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Brentford supporting journalist, Jim Levack, gives his views on the weekend’s defeat at Rotherham and asked when and if more strength in depth, and pace, will be injected into this Bees squad.

When the dust finally settles on this season there’s a decent chance we won’t look back at the 1-0 defeat to Rotherham as one of those ‘if only’ games.

After all, some of the one touch football was a delight, we were neat and tidy and at times looked on a different level to the Millers. The general style of football augurs well.

But when a flurry of early chances went begging as we dominated the early stages at the New York, it was as if we were reading a well-worn script.

“We’ll concede before half time,” I confided to my son. Within 10 minutes we had. Because if you don’t take your chances, the football gods decree the other team will, however little they’ve seen of the ball.

So as we headed home, it was down to the nitty gritty and the analysis which was probably no different to that going on inside Beesotted Towers.

Scott Hogan will score plenty this season. His workrate is phenomenal, his movement a defender’s worst nightmare and his strength and power enough to worry the best centre backs in the Championship.

But to expect him to deliver alone week in, week out is too much, especially given the shortage of quality we’ve seen from the flanks in the opening weeks of the season.

Yes, it’s early days and yes, I’m a cynic but frankly I can’t help thinking that Dean Smith has been a little let down by his “Recruitment Department” thus far.

His softly softly approach – “I’m hoping they have a little present for me” – has so far failed to materialise while a string of players capable of unlocking stubborn second tier defences have gone elsewhere.

Some Premier League clubs, for one reason or another, appear unwilling to loan them to us any more. Why have we suddenly fallen out of favour is a question I’d love to have answered, but probably never will.

Is it that the business model has changed, with top flight clubs now demanding £1 million and more for the privilege of loaning their rising stars?

If that’s the case and Matthew Benham refuses to be held to ransom then there’s a big part of me that would applaud him for his principles. But principles can come at a cost and in the case of football where other clubs WILL pay the fee, that cost could be a hefty one.

Despite the results and our current standing, we have a squad that lacks depth, pace and cover in the critical final third. My views only.

We beat Forest at home 1-0 but in the second half in particular there was a sloppiness about our play that a better side would have punished. We cede possession too easily and did so again at Rotherham.

It felt like we’d been robbed in south Yorkshire and the home fans we talked to agreed, but the fact is we could and should have won that game by three or four.

I know it’s tough getting a deal over the line and that we are trying to buy or loan sustainably, but to watch points go begging is frustrating not just for the fans… but for Smith too.

I like Sam Saunders and of our three subs sent on to salvage something, he was the man most likely. But the fact that our other hopes rested on Josh McEachran, a player who has so far flattered to deceive in a Bees shirt, and Emmanuel Ledesma, released by the side who picked up their first win of the campaign against us, is an indictment of the strength of our squad.

The conspiracy theorists might suggest that bringing on Sam, Josh and Emmanuel was a deliberate ploy by Dean Smith to underline the paucity of options. Maybe not.

With the transfer rules changing this season, an injury to Hogan or Vibe would be potentially catastrophic.

It’s clear we lack guile and pace down the flanks. When was the last time we signed a player with pace – Moses, Andre and no one since – but I fear we are also a striker short.

And with the margins so fine in this division, those absentees to our squad could mean the difference between a play off charge or a flirt with relegation. If it comes to the latter, then we may just look back on our trip to the New York as one of those ‘if onlys’.

I don’t think it will come to that because the squad we have has enough character and spirit, but the recruitment dept certainly aren’t making life easy for us – or Dean Smith – at the moment.

Jim Levack