Stats: Brentford v Sheff Wed | Vital Football

Stats: Brentford v Sheff Wed

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All the stats from Brentford (1) vs (1) Sheff Wed, Griffin Park, 27/8/16 Att: 9,677


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Groundhog Day, Wednesday in town, two red cards and late goals - marginally better result than 12 months ago but possibly an inferior performance?

We got a fortunate point and it was a pretty hard watch at times, but I'll take it. Wednesday have a lot of quality in that squad and it showed , they have players on the bench we can only dream of. We've had similarly iffy 1st halves in all 3 home games so far, it's not an accident and I'm sure it's how we set up, stay in the game and come again later when legs tire and it opens up. This only works if you don't go behind, we were lucky not to be out of this by half time - Bentley was outstanding. Then comes the luck with the goal, and a red for them - gift horse, a chance we passed up through our deficiencies sadly. Pragmatism has its place but 2 years ago we'd have absolutely taken this game 2-0, through our positivity and ability to hurt teams on the counter.

Our team has some talent but also some problems, Hogan will struggle as the lone striker unless we can find better than Vibe as support. The midfield lacks bite and we have no pace or width. Sure we heave upgraded in goal and at centre back, I feel we badly miss Bidwell at present, with Ellder offering no attacking threat and dodgy distribution. Early days for Sawyers and we know his playing style is unusual, but so far he's not providing the bullets for Hogan,which is what I was hoping for. Saunders as 1st change tells you what DS thinks of the likes of Hoff, KK, mceachran etc....poor changes today from the coach. And on today's evidence Vibe has a lot to do to get up to the level needed.

The division is now so tough, and despite an acceptable points total I am concerned at what is to come if we don't find these new players. We know the fees are crazy but the much talked about "Brentford way" of recruitment and style of play seems to have been loaned out to Huddersfield as far as I can see. We talk innovation, and I'm onboard, but where is it at the moment? Maybe mischievous, but I wonder how David Wagner might do in our set up?

Not a disaster today but hard to see much difference from the same game a year ago under Marinus. Huge 3 days ahead.
 
I didn't see the first half so can only comment on second. Sky told me Wednesday were the better team first half and comments on Facebook seemed to echo that thought.
I feared the worst but was pleasantly surprised to see plenty of strong challenges and we were far more up for it, and at times looking like a much better side. The goal had a stroke of fortune about it, but it lifted us more. Am getting worried that Hogan is losing his touch (temporarily, he'll get it back) as he missed a couple of chances he'd have buried last year.
Then suddenly we sat back. Let them come onto us. I saw Nico and Andreas pleading with the bench to be able to push up. At one point we needed three or four desperate challenges to clear the ball which eventually got punted upfield to just cross the half way line. Nobody chased it out. Wednesday were able to bring the ball back as we sat deep in our own half and let them come back. Only Hogan was up but he wasn't there to tackle or challenge. But for Bentley they'd have equalised a lot quicker. We've certainly improved there, much to my worry when Button left, I think we've done well there. We sat back on Forest and it nearly cost us, we sat back today and it did. Against ten men. And what the hell was Vibe thinking? His stupidity could have cost us more. Absolute, crass stupidity and he let the others down by that.
Sawyers is running out of time to show, but he's Smith's man so he'll get it, but I am running out of patience with his lack of willing to get too involved in fifty fiftys and his delivery is awful.
Where is Barbet? What has happened to him?
The squad is far weaker than last season which was weaker than the year before. We need two wide men and another decent striker. And please. No more sitting back on a goal lead and thinking it will do. It doesn't!
 
We all know we need a wide pacey attacking player, but sadly that’s not the only problem in attack.

We don’t have a playmaker. I know people have tried to be positive about Sawyers, but I’ve seen absolutely nothing so far to show that he’s a championship player. Alan Judge, he isn’t.

