brentford | Arcticterntalk.org

Archive for the category “brentford”

Usually when I post musings and photographs after a game I go through and find my best 20 action photos and write a few words around these. Here I want to do something a little different.

Things have not been good recently at Brentford. Not many good results, some social media distractions amongst fans and generally the mood of optimism that was with us a month ago had partially evaporated. There was ill-advised talk that Thomas Frank had only a few games to save his job ( ridiculous I know) and many ideas regarding team selection (myself included). This was an important game in the context of where the season might go from here.

Griffin Park at sunset in November

We all know Brentford won 2-0 and although there were a few scares along the way, Brentford were the better footballing side and generally had the higher work rate. Something very different struck me strongly yesterday, perhaps I miss this sometimes, but Brentford are a real team. They worked hard for each other and have a true bond with the fans. The bond is important. We learned this week how strong that bond can be and the results of a good bond with the sad news emanating from Leicester city. No doubt I will post more comments and photos during the week, but these are the ones that captivated me . They are not my best action shots, these will follow, but these show the real emotion and bond between players, fans and the manager.

Neal Maupay. This guy really cares and works hard. On this occasion he had made a great run but his final shot was inches away. This was one of the many opportunities Brentford had to make the score 2-0.
Said Benrahma. Looking through the photos the players photographed the most are Said and Moses. It was lovely to witness the celebration after the game as Said walked back alongside Braemar Road. He embraced a few fans and the looks on their faces says it all.
Daniel Bentley. He has had a tough month and no-one would argue that he has lost form. This result and the clean sheet meant a lot.
Thomas Frank. This was an important game for not only the team but also himself, and the justification of his team changes, and perhaps some of the changes he did not make. His bond with Neal Maupay is clear and so wonderful to see.
Moses Odubajo. His first game as first choice left back. A long spell of injury the last few years at Hull City. The way he worked tirelessly all game and created havoc in the Millwall defence was immense and enjoyable to see.
Sergi Canos. Sergi is returning to the form we know he has but he has had to work hard to get there. His enthusiasm is immense to watch and no doubt rubs off on the team too.
The whole Brentford team. They were a team and it showed before, during and after the game.

In the context of the season the result and the performance was critical and the obvious bonding between fans and team will be important in the months ahead. Brentford are a good team, a young team, mistakes will be made (by players, manager and fans) but lets keep this tight bond going.

Posted in brentford, Uncategorized and tagged art, bond at brentford, brentford, brentford 2 millwall 0, brentford fc, Brentford Football Club, brentford new ground, brentford new stadium, brentford photos, brentford promotion, Canos, daniel bentley, griffin park, london, london football, london football clubs, moses brentford, moses odubajo, neal maupay, neal maupay agony, said benrahma, serge canos, sports, Thomas frank, west london

14 Jan 2018

Brentford 2 Bolton Wanderers 0. A Comfortable Victory Against A Poor Bolton Side.

The reality was that Brentford were clearly the vastly superior side in skill, technique and work rate and thoroughly deserved the victory which could have been more comprehensive. 00001530

Without doubt to give perspective Bolton were the second worst side to visit Griffin Park this season with Burton being the worst. Both sides also make me wonder why does anyone pay to watch their brand of prehistoric football? Bolton lacked any skill or style, and their version of football consisted of not having any player under 6ft and many over that, and just kicking the ball in the general direction of the sky. Curiously about their only player who was not gigantic was a full back called Little. Not everyone on social media would however agree with my sentiments. But frankly the few chances that came their way derived from long throw ins or errors in gifting the ball to Bolton in dangerous situations.

There was also cabaret to be had with the antics of Phil Parkinson in his touchline boudoir seemingly disagreeing with each and every decision made by the referee, to the extent of clear fouls ( shirts being pulled, players being pulled down) seemingly being within the spectrum of normal play in his not so humble opinion.

Neal Maupay

Brentford were not at their best today but that did not matter. The impressive Florian Josefzoon caused problems all afternoon and although Vibe did not have his best game, he caused enough mischief to have had a reasonable game.

There were some real positives though today. The distribution of Dan Bentley was superb. His throwing the ball out makes a real difference. Chris Mepham again had a great game and John Egan is not going to get back into the side easily, if at all. Nico Yennaris had a decent game too and right back may be his best position, however he gave the ball away far too many times and often in dangerous positions. It was also good to see Neal Maupay score a back heel goal in the final minutes. Although this may have looked easy, he actually finished it very well and hopefully his confidence will return.

