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Sometimes brilliant, sometimes average and sometimes downright disgusting – Brentford’s time under Dean Smith has been a real mixed bag. In this article Beesotted contributor Carl Massey looks at Head Coach Dean Smith and asks where  are things heading.

When Dean Smith was appointed as Head Coach back in November 2015 it brought an end to a tumultuous time.

After a simply incredible few years of results and hitting the heights of the Championship playoffs, Marinus Dijkhuizen was tasked with continuing the dream.

After a short spell in the hot seat he was removed from post and Lee Carsley was placed in temporary charge. After a brief but enjoyable spell, he too was to leave Griffin Park as Dean Smith travelled South – arriving at Brentford after a long stint in charge of Walsall.

You can hardly say it was a quiet start to life at Brentford for Dean and his assistant Richard O’Kelly. When the January window opened, Dean was faced with all sorts of nonsense to deal with.

Defender James Tarkowski went on strike in an attempt to force a move to Burnley. Midfielder Toumani Diagouraga was ‘rested’ (read into that what you want) in an FA Cup match before he made the move North to sign for Leeds Utd.

Things were arguably made harder for the new Head Coach as new signings failed to materialise. Results nosedived and fans were left flat as we looked over our shoulder at the relegation trap door.

However, Smith found the key to unlock defences and a fantastic run took us to a ninth place finish.

Fast forward to this season and after a mixed start and a lack of consistency, we find ourselves in a stable if not spectacular fifteenth place.

Fans seem to be divided over their support for the Head Coach. Some argue that he has failed to implement an exciting brand of football. Others counter that Dean has indeed brought stability and that the best is yet to come.

What is clear is that this article would have read a lot different had it been written prior to the Aston Villa and Brighton games. Not that I’m fickle you understand!

Preston was a poor result. But with the introduction of Jota and Jozefzoon, Smith has been able to alter his formation and this has brought with it a real buzz about this team.

Rome wasn’t built in a day

Dean Smith has been in charge for fifteen months now so you could confidently state that he has had the time needed to implement his own style and stamp on this team.

However time alone does not dictate what brand of football you play. Could you write last season off given the changes and lack of signings? Smith simply needed to steer the side to safety. He did and he did it well enough.

So as we approached the new season, the management team set about building their own squad. Players were brought in and the Head Coach could start to mould his side.

After a pretty indifferent start in terms of results Smith mixed things up by changing to five at the back and has since reverted back to a four. Wingers are now being deployed and the midfield given a new look.

What I can deduce from this is that Dean Smith is yet to find his preferred method of working.

To be fair, he still hasn’t got everyone on his wish list. We can all see the need for adding another midfielder to the side and we are definitely in need of another striker following the departure of Scott Hogan to Aston Villa.

But having had fifteen months in charge, surely Dean knows enough about his players to get a tune out of them? As good as we were against Brighton and Villa we were equally as terrible against Wigan, Norwich and Chelsea and there has been plenty of other occasions were we have been left underwhelmed.

Ultimately Dean has done well enough to avoid losing his job but not well enough for the fans to fall in love with him.

So should we patient with Smith? Is fifteen months long enough to be able to implement everything you want?

As was discussed on last weeks Pride of West London Podcast (below) Dean Smith and his assistant Richard O’Kelly have just signed a years contract extension which seems to indicate that Matthew Benham is happy with how the team is progressing. 

Dean Smith will get more time to build his squad and you can argue that consistency off the pitch is key to long term success.

Substance over style

Prior to the Aston Villa and Brighton games, the style of football on display by the Bees for many of the matches was not the most exciting.

After a change in personnel and a tweak in formation, despite the 97th equaliser conceded against Brighton you would be hard pushed not to recognise the potential this team possess.

We were brought down to earth with a bump after conceding four against Preston in a 4-2 defeat. However if we are at the looking medium to long term, the last few games have indicated that this team is indeed the basis of one for the future.

Dean Smith now has until the end of the season to experiment. If he can find the balance that would bring a consistency in results on the pitch, you can start to get excited ahead of the 2017/18 campaign.

You can’t always be in a building phase. But with Rico Henry reaching full fitness and Sergi Canos signed up for the long term, there is now an added dimension available.

Should one or two players come through the door in the summer then it’s “hold on to your hats” time as we could once again be set for a real push towards the playoffs next season.

You can also throw into the mix the B team. A fair few players have put their head above the parapet. Chris Mepham. Reece Cole. Ilias Chatzitheodoridis. With rumours that Justin Shaibu is ready to make his mark soon. If he has the same impact as Field and Clarke have on the first team, then Smith has yet even more options to choose from.

Perhaps there is merit to the idea that consistency at the top brings about success. Only time will tell on that front. But Dean Smith has until the end of the season to find the right formula.

Next season will make things clearer and this team will firmly be Smith’s by then. Maybe it’s worth reserving judgement until then.

Up the Bees

Carl Massey
@thebfcbeesblog