Brentford 1 - 2 Wolves: Three Minutes to Resurrect a Season

[Jinky]

Dressing room seems together.

 

[Pompey Wolf]

Was in the Griffin beforehand but on train now, battery dying though so it'll have to be brief I'm afraid guys. To be fair we were much the better team throughout and in particular second half. Brentford a threat on the break second half but we were throwing bodies forward. Dicko looked back close to his pre injury form I thought but missed his big chance. Evans was encouraging in CM, Helder back on song (and NOT disinterested until Cav came on, total bollocks), best I've seen Weimann play, Marshall decent off the bench. Cav seemed to go 10 when he came on but he was everywhere really, Weimann went up top when Dicko went off. Great win, great scenes and I'm absolutely fucking over the moon because with ten minutes to go I was feeling desperate.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Thanks Pompey.

I definitely feared the worst when we went 1-0 down as our record when conceding first has been utterly dismal for the last 18 months. We do have confidence issues running right through the squad - when everything's going right we look ok sometimes, but things go against and we badly lack for leaders. Batth is no leader. Ikeme's attitude is shit. Edwards can sort of look to lead by example but that's about it.

I'm not one for demanding PASHUN in players (I don't need to see Jamie O'Hara-style punching the turf when they've fucked up) but our successful teams at this level have had massive personalities running right through them - Butler, Rae, Ince, Cameron, Blake, Murray, Breen, Craddock, Karl Henry, Iwelumo etc etc. We do need a bit of that in the summer if and when we get over the line.

 

[ProgWolf]

We just looked really up for it from those highlights, winning so many second balls. Does it prove what they are really capable of or was this just a long overdue performance with the deserved result ? We have been playing well and not winning but tonight, eventually, everything just clicked into place. Hope we take this newly found form to Fulham at the weekend. I also hope the fans and players can come together and I hope we can eradicate some of the morons we heard on Saturday. We need to be together now more than ever.

 

[Banjo]

Back from an enjoyable evening at Brentford, where we deserved the win but where our lack of confidence almost cost us.

I have to say that whilst we never truly threatened in the first half, we dominated the attacking play and we were undone by some neat interchanges and a good turn against our carthorse of a captain.

Whilst we dominated affairs in the first half, we never really looked like scoring and Dicko often found himself isolated in the final third. What we really lacked in the first half was any obvious link between midfield and attack and I put the blame squarely with Lambert for playing Edwards in that advanced midfield role yet again. Whilst some players made mistakes in the first half (notably the otherwise okay Saville, who got caught ball watching for their goal), Dave Edwards was a total passenger.

The key players to come out of the first half with real credit were Weimann, Dicko and Evans in my view. Costa also showed signs of being back to his best, but also looked a little lost at times, almost like his heart wasn't in it.

Second half was all Wolves and we knocked on their door on multiple occasions. A great period of sustained pressure saw Dicko hit the bar and Saville sky the rebound. Whilst we were very much on top, there was always this nervous energy about our players which suggested a Brentford second could kill us off at any moment. There were a few heart in mouth moments at the back where the largely dependable Hause got on the wrong side of Brentford attackers on occasion.

But once we got the first there was only one team in it and that's why I think it really was a confidence problem more than anything today. Yes, we persist in playing some truly terrible footballers, but I don't think we kept on aimlessly kicking and heading the ball up in the air back to Brentford just because we're crap, it was more a nervousness on our players' part that as soon as they got the ball, there was an instinctive reaction to get rid of it.

Only Evans and the front three would ever try and pick a pass rather than twat it downfield. This put us at a disadvantage against an often skilful Brentford side.

But, as I said, once our tails were up we really looked like the only team who would win. Cav coming on for Saville really improved our shape and with Cav, Costa, Weimann and Dicko to worry about, Brentford couldn't cope with the wave after wave of Wolves attacks. Costa applied himself well throughout and you can tell he's simply a different class to some of the Sunday league footballers around him (Coady, Edwards, Doherty et al), but there's no doubting we saw the best of him once Cav was on because Cav gave their defence too much to worry about and this freed up space for Costa.

I'll do player ratings tomorrow but safe to say our stand out performers were Weimann, Cav, Costa, Dicko and Evans. Hause did well too, but needs to partner an experienced professional footballer.

We desperately need to stay up and rebuild (massively) over the summer.

 

[Johnny75]

Delighted with the 3 points. Who knew that playing actual footballers in the roles they were bought for would yield good results.

Be good to finish this season now and thanks to the report from Banjo and particularly JD above.

 

[Siggy]

Cav heavily involved on the highlights delighted he's back.. He's our no 10 he's been there twice now and it suits him way more than the wing. Just delighted to get the points hopefully we can crack on from here and give ourselves a pain free run in at mid table mediocrity.

Sent from my HTC 10 using Tapatalk

 

[Carrotdude]

Lambert said after the game he played Cav at 10 because he's not good defensively.

 

[Siggy]

Lambert said after the game he played Cav at 10 because he's not good defensively.

To be honest I agree with Lambert there he makes Sako look like a full back. Hopefully he can get a run in that spot and we can either drop Edwards or play him deeper, which suits him more.