To return to Bolton, my prediction is relegation. They will fail to trouble sides who play football although undoubtedly will get a few points against the Burton and Sheff Wednesday style sides that rely on kick and run ( both the ball and the player) and sit perilously near the relegation zone. Bolton and Burton will go down, and the third place is open for auditions from Sunderland, Birmingham and Hull.

Posted in brentford, Uncategorized and tagged bees, brentford, brentford 2 bolton 0, brentford fc, Brentford Football Club, brentford new stadium, brentford photos, daniel bentley, dean smith, florian josefzoon, lasse vibe, neal maupay, serge, serge canos | Leave a comment

07 Jan 2018

1 Comment

If John Stead Had Been Playing For Brentford Would The Score Have Been different? Thoughts After A Dismal Day

Although no-one likes losing a game, frankly this was a game that Dean Smith clearly thought little of. Despite his post-match protestations, this was a truly abysmal ineffective Brentford performance. Few would disagree with that and most might go further and ask why this might have happened. 00001572 copy

A very different Brentford team with 8 changes found it hard to get going and a half time score of 0-0 was about right against a physical Notts County. The difference between the sides was a well taken goal from John Stead who is having a superb second half of his career at Notts County. 00001545 copy

With so many new faces it was maybe harsh to expect the kind of football and passing we are used to simply because the players have not played before together. Individually a couple of the players had nightmare games for different reasons. Josh McCeachran was not only ineffective but gave the ball away numerous times and had his weakest game in a Brentford shirt. For all his skill, it is difficult to see what he gives to the team and his absence of physicality makes things even harder. Neal Maupay worked 100% but it seems does not have either the talent to succeed or the confidence, either way he again did not score and in the second half with multiple balls coming from the right from Florian Josefzoon one might have expected a goal or two. It is difficult to see how he can turn this around frankly. Alan Judge came on and had a decent 20 minutes and Marcondes also seemed a little unsure of his positioning but did show some promise. 00001521 00001571

The reality of the game was that it should have been 0-0. Notts County worked hard but did not inspire, and although they will undoubtedly gain promotion, my guess is they will have a short stay in League 1 unless they sign a few more creative souls. I was not pleased to see their brand of physicality ( which translates to fouls).

If Dean Smith wanted to win this game then he could and should have made perhaps only 4 changes. What he probably learnt was that his ” reserve” players are not perhaps quite up to Championship standard currently.

00001565 00001523

The body language at the end showed it all, disappointment , but simply the side was not good enough to score against a team two divisions below. John Stead looked a decent player and with the number of balls that got into the box in the game, my suspicion is that if he were the Brentford forward, he might have had a hat-trick.

00001542 00001527 1K4A7847 00001523 00001515 00001538 Alan Judge will most likely be eased back over the next few months and realistically will look to be 100% by the start of next season. On positive notes yet again Chris Mepham played well and Florian worked hard but his final balls could be better. As we enter the transfer window yet again we are all thinking we need to sign 1-2 strikers. The argument that we already score lots of goals is not a good one, as with a pair of different styled strikers we might score a lot more. Some unanswered questions might be:

Why has Justin Shaibu not featured more this season?
What is the plan with Theo Archibald? Has his off-field antics caused behind the scenes problems?
What to do with Neal Maupay?
How could Brentford possibly consider selling Lasse Vibe?
With our midfield and defensive players often getting balls into the box, is there not a solid argument for having a large centre-forward as either Plan B option or as yesterday, Plan A?

Posted in brentford, Uncategorized and tagged alan judge, alan judge returns, brentford, brentford 0 Notts county 1, brentford fc, Brentford Football Club, dean smith, duffy, FA, FA Cup, fa cup photos, football, football fans, forest green noble, humour, john stead, john stead brentford, liam noble, neal maupay, nico yennaris, notts county, rant, sports

27 Dec 2017

Were Aston Villa that bad? Or were we that good? Thoughts after the night before

A very wet evening heralded an excellent game of football that even torrential rain could not dampen nor actually have much effect. A sell out crowd of 12,000 including 1,600 Villa fans saw an end to end game that at times could have gone in any direction.