For me, he’s the reason Hogan’s struggling. If Sawyers is supposed to be supplying him – and what else is he for? – Then it’s not happening. I know Kerschbaumer isn’t everybody’s cup of tea, but at the end of last season he was feeding Hogan (count the assists) and Hogan looked unbeatable. Now, he just looks lost.
In the first couple of minutes, the ball was cleared to Sawyers from our area. Looked like there could be a break on but he spent the next five minutes trying (without success) to control it.
Pardon me for sounding cynical, but as Sawyers is very much Smith’s signing, dropping him for KK, or anybody else, wouldn’t look very good. And I’m sure Smith knows it.


Oh, and while I’m at it, there’s too much humping it long down the channels. Dean, we’re in the championship mate. Can we try and play a bit?

Big positive at the moment is Bentley, but his goalkeeping is making us look better than we are (if you see what I mean) Also good to see Bjelland on.

 
CB, Barbet is injured I'm afraid.

Smith's post-match justification of his subs was interesting. He said he was about to take Vibe off for Clarke but then he got sent off. I think Clarke could have come on earlier but I would have taken Sawyers off and put Vibe in the middle behind Hogan. Bjellend coming on was because we needed more height at the back. Fair enough but we needed to move up the pitch not just sit back and try and withstand the assault. They did have some giants in there!

From where I stand Macleod and Elder are often miles away from me and they are physically not dissimilar so I get them mixed up occasionally. I often see a quality defensive tackle and assume it's Elder and it turns out to be Macleod. I suspect all the good bits are Macleod and all the bad bits are Elder!

Woods was immense, Bently was superb and Egan very solid. They were the stand outs for me. Macleod, Colin and Nico weren't quite up to their normal standards but they were playing against top quality players and we know they are good players.

We got away with a point there and as Rebel says the next three days...
 
Cheers, Beefy. Asked Sean and he said "dunno" I like Barbet and hope to see him back soon. One hundred percent in agreement about the need to move up the pitch. The time we cleared it and sat back while they regrouped and came back just summed it up. It looks like a return to the W£bb days of one nil, sit on it for eighty nine minutes if necessary. I really hope not.

Completely agree with you doobee. Smith cannot afford to drop his signing, especially for sh*t like KK even if he did put a few good through balls to Hogan, especially at Huddersfield last season. Also agree re the lumping it up the channels. We have gone backwards so quickly.

Can someone explain the cheering when McLeod was substituted? I thought maybe Bjellend was coming on but it was Saunders and I know, that much as I like him, he's not the crowd's favourite. Please tell me they weren't cheering McLeod coming off.
 
Definitely not cheering Macleod coming off. He seems to be very popular and rightly so in my book. Saunders is quite popular at GP nowadays. Some of us think he's too slow but end of last season he was pretty effective coming off the bench and helping us close games out. I think people were just applauding our popular longest club servant. At least that's how I saw it.
 
Macleod is very popular CB, so i think Beefeater is right, it was just applause for SS. Macelod is a very good footballer - just needs to find the right position and to feel fully confident about his injury.

I didn't hear any booing or major grief given to Sawyers, although posters on another forum seem to be making a lot of it, there were a few moans and groans that's all I heard. Honestly I though Sawyers would be the standout signing, instead it has been Egan and Bentley. From what i'd seen of RS I felt he'd be great to unlock defences and find Hogan's runs - not seen any sign of this so far.

Smith has become the master of pragmatism, using what he has in a way that the team picks up points. It has worked out in the 3 home games, but if SW had taken their chances he'd have witnessed a horrible defeat - Forest deserved something too. although we did OK at Rovrum and got nish.

I feel we may be alright at GP, i'm a bit worried about our upcoming road trips though.



 
Agree with all that Rebel, although we'd be worried about Brighton and Villa away at any time, in any season!
 
Am glad to hear that re the cheering. I thought it was strange and having not seen the first half wasn't sure if he'd had a stinker or not. I did see some rumblings about him being over rated and underwhelming on facebook even though I like him. I hasten to add, I like Saunders too. Always gives a hundred percent whatever.