BFTG - Brentford

[Snowflake Royal]

Very nerve racking but thinking back now we were reasonably comfortable. Absolutely massive win.

What I would say though is that whoever did the scouting/diligence on the 5 loanees deserves all the plaudits for the way we have turned things around, was it old scouting team or Gomes's guys? Anyone know?

Well Oli was under Stam. I'd say we must have been aware of most of them and put in at least some groundwork pre Gomes.

But they went over the line on his watch

[Pat Butchers Ring]

Surprised at the love in for Gunter especially when the guy cannot move or pass forward. His cross in the first half optimised his attacking play. He is so far behind a real full back like Yiadom it's not true.

Blackett is awful and it says something when I would pick him over Gunter.

[Bigtimmeh]

Very nerve racking but thinking back now we were reasonably comfortable. Absolutely massive win.

What I would say though is that whoever did the scouting/diligence on the 5 loanees deserves all the plaudits for the way we have turned things around, was it old scouting team or Gomes's guys? Anyone know?

Well Oli was under Stam. I'd say we must have been aware of most of them and put in at least some groundwork pre Gomes.

But they went over the line on his watch

I agree with what you are saying it was more comfortable in hindsight. With regards to who got the loans in, even if for some the groundwork was pre Gomes, it still takes the manager to convince them(and/or their team) to come, particularly when you are in the relegation zone. I think he deserves credit as he sealed the deal, he got them to believe in him and he has been getting the best out of them.

[URZZZZ]

Not sure why it hasn’t worked for him elsewhere

Simple really. He obviously takes time to adjust, hence the poor performances in the first month. Managers are now often given such a short length of time to perform that they don't have the time to wait for players to adjust. Gomes did. Now the rewards are being reaped. Quality player

[URZZZZ]

Surprised at the love in for Gunter especially when the guy cannot move or pass forward. His cross in the first half optimised his attacking play. He is so far behind a real full back like Yiadom it's not true.

Blackett is awful and it says something when I would pick him over Gunter.

what a load of nonsense

[Snowflake Royal]

Surprised at the love in for Gunter especially when the guy cannot move or pass forward. His cross in the first half optimised his attacking play. He is so far behind a real full back like Yiadom it's not true.

Blackett is awful and it says something when I would pick him over Gunter.

what a load of nonsense

Yeah, ropey cross on the wrong foot. Big deal. He had his issues today, but he was fine.


And I'm no fan by any means.

[percy_freeman]

My 50th season of watching this team and today is why I love it. Ejara is a league above....

[John Madejski's Wallet]

Are there any extended highlights around?

The Quest highlights were just the goals, be interested to see the other chances we had

[AthleticoSpizz]

My 50th season of watching this team and today is why I love it. Ejara is a league above....

tips hat

Got another three years to go to reach that achievement....poor sods, the pair of us

[windermereROYAL]

Are there any extended highlights around?

The Quest highlights were just the goals, be interested to see the other chances we had

https://www.skysports.com/football/read ... ord/393042

[From Despair To Where?]

Not sure why it hasn’t worked for him elsewhere

Simple really. He obviously takes time to adjust, hence the poor performances in the first month. Managers are now often given such a short length of time to perform that they don't have the time to wait for players to adjust. Gomes did. Now the rewards are being reaped. Quality player

He did well in Holland but then again, he was there long term and got a decent run in the side.

I was sceptical about Ejaria on the basis of his form at Sunderland and Rangers but he has shown himself tp be a busy little player with bags of skill.

Looking at these players on loan from the big 5, they must know that if they haven't broken into the first team squad by the age of 21, then realistically they've got no chance because they club will just spend £25m+ to plug a gap with a proven player. The more I think about it, the more I believe we have chance of getting Baker, Miazga and Ejaria back next season. There's got to be something in coming back to a club and system that you know and where you know you are going to get game time.

[NewCorkSeth]

Surprised at the love in for Gunter especially when the guy cannot move or pass forward. His cross in the first half optimised his attacking play. He is so far behind a real full back like Yiadom it's not true.

Blackett is awful and it says something when I would pick him over Gunter.

what a load of nonsense

Yeah, ropey cross on the wrong foot. Big deal. He had his issues today, but he was fine.


And I'm no fan by any means.

That's putting it lightly Ian

And I am right there with you..

[Libertine]

Not sure why it hasn’t worked for him elsewhere

Simple really. He obviously takes time to adjust, hence the poor performances in the first month. Managers are now often given such a short length of time to perform that they don't have the time to wait for players to adjust. Gomes did. Now the rewards are being reaped. Quality player

He did well in Holland but then again, he was there long term and got a decent run in the side.

I was sceptical about Ejaria on the basis of his form at Sunderland and Rangers but he has shown himself tp be a busy little player with bags of skill.

Looking at these players on loan from the big 5, they must know that if they haven't broken into the first team squad by the age of 21, then realistically they've got no chance because they club will just spend £25m+ to plug a gap with a proven player. The more I think about it, the more I believe we have chance of getting Baker, Miazga and Ejaria back next season. There's got to be something in coming back to a club and system that you know and where you know you are going to get game time.

