Brentford return to the Gtech on Sunday afternoon for the visit of relegation threatened Nottingham Forest. Nick Bruzon previews.
Brentford return to the Gtech on Sunday afternoon for the visit of relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest. Current manager Sean Dyche (the club’s, checks notes, third manager this season) sees his team sitting a solitary place above the drop zone heading into this game. A win for West Ham on Saturday lunchtime would reduce that gap to a mere two points.
The trap door creaking under the combined weight of Evangelos Marinakis’ ego and the hopes of Crystal Palace fans after the somewhat sour end to last season’s battle for the Europa League places. You can bet that Nuno Espírito Santo will be doing all he can to keep up the pressure when Sunderland visit the Hammers at the taxpayer-funded former Olympic Stadium.
All of which sums up Forest in a nutshell. Marinakis’ embarrassingly public falling out with Nuno last campaign, then spilling into this season, where he was removed three games in. Ange Postecoglou doing everything in his power to set a bar so low it wasn’t reached until Wilfried Nancy took over the reins at Celtic.
Now, Dyche is in charge. A poor man’s Sam Allardyce – less rescuing the club as gently, sleepwalking them towards the bottom three after losing half their Premier League games under his stewardship and exiting the FA Cup at Championship Wrexham. The only joy in their season coming in those jaunts around Europe, the latest being Thursday evening’s game in Portugal against Braga.
Even then, Morgan Gibbs-White missed a penalty, and Elliot Anderson saw straight red as Forest lost 1-0. Defeat coming c/o an own goal from Ryan Yates. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot. With a rocket launcher.
Instead, they are now back to league action. You can bet Dyche will be doing his usual on Sunday. The red-faced, angry pitbull routine. A man poured into a suit, shirt, and tie packed so tight that every game sees supporters and the ghoulishly curious bear witness to the eternal struggle between stress levels and his tailor’s heart as to which breaks first.
The manager bellowing orders incessantly. Somehow believing that volume alone can be deemed an adequate replacement for the training manual. Certainly not a technique that their results support. Footballing beauty and style, nothing more than an aspiration for a team who twice lifted the European Cup (a fact as oft repeated as Trevor Brooking’s header and West Ham’s 1966 World Cup win) yet, now face the very real prospect of sliding into the bottom three. Cripes, even Wolves have woken up and are desperately trying to pull themselves out of the nosedive that was the abysmal first half of their campaign.
All of which conspire to make Forest that most dangerous of opposition. Still with enough residual pedigree from the bloated squads assembled over the last few seasons to cause anyone a scare. The handful of wins achieved with Dyche sufficient to know they’re not approaching Spurs levels of anti-form. If nothing else, there’s the adrenaline-inducing desperation of knowing that breaching the bottom three under Marinakis is not a place you’d want to find yourself. If he was happy to tear a strip off his own manager in public for perceived failure, one can’t even begin to imagine what things are like behind closed doors.
Up against them, of course, are the mighty Bees. Europe also on the radar, but for entirely different reasons. So good has recent form been that the top five is a genuine aspiration at present. Had Liam Rosenior not been able to resuscitate the corpse of Chelsea last week like some footballing Doctor Frankenstein, Keith Andrews would have seen his team go fourth in the table with a win at Stamford Bridge. Instead, he has another bite of the cherry this weekend with more than a few points to prove.
Whilst I have no doubt the season opener at the City Ground will not have any bearing on his setup or selection, for the supporters, it was about as bumpy an introduction to the new Brentford head coach as it is possible to imagine. A shambolic set up and performance, made all the harder pill to swallow by Thomas Frank hitting the ground in style at Spurs. Something which had many onlookers thinking the club may have finally jumped the shark.
Not a chance. How things have changed since then. How Matthew Benham’s long-term vision and patience has been rewarded, yet again.
Igor Thiago is on fire up top. Scoring goals for fun and playing with a sense of joy, it is hard to imagine had one not seen it. He already has the record for the most Premier League goals scored by a Brazilian in a season. Next on the radar is that for most by a South American. He’s only five behind Sergio Aguero at present and will be licking his lips at the prospect of tasting more success on Sunday.
He’s understandably grabbing the headlines, but for me, Clive, the three players really on form at present are all survivors from the Championship. Rico Henry, Mathias Jensen, and Vitaly Janelt are having the time of their lives. The latter in particular, having featured in our own game-by-game top five for the six successive game.
With a World Cup at the end of the season, is it unrealistic to think he could even have that in his sights? All three are providing genuine competition for places. Those making up the bench, of whom Romelle Donovan is the latest exciting addition, worthy of a place in the starting XI themselves and more than competent replacements.
These are beyond exciting times, but what is equally pleasing is how Keith is coming across. Yes, he still talks about character and personality whenever there’s a microphone thrust in his face – I don’t think he can help himself – but he has plenty more to say. Perhaps, more importantly, it’s because this is what he believes. Is what is actually the ethos behind his style and his team’s approach. A kindred collective of ‘no dickheads’ and showing the best of your ability.
What talks as much as words are his actions. The togetherness demonstrated in style as he went charging down the touchline to join in the pile-on for Thiago’s second against Sunderland last time out at home. Any pressure felt long since dissipated. Any doubt from the fans now replaced with credit in lieu by the bucketload. It felt #FrankOut all over again, yet the servant has already outperformed the master. Certainly, in terms of league placing.
Of course, let’s not forget that Thomas took the Bees to the top of the Premier League that magical night against Arsenal. A feat Forest last achieved, err, never. Whatever the many things he did at the Gtech, that was up there with the most thrilling. However, he made his bed and must now lie in it. Keith has grasped the opportunity presented, and whilst it took a while to find his feet, fair to say that he’s now running full tilt towards the business end of the table.
A home record this season of W7(seven) D2 L1 is surpassed only by the current top three, whilst only four clubs have scored more than Brentford. By contrast, Forest have drawn a blank 11 times already. From 22 played in the league. It is an absolutely awful stat to consider. Even Wolves, Burnley, West Ham, and, indeed, everybody else from the other 19 teams have done better.
On paper, this only points one way. In practice, we’ve all been around way too long to know that it just isn’t how football works. Expect the unexpected. Anybody can beat anybody on their day. As we ladle out hot, steaming bowls of cliché lets finish on one more.
Take each game as it comes.
I am sure that as much as he reminds his players what they have achieved, Keith will only have them focused on the task at hand. Whilst the fans can revel in what has gone before, in practice, the only thing that counts is what happens once it all kicks off.
I can’t wait to find out. Bring it on and see you there.