The scoresheet will confirm that Brentford won 2-1 but that hides a lot of the game. The few minuscule words that The Times chose to post about the game really were both clueless and gave their readers no feeling of anything about the game. So lets go back to the start. Brentford have a whole series of injuries that have disrupted their starting eleven for around 2 months now, yet even with players out of position and squad players coming in, the results have been quite superb. So looking at some of the players who were absent from last night: Egan, Henry, Dalsgaard, it is clear that the Bees defence was not first, nor second choice but maybe third choice. Nico Yennaris at right back and Joann Barbet at left back, two players not always first choice this season, playing out of their regular positions. On paper this was a team that Villa managed by the ever increasing frame of Steve Bruce should have been looking to beat comfortably. Certainly thats the view from their hordes of fans on social media. In fact Brentford looked the most comfortable they have all season in defence, with the exception of the Villa goal scored too easily. 00000513

Brentford have turned into a hard working and maybe fitter side than earlier in the season, and are playing as a team. They are also some of the best football I have seen at Griffin Park over the years. The players have a game plan and it works. The return from injury of Sergi Canos has been crucial as has the return to form of Florian.

The pitch is now in excellent condition considering the recent weather and rainfall, and yet this is Brentford, were before the game smiling stewards were trying to sweep away the rain behind the New Road stand but at a slower pace than the rain that was falling!

The return of Alan Judge to the bench was warmly applauded and we might expect to see him starting a game soon.

My impression of Villa was actually positive. They were a hard working team in the first half and probably shaded the game on points. Always a threat when coming forward but as the game went on they failed to have a plan B and arguably gave up after Lasse Vibe’s 52nd minute winner. The last 10 minutes were the usual panic stations and especially as both Brentford central defenders were off the pitch with bloody head injuries, with goal line saves keeping Villa out. 00000487

Despite negative comments on social media my impression was they are a side that will be in the playoffs. The fans are shouting to maybe have Bruce out but they might look at their alternatives and instead stick with him. Do they really want a Pulis, Warnock or Pardew? Their football was not as good as Brentford and on the night it showed, but on other nights they will beat similar teams because of their speed in attack and physical size. What however surprised Brentford fans was the odd role given to Hogan. We know he is a good player, but we also know he is a confidence player, and a player that needs service in the box. He could slot back in at Brentford in the correct role and start scoring goals again. But a real lesson for not only Villa but also Birmingham and Norwich, do not just buy the best player, but look at the system they have been operating in and why they have been the best player. The simple reason why Canos, Jota and Hogan have not flourished after leaving Brentford.

The football played by Brentford was superb last night, there were no defensive errors ( bar one that we got away with) and we made good substitutions at the right time. The other thing we learned last night was that we do need to give Lasse Vibe a new contract. For me he has vastly improved this last 2 years and has at least another 2 years left of Championship football. He also is a stable influence on the side and is likely to feature in the World Cup in 2018. Nico Yennaris for me had his best game in a Brentford shirt, not only his positional sense but his cajoling and encouraging his team colleagues. Could this be his best position? I would not be alone in thinking that Henrik Dalsgaard would be better in midfield . Chris Mepham was superb and a casual observer would be surprised to learn he has only started a handful of games. Sergi Canos had a superb game despite his Malfoy like hairstyle, and is getting better by the game. Romaine Sawyers also had one of his best games and also looking better each game. Even Keith Stroud had an average game, when our expectations are that he will ruin any spectacle. A question to ask him is his interpretation of the advantage rule though.

Villa do not need to panic and although automatic promotion is beyond them, the playoffs certainly are not. Their hope might be that they do not meet Brentford there. This was one of the great nights under the lights at Griffin Park and when we move to Lionel road this is what we will miss.

Posted in brentford, Uncategorized and tagged apple, art, brentford, brentford 2 aston villa 1, brentford fc, Brentford Football Club, brentford new ground, brentford new stadium, griffin park, griffin park photos, henrik dalsgaard, humour, jota, keith stroud, nico yennaris, photos, pulis, rant, rico, rico henry, school, scott hogan, serge, sergi canos, should steve bruce be sacked, sports, steve bruce, travel, villa fans social media, warnock, work | Leave a comment

14 Oct 2017

1 Comment

Brentford 1 Millwall 0. A home win before halloween . A strange game but huge relief.

Seems a long time since Brentford have been in a relegation battle and have had to wait almost until the end of October before claiming a first home win. At the end of the game there was relief all around, players,staff and fans. 00000218

So what was different and why did we win? Probably the answer is Daniel Bentley who is rapidly looking premiership material. Two world class saves and then in the 81st minute a superb penalty save gave Bees the points. Brentford if the truth is told did not play to anything like the heights of previous games and the game was the scrappiest seen this season. The team however battled all game and work rate could not be faulted.

