A 2-0 defeat for Brentford at Brighton was about as brutal an afternoon as they come.
The Bees ending this game with ten men after another red card. This time, Igor Thiago the player dismissed after a petulant reaction to a coming together with Chema Andres. Thiago waving an arm, catching the Brighton player in the mouth and he then going down clutching his forehead like he’d been hit with a crowbar.
A reaction designed purely to ensure referee Michael Oliver saw what had happened. VAR then did the rest with Stuart Attwell upgrading the initial yellow to a straight red. The punishment handed out for raising an arm and drawing blood was inevitable. No matter how hammy the subsequent fall to the floor. How ‘violent’ the actual ‘violent conduct’ was.
Keith Andrews would complain afterwards about provocation, citing similar in the Liverpool game, but sadly that’s a nonsensical argument. If anything, his squad should have had it drilled in to them after that game. We all know players are going to try and wind up the opposition, will look to elicit a reaction and then make the most of it. A good coach is alive to this. His players made aware. Instead, we had a repeat of the Liverpool game with The Bees handing the ref a smoking gun and then letting him shoot them in the foot.
If anything, this time was worse. The incident happening after The Bees were already a goal down and only a quarter of the game gone. Diego Gomez giving the home side the lead after just a quarter of an hour with an absolute blockbuster from outside the box. The Paraguayan finding the ball, moving, turning and then unleashing a thunderous drive to the top corner. Schade looking like he was going to try and get in the way then thinking better of complete commitment. The diving Kelleher in nets absolutely no chance to stop what is surely a goal of the season contender.
A magnificent goal, no question. Credit to Gomez for the strike but Brentford, already set up in a bizarrely lop-sided formation, now with even more to do. A task made only harder by Thiago’s sending off less than ten minutes later. The massively out of sorts Brazilian laughing as he left the field of play and he’ll now miss the games against Everton (H), Manchester United (A) and Arsenal (A). Keith having to turn to Callum Wilson for those, although knowing him he’ll likely pick KLP up top.
Why not? He had him in midfield for this one, leaving Damsgaard, Yarmo and Jensen all on the bench. Hickey at left wing back although the Bees reverting to five when the opposition had the ball with KLP dropping to wing back and Hickey moving over. It was confusing, it was negative and it invited the opposition to come on to us. Which they did in waves.
Pascal Groß doubling the lead just before half-time after Michael Oliver awarded Brighton the softest looking of penalties. The slightest of tussles between KLP and Luka Vuskovic leaving the ref, apparently, no other option.
Mr Attwell confirming the decision was correct (of course he did) from the comfort of Stockley Park and, not for the first time, Kelleher absolutely zero chance. Another howitzer lashed high in to the back of the net and the game as good as gone before half-time had even arrived. Whatever they put on their chips after training clearly works wonders – two absolute piledrivers from the home side.
In they came. Out they returned. Keith powerless to do anything. His tactics, such as they were, limited to simple damage limitation. On came Nathan Collins (for Hickey) and Yarmo (for Dango). The Bees looking to shut down the game and preserve goal difference. Brighton bossing it but no clear shots. A series of half-chances, efforts just wide and, if anything, over-elaborating. The Bees inviting them on rather than providing the proverbial challenge that comes from the apparent fact that it is sometimes harder to play against ten than eleven.
Keith reacting to the loss of his striker with all the momentum of an oil tanker. Callum Wilson having to wait until the 69th minute to make an entrance. Even then, one felt it was as much as anything just to give him a run out rather than any serious pretensions of doing something.
Yes, Brighton are a wonderful team. Yes, they are hard to beat at the best of times, let alone after suffering another self-inflicted red card. Yet Brentford offered nothing. Tactically or physically. A grand total of zero shots on target and 25% possession painting a brutal picture of another paint-by-numbers performance from the head coach. When we needed him to react he offered nothing – even prior to the red card.
