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The Keith Andrews era at Brentford couldn’t have got off to a much worse start. A 3-1 defeat at Nottingham Forest told its own story, and while Andrews admitted it was “a really disappointing first half and a really disappointing result,” the display was as concerning as the scoreline.

That opening 45 minutes was alarming. Forest didn’t have to be brilliant, just organised, aggressive, and direct. Brentford looked passive, unbalanced, and a yard off the pace. As Andrews said afterwards: “I felt our structure was lacking. We didn’t perform in the first half.” He’s right, but for supporters, it’s worrying to see us undone so easily, as fans spoke about on the post match podcast.

We simply weren’t ready. Forest bullied us, dominated duels, and made us look second best in every department. To be fair, there are mitigating circumstances. A new head coach, a disrupted pre-season (why so few prep matches?), and players still finding their sharpness. Andrews is still learning about his squad, and we’ve just made a record signing who was unavailable today and Damsgaard was off on new dad duty. Thiago, is also a big concern.

We seemingly don’t know how to get him involved. Is that a Thiago problem – adapting to the league, the pace, the physicality – or is it a supply line problem, with midfield not feeding him quickly or cleverly enough? Whichever it is, it needs sorting soon. We’ve paid a king’s ransom for a player we seemingly don’t know how to use.

Andrews was right when he said: “Unless you do the basics, you don’t give yourself an opportunity to play the game that you want to play.” The basics – pressing, organisation, winning duels – are what Brentford have built their success on. They were missing here, and until they return, results won’t improve.

The second half was better, the stats prove that too. Andrews said he was “really happy with what the players showed,” and yes, there was more fight. But it was reactionary. By then, the game was gone.

Which is why next week against Villa feels huge. We’ll need to see a proper reaction – from the very first whistle. Players in their natural positions, a balanced XI, and Thiago actually given the service to make an impact. Nice won’t cut it. Basics, balance, and belief have to return – quickly.

Dave Lane