Millwall were the poorest footballing team Brentford have played this year, with their main tactics seemingly to kick the ball as high and long as possible, and pushing their opponents endlessly, with the referee ( worst this season) allowing so much pushing and shoving to go unpunished it became unbelievable at times. Certainly Millwall are not a team I would pay willingly to watch. vibe

When rating the Brentford players the only ones who maybe had quiet or not their best games were Dalsgaard and Yennaris. Dalsgaard in the first half gave the ball away upfield a number of times and hardly rushed back to correct matters. He needs to remember his position is right back and thats his priority. Bjelland for me does not have the overall ability of Barbet and that could be a straight swop. Yennaris had a quiet game, and although he has had some good games, his overall contribution is not a fraction of players like Woods and Watkins.

Having said all that, Bees won the game and have the three points that overall they deserved ( as in many games this season). But, we are not out of the wood yet. A few more wins are needed in the next six weeks . 00000169

A few questions for Dean Smith include what would be against starting Lasse Vibe in place of Maupay ( who missed an excellent chance in the first half). The defence again needs some attention. Bees got away with it today thanks to Dan Bentley , but it needs to be tighter and at times more physical.

Time tonight to celebrate and hope that now the team can relax and move forwards over the next few weeks. The rest of the season? There are some worse teams than Brentford, including Millwall and Reading, but will we get above the mid-table milieu? I don’t think so. Success with this group of players would be 12th place.

Lastly Romaine Sawyers was superb. His goal was well taken and he almost added a carbon copy minutes later, but his overall work rate must have doubled since last season and his place on the team sheet should be an easy decision. He looks and is playing with a confidence, and I suspect we have not yet seen the best of him.

My beer will taste good tonight.

Posted in brentford, Uncategorized and tagged brentford, brentford 1 millwall 0, brentford conga, brentford fc, Brentford Football Club, Brentford home win, brentford new ground, brentford new stadium, brentford promotion, dean smith, griffin park, lasse vibe, london, millwall lose, neal maupay, neil harris, romaine sawyers, sports

14 Aug 2017

1 Comment

Thoughts on Team for Bristol City. What are the Brentford fans saying on social media?

As much as it ever can be possible , Bees fans on social media seem united that some changes need to be made for tuesday but there is no need for panic. To summarise what has been posted and discussed since the weekend:

Although Bees will always score goals there was concern over the lack of involvement of Vibe on saturday. Mostly fans agree that Watkins should start and possibly Maupay as well. I feel this criticism of Vibe is a little harsh and although have no objections with polls being posted of the best Bees player in a game, I am against highlighting the worst performing player as was done at the weekend in an online local newspaper poll. Vibe got little or no service and that is down to midfield. My hunch is that Vibe will start upfront but that Watkins will also start behind him in midfield.
Midfield came in for the most criticism , and much of it fair and factual. The return of Woods will be much welcomed and there would be little surprise if the enigma that is Josh McCeahran is on the bench replaced by Watkins. Yennaris did not exactly propel himself towards a starting role tomorrow and Sawyers may take his place.
The defence certainly needs a shake up. The individuals and the system need careful looking at. Concerns are growing over the need for Harlee Dean to be both marshalling the defence and also providing the leadership the team need. Egan did not have a good game on saturday and seemingly has not progressed as one might have hoped. How Dean Smith will call this is difficult to predict, however if Dean and Barbet start it would not be a huge surprise. Bjelland looked slow and predictable on saturday and most fans agree that he is not a first choice centre back at present. Rico Henry did not have a good game at all, but escaped most of the more vehement criticism. One big and interesting question is the right back position. Maxine Colin can be considered unlucky to have lost his place, however Henrik Dalsgaard is a very good and exciting player. The problem is that he was rarely seen in the right back position. For me and others he should play in the team but in a midfield role. Will he get another chance at right back tomorrow? I suspect he will.
Dean Smith quite rightly has come under scrutiny after two unexpected defeats and the manner of those defeats. Defensive frailty has been the keynote finding in both league games. Another bad result tomorrow will certainly put some pressure on him to turn things around soon. He continues to have both supporters and detractors.
Jota. Without doubt he is an incredible player, but he certainly was not that on saturday. Difficult to speculate why, but transfer rumours cannot ever help matters. I expect to see him back to his best tomorrow .

1K4A2948

My prediction tomorrow is a close Brentford win, maybe 2-1 or even 1-0.

Posted in brentford, Uncategorized and tagged brentford, brentford fc, Brentford Football Club, brentford new stadium, brentford promotion, brentford v bristol city, john egan, josh mcceachran, lasse vibe, neal maupay, nico yennaris, ollie watkins, sports, vibe

10 Jul 2017

1 Comment

Brentford V Hartlepool. 27th October 2012. A look back.

