[consilio]

Joao's hold up play not as good as Nuhiu's at the moment. If start them both next game and drop Matias. That's if FF isn't fit yet.

[Was Wereham Owl]

Good call Consilio, two big guys, one is awkward, the other has pace to burn, that may be the way to go !!

[Statesideowl]

I'd agree with that, would like to see FF back though.

Thought the ref's carding was poor and inconsistent. Seemed like he was making it up to Brentford after the Red & Pen. Nuhui was getting kicked all over at times, one particular challenge by Mcormack on one of our players ( can't recall) was red card worthy but only received a yellow. Helan subsequently received two yellows for silly challenges pretty soft at least one of those was not a yellow, especially if we're going by MCormack's challenge only being a yellow FFS.

The piss taker at the end is their Keeper, Button. Whom shoves Joao in the back aggressively as he froths at the mouth, does this in front of the ref and gets a... yellow?

We rode our luck playing crap the second half, but there's little doubt in my mind the ref was making it up to them. Too inconsistent

[peiowl]

Joao's hold up play not as good as Nuhiu's at the moment.  If start them both next game and drop Matias.  That's if FF isn't fit yet.

I'd go with that.  If FF is fit, I'd still go with that then bring FF into the game for last 30 min to ease him back in again. Who would he replace? That decision would have to be made there and then. On a go forward basis I see a FF/Joao partnership as best option.

[Maddix]

It's not good enough from MS though A weekend in Landan is no excuse for not filing the match report

[consilio]

I agree Maddix. I miss the game and still don't know how we got on.

Not good enough Steve

[madsteve]

Carlos Had a Dream

This had everything - the good, the bad & the ugly.

I felt confident of a win here & once we settled down we took control of the game. We should have score a couple of goals but first Nuhiu headed wide then he hit the bar, both from Wallace crosses. Bidwell also hit the post for Brentford but we were cutting out the better opportunities with Hutchinson & Bannan controlling CM. Matias & Wallace each forced the keeper to make sharp saves.

We took the lead in controversial circumstances. Bannan brilliantly found Nuhiu in the box but he miscontrolled and appeared to be going away from goal when Tarkowski brought him down. A clear penalty but amazingly the referee produced the red card despite Nuhiu not having the ball under control, going away from goal & a defender was between him & goal. There was a bit of debate about the taker with Bannan & Wallace both trying to get the ball but Nuhiu held on to it.

Nuhiu struck it firmly but gently at the keeper's feet but he had already leaped out of the way. It was the sort of penalty that looks brilliant when it goes in but you look a complete idiot if the keeper just kicks it away. As it happens it was Nuhiu's fourth (and most convincing) successful Wednesday penalty. I was ideally place to celebrate with Nuhiu as he dropped to his knees in front of me.

I kind of felt we should have pressed home our advantage here as Brentford were in disarray & there for the taking but they got to the break just one behind. The half time interval was brilliant from the fans but more of this later.

Brentford re-organised for the second half and switched to a 351 formation, which gave them better control of CM and they pushed the full backs forward with Bidwell making Hunt look third rate time after time. Helan was only faring slightly better on the other side and was unfortunate to pick up a yellow card for a challenge that the assistant waved on as fair. This was to prove crucial later.

Turner & Lees were giants in the centre of our defence particularly with Hunt being out of position so often & easily beaten when in position. Inevitably the goal came through that position. Judge had hit the post a few minutes earlier as we were rocking but he was allowed a free run by Hunt & Wallace and curled the ball beautifully just inside the post to equalise.

This was bad enough but everything compounded a minute or so later when Helan was dispossessed just inside the Brentford half but stupidly tripped a Brentford player. Acceptable normally but on a yellow card at 1-1, plain stupid. Having said that, at least half a dozen worse challenges had been allowed to go unpunished.

Now we were on the back foot. A game in which we appeared to be coasting to victory was going to be a battle to get a draw.

Joao had replaced Matias around the hour mark had looked lively and forced one scrambling save just before Brentford scored but he was struggling to link up with Nuhiu. Nuhiu was very wound up and charging into challenges and giving away several free kicks. One off the ball challenge stopped one of our attacks when Joao was in a promising position. Nuhiu was replaced by Lopez and we started to get some control again, playing a narrow 441 with Bannan at LB.

Just when it looked like a point was all we would get, Joao robbed a defender & raced through one on one against the keeper. He kept his cool & side footed it perfectly into the corner.

There were a couple a flash points after that. The Brentford keeper, Button, slapped Joao in the aftermath of the goal and picked up a yellow card and in stoppage time, Hunt hit a Brentford player when Westwood had the ball in his hands. Had the referee seen it could have been a red card & a penalty. More stupidity.