A formation that was neither one thing nor the other and played straight in to the hands of the opposition. Inviting them to play their natural, front-foot game rather than us taking it to them. Jaidon Anthony again left on the bench. KLP, who is having a fantastic season, thrust into centre-mid despite all the other natural options available. What must be Mikkel Damsgaard be thinking?
I’ve watched a lot of Brentford games. Some we win, some we lose. Some we get lucky, some we feel robbed. This one just left me empty. A painful wait for the inevitable. No way out of the corner we’d painted ourselves in to. No attempt to find one.
Ordinarily at this point we crack out the clichés and call it a bad day at the office but it is feeling more of the norm. That fine unbeaten start now a memory. Victories an equally rare commodity with just 4 wins out of Keith’s last 20 league games played and a colossal 12 draws from the same period.
Yes, The Bees ARE still sniffing around the upper echelons of the table but the others are catching up and over-taking. Keith is going backwards. He’s got a massive personal challenge to turn this around, albeit he has the talent at his finger tips to do it with.
Harsh words? Perhaps but only because I want this team to do well and, more importantly, I know this team can do well. They’ll now have to do without Igor Thiago for three games although, to be honest, he’s been all over this place this term anyway. Certainly by last season’s illustrious standards.
Instead then, our usual top five player ratings. Such as they can be this time around. As one North stand observer opined to me afterwards, “If ever there was a game that the word ‘mess’ was made for, this was it”.
Star player (5 points) Kris Ajer The one highlight from an otherwise desperate afternoon.
Despite picking up a yellow card after just five minutes, he didn’t put a foot wrong. Didn’t shy out of anything. Kept it as tight as is possible at the back and once again stood head and shoulders above anybody else .
His sixth successive appearance and a third star-player award ouf of the last five games played.
When he was booked so early I feared the worst – to the point of turning to Mrs B and asking how long until we get another red card. Instead, it was Kris who defied expectations in fine style and Igor who suffered.
Second (4 points) Caoimhín Kelleher Put simply, kept it respectable.
As we’ve noted already, he had no chance with either goal. The first a once-in-a-lifetime finish and the penalty one which even Peter Schmeichel would have been grasping at air. For the rest of it though, he kept us alive.
Brighton could well have ended up even further down the track had it not been for his presence with a series of stops, blocks and saves (most notably from Ayari) to keep Brentford theoretically in this one.
Third (3 points) Vitaly Janelt He played with a really cool head.
The captain leading by example for the full 90 minutes and top of both the final tackle count and passing stats (with the exception of Caoimhín, whose total of more than double any other player tell you everything that is needed about the Bees backfoot approach).
Fourth (2 points) Yehor Yarmoliuk At least he looked up for it when he came on.
Perhaps perplexed about not starting this one (I know I was beyond confused when seeing that opening set up and the bench) he at least played with a bit of oomph.
One could argue that Brighton were out of sight by then but if nothing else it served as a reminder that we do have options in midfield. Options for whom this is their natural home and they can do a great job there. We don’t always need to chuck wingbacks in to that mix
Fifth (1 point) Callum Wilson See above. Looked lively. Gave it his all. Such as he could in the 25 minutes or so he had on pitch. I take as much positivity from the fact that he was out there and reminding us all what he can do. That he wanted to get involved.
Given the historical goal scoring, one could well argue that Igor has to date been undroppable. Well, that decision has now been taken away from our own control and Callum has a three-game chance to really stake a claim to Brentford having more than one choice.
Just as long as we can get him the ball…
All of which means that after 10 games, Kris Ajer has a bit of a gap at the top although the chasing pack aren’t far behind. Kevin Schade’s early season form keeps him fifth although he’ll need to start cranking it up if he wants to stay in the top five .
He gets the chance to do that against Everton once we all come back from this weekend’s International Break. See you then
1st Kris Ajer 23 points
2nd Vitaly Janelt 19 points
3rd Caoimhín Kelleher 18 points
5th= Keane Lewis-Potter 15 points
5th= Kevin Schade 15 points