In football a lot can happen in 5 minutes, as for example at the end of last season which saw Hartlepool relegated to the National Conference and Torquay survive. In 5 years a lot more can happen, so it was interesting when sorting through old football programmes ( I have maybe over 5000, more possibly, some dating back to 1923) to find three programmes in the same pile together. All from 2012.

Brentford v Hartlepool. League 1. From the 25 player names in the Bees team 8 to my knowledge are no longer playing football, although KOC of course remains coaching. None are playing in the premiership ( although Foresaw was last year), 7 play in the championship and the ten remaining are scattered in the lower leagues and non-league. Brentford can be regarded as to top 10 championship side, whereas Hartlepool have the please of their first season in non-league to contemplate, three divisions below Brentford. Looking through the programme none of that current Brentford U-18 team playing that week seem to have made careers in football. However a quick glimpse through the U-21 team that week shows Alfie Mawson, Jake Reeves, Josh Clarke who have all had excellent league careers. We had a sporting director called Mark Warburton who made some salient points in his programme notes. He talked a lot not only about the quality of a player and what is needed for the club, but also knowledge of their off-field character. Mark Devlin writes an eloquent piece about what needs to be done in the years leading up to Lionel road in 2016.
Mansfield V Darlington. This was a game played in the Blue Square Premier, the National Conference. Mansfield were a team beginning their upward surge that took them back to the league, whereas Darlington as we know were on a downwards spiral, that has only just ended essentially this season with them moving to a ground of their own. Two names stood out in the Darlington side. Marc Bridge-Wilkinson, as I had breakfast by chance with his grandparents in a small cardiff hotel before the Brentford v Port Vale 2001 Football League Trophy Final, and guess who scored one of the Port Vale goals that day in our 2-1 defeat. By this time he had 350 league appearances and could be termed a veteran. The other name that stands out is the England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. He was playing for Darlington in a side that frankly was getting hammered each game. He was signed on loan from Sunderland and even at that stage had earned schoolboy honours for England. I recall he had an outstanding game and looked a real talent even then.
Carshalton v Lincoln City. FA Carlsberg Trophy Second Round replay. Lincoln were a club in real decline then. Playing in the conference with no indications of desire to regain league status. Carshalton were playing in the Ryman League with a number of decent players. Carshalton dominated the game and won convincingly against a Lincoln side looking totally disinterested. The Lincoln manager was a certain David Holdsworth. I wrote a blog back then about the game https://arcticterntalk.org/2012/01/18/carshalton-athletic-3-lincoln-city-1/

paul-vines

shellshocked-lincoln-chairman

So how times have changed. Hartlepool are now the non-league side. Lincoln City had a superb season last year and would be potentially a favourite for promotion again this year. Brentford have moved on impressively to have ambitions of the premiership. Darlington are on the move up and can be expected to regain league status in the next 4-5 years. And Lionel Road should be built by 2019. Maybe the 2016 was a mere typo….

Posted in brentford, Uncategorized and tagged billy crook, blue square conference, brentford, brentford conga, brentford fc, Brentford Football Club, brentford new ground, brentford new stadium, brentford promotion, brentford v hartlepool, brentford v port vale 2001, carshalton v lincoln, david holdsworth lincoln manager, david holdswoth, dean mcdonald, https://arcticterntalk.org/2012/01/18/carshalton-athletic-3-lincoln-city-1/, joe anyon, john nutter, jordan pickford, jordan pickford darlington, josh gowling, latent hamici, lincoln city, lionel road, luke pigden, mansfield v darlington, mark devlin, mark warburton, nick hamann, paul dipre, peter gilham, sam smith

27 Jun 2017

1 Comment

Jack Bonham signs 1 year contract extension . And heads out on loan. Does this make sense?

The Jack Bonham story is a curious one from start to finish. Clearly had or has good potential but a series of gaffes has condemned him to B team football for two years at Brentford. The usual sighting of Bonham is carrying out coats or warming up. Always with a positive happy smile and attitude. Did fans assume wrongly he was content to be sitting on the bench? 00007309

I can only comment on what I have seen and other than his first team league debut away at Barnsley he has looked frankly modest and at times nonleague standard. His B team performances have been uninspiring and most fans expected him to be released at the end of last season.