Sent from my HTC 10 using Tapatalk

 

[Stan Hullis]

Agree with that, I'd happily see Edwards drop back as he has played well there this season.

Also glad we are playing Marshall in an attacking sense, as I was worried we would just stick him in at RB.

 

[Premier Quality]

Lambert said after the game he played Cav at 10 because he's not good defensively.

That figures, he wouldn't play him there because he can both create and score goals, keep Possession and make space for others...

 

[Deleted Cyber]

Brilliant summary from Brentfords manager Smith

"I don't know why it happened because this is a group of players I have a lot of belief in. Today we were outbattled. They won every loose ball, won the second balls and I don't think we won a header all game. Normally we outfootball sides but we couldn't pass water.

 

[Dublin Drummer Wolf]

Wasn't he very highly regarded a few years ago?

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

Yes he was. I remember an article about him in SHOOT magazine around 2000, when he was playing for Man Utds youth team, which highlighted him as one to watch for the future. After reading that, I've always kept an eye out for him, although I wasn't particularly impressed when we signed him.

I think he's one of those players whose weight fluctuates dramatically, if you look at the pics of him during his time at Leicester, you'll see what I mean.

He looks in much better shape at the moment in fairness to him.

 

[jd1981]

It was a very good performance which we should have made a lot more comfortable for ourselves.
Brentford were piss poor to be fair and how they led for so long was more down to inability to take chances.
Overall good display all round Weiman was MOTM for worked so hard showed good movement and distribution. Evans looked comfortable in the midfield and when Cav came on 2nd half it really opened things up for us.
Good away game only downside was the moronic father and son sat behind us aged about 65 and 30 respectively, referring to Brentford as a bunch of cockney cunts every 2 minutes not realising a lot of the fans sat near us were London based wolves fans. Referring to Lambert as a Scottish and every expletive you can imagine. Luckily there was enough decent people around him to tell him to wind his neck in.

 

[Banjo]

Back from an enjoyable evening at Brentford, where we deserved the win but where our lack of confidence almost cost us.

I have to say that whilst we never truly threatened in the first half, we dominated the attacking play and we were undone by some neat interchanges and a good turn against our carthorse of a captain.

Whilst we dominated affairs in the first half, we never really looked like scoring and Dicko often found himself isolated in the final third. What we really lacked in the first half was any obvious link between midfield and attack and I put the blame squarely with Lambert for playing Edwards in that advanced midfield role yet again. Whilst some players made mistakes in the first half (notably the otherwise okay Saville, who got caught ball watching for their goal), Dave Edwards was a total passenger.

The key players to come out of the first half with real credit were Weimann, Dicko and Evans in my view. Costa also showed signs of being back to his best, but also looked a little lost at times, almost like his heart wasn't in it.

Second half was all Wolves and we knocked on their door on multiple occasions. A great period of sustained pressure saw Dicko hit the bar and Saville sky the rebound. Whilst we were very much on top, there was always this nervous energy about our players which suggested a Brentford second could kill us off at any moment. There were a few heart in mouth moments at the back where the largely dependable Hause got on the wrong side of Brentford attackers on occasion.

But once we got the first there was only one team in it and that's why I think it really was a confidence problem more than anything today. Yes, we persist in playing some truly terrible footballers, but I don't think we kept on aimlessly kicking and heading the ball up in the air back to Brentford just because we're crap, it was more a nervousness on our players' part that as soon as they got the ball, there was an instinctive reaction to get rid of it.

Only Evans and the front three would ever try and pick a pass rather than twat it downfield. This put us at a disadvantage against an often skilful Brentford side.

But, as I said, once our tails were up we really looked like the only team who would win. Cav coming on for Saville really improved our shape and with Cav, Costa, Weimann and Dicko to worry about, Brentford couldn't cope with the wave after wave of Wolves attacks. Costa applied himself well throughout and you can tell he's simply a different class to some of the Sunday league footballers around him (Coady, Edwards, Doherty et al), but there's no doubting we saw the best of him once Cav was on because Cav gave their defence too much to worry about and this freed up space for Costa.

I'll do player ratings tomorrow but safe to say our stand out performers were Weimann, Cav, Costa, Dicko and Evans. Hause did well too, but needs to partner an experienced professional footballer.

We desperately need to stay up and rebuild (massively) over the summer.

Player assessments:

Ikeme: Wasn't troubled much and had no chance with their goal, but my God his kicking was aimless and his distribution was slow. Upgrade required if we stay up.

Coady: A solid performance from a very limited footballer. Got forward really well in the second half, but has one of the worst first touches of a footballer at this level that I've ever seen. Can't fault his commitment to the cause, but that's probably his strongest attribute. Needs replacing if we stay up.

Batth: Typical Batth performance really, won a fair amount in the air, but never even tries to pass to a teammate and was turned with ease for the Brentford goal. Needs replacing if we stay up.

Hause: Looks like he's growing into the role, but needs someone more experienced and better than him next two him. A few hairy moments when Brentford broke in the second half and Hause got on the wrong side. He'd really suit having Williamson next to him - he'll never develop next to Batth.

