Why Have Brentford Stopped Winning? Spoiling Tactics Or Missing Ryan Woods?
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Perhaps we were spoiled by the three games e won during Woods’s suspension late last season. The midfield is not firing on all cylinders and it is particularly worrying that we now seem to have a home and away midfield with Nico and Kamo providing the legs and battling.
Da Silva seems to be the big hope which is particularly dangerous and unfair on someone yet to play a single EFL game. Macleod is peripheral at best and totally anonymous away from home and he and McEachran also have their future to consider as neither has yet to sign a new contract and the longer this stasis continues the less chance of them doing so.
Personally I would be playing Josh, Sawyers and Kamo for the time being which would enable Sawyers to play more in and around the final third where he is most dangerous but the balance is not right and we are currently getting bogged down and not moving the ball quickly enough.
In reply to the article I don’t believe the last three games were badly refereed. Football fans have an acute myopic and biased view when it comes to officials – always have – see the Leeds game!
Our problems seem to be that the players are just not good enough at this level currently – and I’m prepared to criticise some of favourite players to make the point.
Canos and Watkins are surely in the side to get past players on the wing – which they rarely or never do. Their other contributions to the game seem negligible at the moment. You can’t fault the effort but the quality is lacking.
Romaine Sawyers strolls around chewing gum and avoiding tackles. He’s one-paced, easily over-run and should contribute more goals.
Macleod’s our set-piece / dead ball / corner taker – and he’s awful. Often disappears for long stretches during matches. Lightweight.
The entire defence are vulnerable to a crossed ball – especially at the end of matches – often resulting in loss of points and matches.
Tactically we’re obsessed with retaining possession – often creating dangerous situations (to ourselves) out of nothing. Sometimes we just need to boot the ball up the field, gain ground, and clear the danger – which we seem pathologically reluctant to do. And this leads us to an overall major problem – there’s no Plan B or Plan C. We’re extremely limited tactically.
Opposition teams know exactly how Brentford will play. If you want to beat us it’s a relatively simple plan – press high, swamp the midfield and get as many crosses/corners in as possible. We don’t currently have the quality of player – or players in sufficient form – to overcome this. Especially as we’re picking players from a small squad comparatively. Without Neil Maupay and his somewhat surprising clinical finishing this season (and excellent all round team play) we would be nowhere. And he’s in a team that hardly plays to a strikers strengths. It’s very rare for a Bees forward to score 20+ goals in a season. In fact only two players have done so in the last twenty years.
As it is we’re heading for a mid-table finish. My prediction is 11th. Then we can watch everyone celebrate a ‘top half’ finish again, despite that fact that this would represent a constant decline since Warburton took us to fifth place five years previously.
Brentford, through necessity, are trying to get to the Premier League on the cheap. It aint gonna happen. This will be a big shame and eternal lost opportunity. I’ve supported the Bees since 1974, and one final season at Griffin Park whilst in the Premier League would have been beautiful.
My solution? Come up with a tactical Plan B – which involves moving the ball forward quickly, and getting our strikers behind the opposition defence. Our forwards rarely have a ball to run onto.
And don’t sell anyone in January! I still believe the current crop of players can achieve their potential, raise their game, but they need two or three key additions.
Easier said than done of-course – and maybe a financial gamble that can’t be taken with the new stadium looming – but here’s hoping!
COYB!!!
Our early season form has obviously had teams taking notice of us and so now we need to have a plan b for when plan a is not working .maybe playing with a bit more width like we did against leeds .also we need to defend better against balls hoofed into our goal area as watching our goals against is like watching an action replay.
For me Jon has summerised it all
Sorry Jon but you lost me at ‘I don’t believe the last three games were badly refereed’.
I don’t ever recall seeing three worse refs in succession for many many years… and I’ve been going since the 60s.
Otherwise agree with some, but not all, of your points.
Far too much over analysis and teeth gnashing going on.
Every team seems to lose its way for a few matches during a season, mostly for no apparent reason and then usually recovers and is stronger for the experience.
Opposition teams should always probe for the weakness and exploit to maximum self advantage. There are 23 teams analysing working out how to blunt a rampant Brentford, all with a team of expert football brains. Brentford have its own brains trust, it has skilful and competitive players with personal pride to protect and the will to win of every elite athlete.
Not one single player would have the impact on team performances that Jim has credited to Ryan Woods and that is a great insult to the remainder of the team to suggest as such.
Before too long the past few results will probably be looked upon as a shaky few weeks as Brentford return to their winning ways.
I find it amazing that a few weeks ago there was a general supporter self confidence that Brentford would earn a top 6 finish this season. Based on the comments above it would seem the world has irrevocably changed and Brentford are doomed.
Cold shower time again.
We just need a bit of luck allied to a determination not to concede. These are two tough away games from which we got 6 points last season and scored 5 goals. I would take 4 points and a couple of clean sheets to get us back on the right track.
In reply Jim – I have to respectfully disagree again regarding the refs in the last three matches. They gave fair and even performances. There was the odd mistake of-course – which is normal. The Leeds fans reactions post-match were particularly desperate. They seem to think it’s their God given right to foul the opposition at Elland Road. The ref decided it wasn’t. And no-one would question the penalty decision much if Ollie Watkins was Gary Lineker.
I agree Ryan Woods is missed atm – but it will only take Romain Sawyers to spit out the gum, pull up his socks, and grab hold of the midfield for this situation to be rectified. He’s an outstanding talent, and now is the time for him to step up to the plate.
The rest….well….you’re not a real football fan if you don’t sit around moaning about yer team 😉