I tend to agree. They all seem to be enjoying their time here and seem to have invested themselves in the fight to stay up. After numerous loan spells I think all of them are at points in their careers where they want to put down roots and start getting first team football on a regular basis. I can see all 3 of them, along with Oliveira, ending up with the club next season if we manage to stay up.

[Lower West]

We have no chance, Miazga can do a lot better and is way more ambitious than us surely. He's here to put himself in the shop window and has done. Can see him at a newly promoted side in the Premier League next season.

Perhaps he is simply better than we've had for a while. Has formed a good relationship with Moore. Listening to his interview yesterday this extends to off the pitch as well. Both of them are working hard to improve their on field understanding. Keeping both of them could be a key piece of the jigsaw for next season.

[Woodcote Royal]

Yeah, the last two games have been one in the eye for the Gunter hunters

Or, a few months on the bench have given him time to look up, realise that Stam left months ago and that these days we expect an end product beyond backwards and sideways passing and, defending by actually tackling your opponent and preventing crosses rather than endlessly proving no one runs backwards faster than you.

A much improved more than decent performance but I don't give a fcuk how many caps he was for Wales, he more than earned every second he was out of the side.

Also, well done to Gomes for putting him on the left where he consistently performs better and appears to find it easier to make a challenge.

More than happy to have him in the side while he performs to that standard but Blackett has every right to feel a little hard done by.

[Lower West]

More than happy to have him in the side while he performs to that standard but Blackett has every right to feel a little hard done by.

Probably more to do with tactics and cover from the bench. Lot of games in a short space of time. Moore's shoulder obviously is a problem.

[Snowball]

We have no chance, Miazga can do a lot better and is way more ambitious than us surely. He's here to put himself in the shop window and has done. Can see him at a newly promoted side in the Premier League next season.

Perhaps he is simply better than we've had for a while. Has formed a good relationship with Moore. Listening to his interview yesterday this extends to off the pitch as well. Both of them are working hard to improve their on field understanding. Keeping both of them could be a key piece of the jigsaw for next season.

This is a good point, but it reminds me that we don't much talk about Moore GOING

He was almost on his way at the beginning of the season

[Woodcote Royal]

More than happy to have him in the side while he performs to that standard but Blackett has every right to feel a little hard done by.

Probably more to do with tactics and cover from the bench. Lot of games in a short space of time. Moore's shoulder obviously is a problem.

Gunter played well at Norwich as well but Olivera needed to return so a decision had to be made. Tough choices like this are a very welcome change.

[Snowball]

A shout out from Ejaria from me. I thought he was immense yesterday.

First 20+ minutes we were full of energy, should have been 3-0 up,
then we seemed to stop pressing and slowly Brentford crept back
in to the game without really looking like scoring. Ignore the shots
on target first half as a few were like pass-backs to Martinez.

We should have been 3-0, definitely 2-0 up until Martinez's blunder.

Second half we again didn't press or show energy (for the first 5-10
minutes but the Ejaria thundered in, won a tackle he had no right to
and set us up for about 3-4 minutes of 100% possession.

Suddenly we were on fire, biting at the opposition.

Didn't last, of course, but that's the team's fault, not E-J's

I would LOVE to see him here on a permanent. He will only get better.



There were a few times yesterday where we almost pulled off wonder passes.
There was a gorgeous moment where Rhino totally wrong-footed the Brentford
midfielder and sent a through ball (just cut out).

Seen similar from E-J over a few games and I think this 11, if they can stay together
have a fair bit of improvement to come.

Still think we need a stays-back-six defensive midfielder like Elwood or Ezatolahi

Eza on the form he showed before his injury, could be the key to a promising
side being a top-six side. We still leak too many goals, and I think that's the
fault of the midfield

[Victor Meldrew]

My 50th season of watching this team and today is why I love it. Ejara is a league above....

tips hat

Got another three years to go to reach that achievement....poor sods, the pair of us

Newbies.

On yesterday I thought the first third of the game saw us play our best football of the season.
The second third was o.k.
The final third was our regular backs to the wall and hope.

In that first third the movement (young agile players in midfield-eat your heart out Joey et al) was excellent and but for Mo's miskick and Oliveira and Meite getting in each other's way we could have been 3 or 4 up.
BTW congrats to the poster URRRRZZZZ who said that our plan should be to hit them hard from the off.

As for Gunter, even the nearly blind can sometimes see and IMHO he has been o.k. in these two games but I do wish he would try to block crosses especially as the crosses rained in during that second half from his side without any challenge but fortunately the crosses were generally not very good.

As everybody acknowledges the loanees have saved our season and I believe that all of them could possibly be sold on the club if they felt that we were ambitious enough to invest to achieve.
It might be a case of cashing-in on Swift and (not that we would necessarily want it) I could see a swap deal with promoted Norwich paying us a decent wedge for the in-form Meite (remember how Blackman went quickly from hero to zero)to help fund deals and with Oliveira coming to us.

There is a youthful vitality to this side and long may that be the case.