Doherty: Good run into the box for his goal and got himself forward well in the second half. Still can't defend very well and is prone to monumental lapses in concentration. Needs replacing if we stay up.

Saville: Got stuck in well, won the ball a lot - including in the air when we went through large stages especially in the first half of lumping the ball in the air for no real reason. Has a good engine but not a naturally gifted player. Also had a momentary lapse which allowed Brentford to score. Not the best player on the pitch, but applied himself well.

Evans: Less of the wayward passes from Evans today. Instead, he played with his head up and was always looking to move the ball into dangerous areas. Unleashed a cracking shot towards the end (prior to us scoring) and deserved a goal. He gets stuck in as well - much more of a complete central midfielder than anyone else we have. Still makes the occasional odd decision, but if he had some better players around him I think he'd improve no end.

Edwards: Had an early chance and a couple of wayward headers in the first half but aside from that he was a total passenger and this constant picking of him at 10 is ridiculous and needs to stop. Looked much better once he dropped back to make way for Cav coming into the number 10 role and played a pivotal role in intercepting the ball which led to our winner. That said, all he'll ever excel at is running at opposition players when they've got the ball and try to make a nuisance of himself. Most of the time this leads to nothing, and he isolates himself in the process - without having the engine any more to catch back up with play and try and be a nuisance again. That's why, if he must play, it has to be in a deeper role.

Weimann: A real creative spark and has a good work ethic and attitude even if he doesn't always look at his best out wide. He started well and got better as the game went on. Once Cav was on, Weimann, Cav and Costa gave Brentford all sorts of problems.

Costa: Some glimpses of the Costa of old early on but he would also fade out of the match - probably thinking about how he'll be able to play with some decent footballers next season. Second half he was terrific and drove forward with the ball at ease. Great finish for our winner and linked up really well with Cav when he came on.

Dicko: Mostly a great game. He was isolated in the first half because Edwards offered little support and the wide players were often too far away from Dicko. He wins more than he should in the air (Ikeme twatting it at him constantly really doesn't help things), and really needs some support in the attacking third as it will bring the best out of him. Ferocious shot that hit the bar which was the moment I thought it was never going to happen for us.

Subs

Cavaleiro: What a difference he made and with the freedom to roam at 10, it have Brentford's defence too much to worry about. Does spend more time than he should pissing about with the ball in wide areas, but I'll let that go if he can have the impact he had when he came on last night. It freed up so much space for Weimann and Costa to have another attacking threat on the pitch.

Marshall: Did very well in my view. Stretched the play nicely, won the ball in the air and on the deck and linked up well with all around him. Him coming on pushed Weimann centrally which brought the best out of the latter. It's nice to have these attacking options. We seriously need to start creating more chances and scoring from them though.

I agree with the Brentford manager that we wanted it more, especially in the second half. But then they have nothing to play for whereas we are still very much in a relegation battle.

 

[b3h]

Great win. Table looks so much better!!

For me unfortunately it's still marred by what I think is going through Lambert's head. Edwards winning one tackle and countering is enough to keep him in the XI the whole of this season. He's done fuck all else for weeks in a position that doesn't suit him and managed it any way, that just bolsters it. The thought of perhaps losing Saiss in the summer and having Edwards as one of the CDM's the whole of next season is so depressing!

Sorry if it's all I go on about. Just gets me down. Add to it the fact I don't want Danny Batth at our club next season, I don't care if he's from Brierley Hill. But he's our damn captain, so what are the chances. I don't want Coady here, he wasn't good enough at CM and he is certainly not good enough at RB. I don't want Doherty playing fullback for us - I actually believe he'd do a good job elsewhere, perhaps as a CM, but what's the chances of that developing.

I suppose I should be patient and enjoy the win but the same faces remain and I know they'll go and show up big in a few more games and cement their fucking place here next season. We deserve better - Fosun sort it out.

 

[slink]

Good to hear that Cav played in the 10 and did well, a few on here have been saying he should be playing there for a while and also good to see Marshall doing well. He was awful against Wigan but you could see against Rotherham that he's not a world beater but he's a good solid footballer who can pick a pass and his cross for the equaliser was quality. Now just for Paul to realise that the best way to play is play the footballers and stick Williamson next to Hause and Saiss next to Evans (both weren't fit yesterday)

 

[Kenny]

Williamson will come back in, not so sure about Saiss. Will probably see Edwards next to Evans on Saturday and I am fine with that if it means Cav is in the 10 role from the start

 

[Deleted Cyber]

For me I am glad of the win. I pretty much agree with the ratings and assessment above to. Now Lambert does have to show he has learnt. We can't out football Fulham so must play to our strengths. If Edwards must start then defensive mid next to Evans and Cav at number 10. Williamson for Batth. Doherty keeps his place which means saville is benched.

 

[Kenny]

Fulham at Molineux couldn't cope with any ball in the air...or indeed any ball that put their defence under pressure We will probably have about 40% of possession on Saturday, so we have to be clinical when we counter attack.. I will presume their Keeper cannot repeat his woeful performance he put in that day either