The other side to the story is that he has had little opportunity to play and develop the focus and concentration skills that keepers need. The league cup game against Oxford showed that he was prone to errors but playing in a makeshift defence did not help him. B team games lack the intensity of competitive football and especially for a keeper are not helpful in career development .

So we move forward to the end season away game at Barnsley where although the pressure was off on the team it was massive on Bonham. In simple terms a last chance saloon. A proper game in a hostile stadium . Jack was man of the match. A bad game here and I have no doubt he would have been released.

The club clearly feel as most fans do that he needs regular competitive football and I would go further and say that this should have happened a year ago. The next 6 months at Carlisle will help him enormously. The one year extension with the first 6 months on loan is a bit like an each way bet. Brentford have two quality keepers now and up and coming young keepers too. Ellery Balcombe. So I suspect Bonham will not be a Brentford player this time next year. Possibly in 6 months even if Carlisle sign him in the transfer window. The longer odds are on Dan Bentley leaving and Bonham again being a second string keeper.

Although this all seems sensible and gives all concerned options, I do have a worry that with 3 keepers in a small squad we are potentially giving up a squad place for an outfield player.

Carlisle are a good side and can be expecting to challenge for promotion this season. That kind of good pressure will be good for Bonham and Brentford. I think this is a good move for the club on balance.

00006988

Posted in brentford, Uncategorized and tagged bonham loan, brentford, brentford fc, Brentford Football Club, brentford new ground, brentford new stadium, brentford promotion, carlisle loan bonham, dan bentley, jack bonham, jack bonham carlisle, jack bonham loan, jack bonham photo

09 Apr 2017

1 Comment

Curious to advertise Fulham season tickets in the middle of a Brentford match report?

At Brentford we have some great journalists on the local newspapers are generally we fans feel well informed. I tend to read all their reports on Facebook and twitter and like them as well.

The reality of the modern world is that adverts appear everywhere on social media and in my experience are uncannily targeted to my likes.

So I am not sure what to make of this curious advert for Fulham season tickets in the middle of a Brentford match report! I guess my personal geography makes me slightly nearer Fulham than Brentford . Maybe it’s simply that…

Posted in brentford and tagged advertising, brentfiord fc, tom moore

04 Apr 2017

A good day in the sunshine. An easy win for Brentford against Bristol City. Some talking points and some photographs. What did we learn for the Leeds game tonight?

The media generally reported this as an easy, almost routine win for Brentford. The Bristol fans were quite negative and some of them frankly abusive towards their team even at 1-0 down. I happen to disagree with both these views. Brentford for me played superbly, and played as a team. What was noticeable ( and dare I mention statistically proven probably) was the high energy and work rate and no shirking tackles. There were no real negatives from this performance other than Brentford might and should have scored 4-5 goals.

Before the game Bristol were in high spirits and came here on the back of some excellent results including a 4-0 demolition of Huddersfield a few weeks ago. From the start Brentofrd were on top and this pattern continued for the next 94 minutes.

As a Brentford fan I find it sometimes frustrating photographing them and wanting to stop, watch and applaude. This is not becoming of a “neutral” photographer.

A few talking and thinking points to take forward for the Leeds game tonight:

Konstantin Kerschbaumer (KK). This was the best game he has had in a Brentford shirt and there is little to support a return for Yennaris. His play was 100% and he constantly rattled the Bristol midfield and defence.
I cannot recall Bentley really having to make a save of note during the game. Even in the aftermath of the flare at full-time he hardly had to move swiftly.
In some games I have photographed there are players that crop up in every photo, Jota and Sawyers for examples, but in this game it was Lasse vibe, who was easily for me the MOM. Not only for his superb headed goal ( should be able to head a goal over a keeper signifiantly taller than him?), but his workmate . Again maybe the best game in a Brentford shirt.
Rico Henry was a constant thorn in the Bristol side and never gave them a moments peace. How can Tom Field force his way back into that position? I do not think he can.
I often fail to understand decisions from the referee. But how exactly was this not a foul on Vibe? Maybe his eye was on the ball…..hmmm.
This Bristol fan was unhappy at half time and expressed his negative views of Lee Johnson as the players left the pitch at half time.
Should Dean Smith change the team at all for tonight against Leeds? My own views are that Egan should replace Barbet. Otherwise leave the team alone with the exception of the seemingly injured Colin, who yet again improves throughout a season. Josh Clarke will start.
Lastly every player was superb and it is unfair to single anyone out, but Dean had Tammy Abraham in his pocket all game. A player seemingly destined for the premiership next season.
Just a great day out for Bees fans.