Brentford v Newcastle . A curious afternoon and maybe an indicator of the rest of the season?
On paper a mid table side sets out to topple a promotion certainty side . However a lot more is at stake. Brentford performances recently have been dubious and inconsistent and the superb performance last week was not predicted. 
There are two ways the season might go. A decent run of league results seeing us sit maybe in 10th place. A horrid run of results that see us in a relegation battle. Very difficult to call the direction on this . 
Our squad needs to lose the fringe players. The squad should only contain players good enough for the championship . Sadly that means Bonham, KK, Saunders, Hoffman all need to move on. The jury is out on Barbet and Yennaris. My own view is that they are not good enough . 
We all know what we need but importantly we also need options. Sometimes Plan A does not work and we need a different approach during a game. A further thing needed in my view is far more engagement with the fans than Dean Smith currently exhibits. Fan forums would be a good start. Maybe also acknowledging in his press conferences mistakes . Certainly a little bit of warmth too. Martin Allen was a revelation last week . Fans need to engage with the manager as they did with Warburton. 
Lastly players need to start a game at high tempo . I can see no reason why not. Players need to play to their potential . Ryan Woods has ranged from brilliant to inept . And similarly most players.
Smith might also consider blooding more young players. Exactly what Holldack and others will learn from B games is unclear. Either play them or send them on loan to a league club or let them go. They need to play football. Week in week out. 
Tomorrow against Newcastle will be a challenge. For me a good result is a draw. But a spirited draw. 
A mixture of scarves, hats, inflatable spitfires and superman type outfits (albeit in blue) made for a series of great visual imageries. 
Even the setting off of a flare did not cause too much disruption. 
Few more nice touches were of their manager Martin Allen taking the crowd plaudits from both sets of fans. Martin allen has been one of the most liked managers in the history of Brentford.
chris1957
Arcticterntalk.org 