rest are whatever (according to Jon Darch from safe standing campaign, Swansea, Hull, Crystal Palace, Southampton and Burnley openly support safe standing and Man United said they would argue for it; West Ham and QPR are also pre – Ed) … we need legislation to allow us to do it ….
Gammon: Were a club that likes to promote new ideas … if there is an opportunity to have at test, we won’t be slow putting ourselves forward ..
Are we going to get away fans in the New Road every week?
MD: Norwich was on general sale … then it was made all ticket .. so club made a decision to put in temp segregation … and there were frustrations … Want to fill the ground with our fanbase …. Would we put away fans in new road to give them a bigger allocations … ???? … We thought about this long and hard … for one the fans would be behind dug outs giving MD stick …
The club would like every game to be on general sale … and the process of purchasing tickets is as easy as possible. The problem is every club coming to us has sold out their allocation within 72 hrs … so we have to switch to all ticket ..
The Leeds game has been subject to restrictions … but there will be 11k fans at the Leeds game …. and no doubt a few Leeds fans in the home end
Why don’t we just use the Southampton approach and say “Sorry … you are just not allowed here?? Out on your ear”
The ticket office will always try and stop away fans from buying in the home end .. but its a decision between that .. and throwing them out and putting them on the streets … we didn’t feel we needed to do that
What is the target for this season?
DW: It’s unrealistic to put a target on the end of the season …
FM: We’re putting strong building blocks down … important we produce every week .. trying to bring that thru to the academy … We need to consolidate in the championship .. top half will be amazing .. It has just been announced that we have a player in England U16s team today .. that’s amazing ….
MW: Most people outside the club say we should aim to just survive in championship … but thats not our opinion …. and we can’t sell that vision to our players .. we have to aim higher
Are there players coming thru?
MW: Montell Moore had an outstanding in development game this week. The problem is when we increase the budget and bring new players into the team from outside like Pritchard and Betinho, it stops players our own coming thru ..
It’s tougher for academy now ….. so they will have to work hard …
Sam Saunders and Richard Lee. Are they close to coming back from injury?
DW: Sam had many false dawns .. but he’s working his way back …. Richard Lee is injured
Referee decisions have been disgraceful.Against Norwich you were very vociferous against the referee. Are they listening to us?
MW: Am I allowed to swear? How does tony Craig feel? He gets sent off against Birmingham for very same thing as Lewis Dunk did against Gray in the Brighton game. Craig gets a red card and subsequently loses his place to Harlee Dean. Dunk stays on the pitch despite beng the last man.
The head of Referees is coming to game on Saturday. We’ve had some very tough decisions against us
Whats the score with Jake Reeves’ departure to Swindon?
MW. He wanted to play football. Hes 21. He has to be better than that whole midfield to get in the side. Jake needs to play week in and week out and we couldn’t offer him that. He’s a very good player but was up against tough opposition …
Technology. Where are we compared to other clubs
MW: We have very talented staff … we’re right up there with the best … we get some ridiculous stats fed to us … where a full back passes to .. which foot he makes his passes with how many times … into what area of the pitch …
Forwards .. Gray is great … but are we looking at getting any loanees in .. up front?
MW: Im happy with Andre … he has been excellent .. Nick Proschwitz has been excellent in training. Teams would prefer to go against a big striker in this league as they know what they are up against. Andre offers something different. Andre Gray was struggling in his first training session … he was blowing out of parts where he should not have been blowing
Big Nick scored in a development game again this week. He’s a goalscorer … and he will be a great player. He needs to work on the physical side of his game …..
What is the relationship with Wigan? MB stated on the forum Q&A he was disappointed with the way they acted … and Uwe doesn’t own the club anything … personally I’m disappointed with his attitude
DW: Departing managers will always want to come back and look at players they left behind. For us its flattering to see there we have players other teams want … no one has a problem with Uwe .. he’s doing this job .. he’s gone to what he thinks is a bigger club .. But we play better football now … it’s different from when Rosler was here ..
Do we miss Adam Forshaw?
MW: Adam is a very talented player … he did a great for the club. He’s an excellent technical player.
But things have moved on this season. Alan Judge played wide left last year … he now plays in middle ……Pritchard is an excellent technical ball player … plus we have Jota, Tebar, Dallas etc
Forshaw wouldn’t be an automatic first choice for us in this team …
Why did Reeves move on? He couldn’t be guaranteed a game … Adam would find it very hard to compete in this team
How is the academy doing?
FM: We’re working hard with Ose .. he is very happy with some of his players … he has some incredible young talent .. there are classrooms in the dome and a lot of good things happening. All the management team have all worked at academy level (MW, DW, FM) .. so we know what to expect … fine tuning is still being done … by this time next year academy will have kicked on a lot …
Betinho apparently will take some time to settle in. By the time he settles, he will be sent back to Portugal. Is there any point in picking up these players who aren’t quite ready?
FM: Behinho will take a while to settle in. But also by taking him in, we have improved our relationship with Sporting Lisbon … sometimes you take a player that you won’t play every game for that very reason. Betinho will get game time.
MW: In League 1 we can’t access players from clubs like Sporting Lisbon. In the Championship we can .. and for them it’s like testing the water. You aren’t going to necessarily get the top drawer straight off .. but its a tester … and we may get their more developed players down the line …
Saying that Betinho is a great player .. and we need to train him up and develop him … to work with ball outside area .. and other key areas …
Sporting Lisbon will be looking very closely at how we work with their player ….
Why do we keep one or two players up at corners when were struggling to defend them?
MW: Pritchard and Judge won’t mark big 6 ft 4in players …. we need the keeper to come out and command and defenders to do their job
I’m amazed that teams constantly bring eleven men back for corners. They win the first header .. then inevitably they will lose ball
If we win the ball with eleven men back we’re disorganised. Yes we will win first ball but then the we will lose it …
We have three centre backs .. how do we choose who plays?
DW: We look at how they’re performing in training. We also looking at the opponents .. and how they play. Last season we very much looked just at just ourselves and didn’t worry about the opposition with regards how we set the tea up. Now we have more information in the analysis department so we can look to utilise all our players …
The comment “We didn’t take our chances” often comes up in press conferences . .. when will that flip to ‘we took all our chances’?..
MW: We’re talking margins once again. In this division we get fewer chances so we need to capitalise on them. Against Norwich, the blunt fact is is we didn’t score … Hopefully one team soon will get on the right side of our plentiful possession
How do you prepare for a match when a new manager comes in?
With Blackpool we had NO IDEA what to expect before the match ….
With Leeds they we have no idea what to do … will the manager go 4-4-2 … 4-3-3 .. no idea … we can only work with what we know …
BillytheBee
@billythebee99
