Brentford v Aston Villa post match thread.

[cdward]

Expectation levels now being met. If the manger doesn't expect to compete with Brentford, then the team won't.
Unfortunately I think it comes back to the meeting with the owners before Xmas, they don't expect promotion this season, that message has now permeated to all levels of the club, except the supporters, and Smith will deliver on those expectations.

[ktvillan]

I got halfway through the second half and after watching Hause blunder around and panic on the ball again for the umpteenth time actually had the thought that Neil Taylor would have been a better choice tonight. Neil fucking Taylor.

It has also struck me that of that starting team only Kalinic and possibly McGinn can have some confidence they’ll be here next season. I’d imagine Hutton, Elphick, Whelan, Adomah have all been told they’re off in the summer and Hourihane he possibly doesn’t figure in our plans. Of the rest Mings, Hause, El Ghazi and Abraham are all on loan and I’d be surprised if any are here. Is it any wonder we look half arsed our own players have nothing to play for and the loans Hause apart are probably wondering why the fuck would I stay here. Of the three subs, only Green will be here as a Kodjia and Elmo will have been told they’re off too.

I think it's a factor, they do look like they are not putting much effort in and it might be because they know they don't have a future under Smith after this season.

[AV82EC]

He’s right though, the truth hurts doesn’t it.

Sadly.

You.dont need to.outplay sides though, but that we don't even outrun anybody is a bigger worry. It's not out of laziness, it's because we can't.

Too true Ads, we lack pace, technique, poise and any sort of a game plan these guys can execute.

[OzVilla]

How can clubs like Preston and Bristol City and Norwich who have much smaller budgets than ours and have to sell their best players make it look so easy .Has to be the manager ,coach whatever you like to call them.

Because they have a cohesive system and players that know their jobs and are well drilled.  We have had a loop sided Steve Bruce squad expensively assembles but not fit for purpose.  I'm not giving Dean Smith a free pass here but my God Steve Bruce left this squad in a horrendous mess.

[hilts_coolerking]

You can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear.

We all know it needs a complete overhaul again. I have a feeling these players just can't adapt.

It takes a while to change a culture and let's face it we're a mess and have been for a while. We should have done better with the players we have under Bruce. We've brought in a manager who has a completely different philosophy, and it needs bedding in.

If a complete overhaul is needed, and I agree with you that it definitely is, that suggests to me we're looking at two more seasons down here.

[AVH87]

Thought it was our usual Brentford away performance, but we should have gone in a fortunate 1-0 up at HT, Adomah fluffed his lines. Marginally better second half but this time Hourihane fluffed his lines for us to smash and grab, then Elphick has a brain fart at the end and the pressure eventually tells. 23 efforts on our goal is too many. Kalinic did well, kicking aside. Hause is never a LB, don't know if he's better at CB as not seen him more.

[OzVilla]

Apologies if this has been mentioned before but I just read the match report on BBC Sport and in the post-match interview Smith said, "We were never going to come here and outplay Brentford..."

Good lord.

Jesus H Christ, regardless of the context what a dumb thing to say.

[PeterWithesShin]

He didn't say we couldn't compete with them, just that we wouldn't outplay them. Two very different things, but still not the greatest thing to come out with.

[footyskillz]

Expectation levels now being met. If the manger doesn't expect to compete with Brentford, then the team won't.
Unfortunately I think it comes back to the meeting with the owners before Xmas, they don't expect promotion this season, that message has now permeated to all levels of the club, except the supporters, and Smith will deliver on those expectations.

That stinks if it's reality.
The here and now of current season being wasted away.
Long term and build is lovely and actually exciting in theory .
The current practice is not.

It's the football club equivalent of the players Gabby Agbonlahor or Micah Richards then of this season and the settling or not appear to over exert or progress

Don't like that.

[Clampy]

It really was piss poor. He should have gone with Hutton and Elmo as the full backs in an attempt to give us a bit of balance with Taylor being out. As dire as we were, we had the best two chances of the game until they scored. I'd have been happy with the point given how shit were

[Rudy65]

It is hard Aftab because other clubs like Bournemouth, Watford, Burnley and the Dogheads find it so easy.  How can a tin pot team like like Brentford play us off the pitch.  Because they are more, motivated, more committed and more ambitious than we are.

Other than three things, our history, our ground and our incredibly loyal fan base we have nothing..

After watching that shite I went into our kitchen shouting, we have just lost for the third season in a row to Brentford. F in Brentford

We do also have two billionaires as owners which might come in handy in the summer subject to FFP

[PeterWithesShin]

Sky highlights

DS Sky post-match

[pooligan]

I have just seen the headlines "Pathetic" on the Mail website and logged in expecting to read our manager admitting we were bloody pathetic. I should have known better,he was moaning about the pen we never got and how it was pathetic .He is starting to sound like Lambert ,full of excuses.Brentford could have had a pen but he never mentioned that .

[PeterWithesShin]

Radio WM interview audio boom

[QuintonVilla]

As bad as anything we saw under Bruce. Limp, lifeless, no urgency, no desire, no must win attitude, just nothing. We played like a mid table Championship team seeing out the season with nothing to play for, which is what we are now.

Albion will beat us aswell Saturday. Joy.