Westwood - 6 - little to do, could do nothing with goal
Hunt - 3 -Brentford targeted him and he wasn't good enough
Lees - 8 - man mountain
Turner - 8 - main mountain number two
Pudil - 6 - solid, hope he isn't badly injured
Hutchinson - 7 - controlled CM first half and short spells in second half
Lee - 6 - quieter game but a couple of key tackles
Bannan - 7 - another really good performance, great pass that won penalty
Wallace - 6 - faded after bright start
Nuhiu - 5 - won penalty & scored, a nuisance but gave the ball away repeatedly
Matias - 5 - a couple of bright efforts but faded
.............................................................................
Helan - 4 - stupid red card
Joao - 8 - reminds me of a young David Hirst, beautiful match winner
Lopez - 7 - added composure when we needed it

Next May we might just be remembering the two points won here at the death as the ones that got us promoted. We deserved the win for dominating the first half and creating chance after chance, for not giving up and Joao's cool finish. We were lucky due to poor defending from Hunt & Helan and giving away a great position to win comfortably.

Let me say a word about the fans. Once or twice per season irrespective of what is happening on the pitch, there are away matches that stand out due to the fans. Yesterday was one. Once the "Carlos Had a Dream" song became established, it continued & continued. In fact, it went all through half time and again after the match. The fans were magnificent.

Let's pick over a few bones. We started pretty much 4231 which gave us control of CM. In the second half, Brentford switched to 351 & they got control, particularly when we switched to 442 when Joao replaced Matias. Joao & Nuhiu don't work well together. Maybe they just don't work or maybe it is the 442 thing. After Helan's red card, we were 432 and being over run. After Nuhiu was replaced by Lopez, we went 441 and looked better again.

Stat Attack:

Goals:

Nuhiu 1 (penalty)
Joao 1

Assists:

Bannan 1
Lopez 1

Tackles:

Lee 4
Bannan 3

Interceptions:

Hutchinson 6
Helan 3
Lees 2
Turner 2
Hunt 2

Clearances:

Turner 3
Lees 3
Pudil 3

Attempts:

Nuhiu 4
Joao 3
Lee 2
Wallace 2
Matias 2
Bannan 1
Lopez 1

Attempts On Target:

Nuhiu 2
Joao 2
Wallace 1
Matias 1

Key Passes:

Wallace 5
Bannan 2
Helan 1
Joao 1
Hutchinson 1
Hunt 1
Westwood 1

Dribbles:

Helan 2
Lopez 2

Dispossessed:

Helan 1
Nuhiu 1
Bannan 1
Matias 1
Lee 1
Hunt 1

Bad Control:

Nuhiu 3
Helan 1
Lopez 1
Joao 1
Westwood 1

Crosses:

Bannan 4 (3 accurate)
Hunt 3 (0 accurate)
Wallace 2 (2 accurate)
Matias 2 (0 accurate)

Passing Accuracy (Number of Passes in Brackets)

Joao 100% (3)
Wallace 78% (32)
Bannan 76% (42)
Turner 76% (41)
Lees 76% (41)
Helan 75% (16)
Hutchinson 74% (35)
Lee 74% (27)
Pudil 71% (7)
Hunt 66% (41)
Matias 64% (14)
Lopez 40% (5)
Nuhiu 39% (18)
Westwood 24% (34)

Total Touches:

Westwood 56
Hunt 56
Bannan 55
Turner 47
Lees 47
Hutchinson 45
Wallace 40
Lee 36
Nuhiu 31
Helan 24
Matias 20
Pudil 13
Joao 9
Lopez 9

Three victories in a week. A well deserved one against Fulham, a glorious one against Newcastle and a strange one against Brentford.

So what did we learn here?

If we want promotion then we have to play full out for 90 minutes. Too many players switched off at half time and we nearly paid for it. Joao is going to be very good but for now the best plan is to start Nuhiu and replace him with Joao after an hour. Our CM works well with Hutchinson, Bannan & Lee plus we have two great alternative options with Lopez & McGugan. Hunt is a liability defensively. Brentford targeted him like Bolton did & he wasn't good enough. We are far more secure when Palmer plays. Pudil does a decent job without a fuss. You notice how good he is when he goes off.

On our day, the team can be magnificent. Yesterday, the fans were magnificent but the team still needs a bit of fine tuning.

Sheffield Wednesday, We're On the Way Back!

[Statesideowl]

Good post, MS!

I thought the ref progressively lost the plot as the game went on. I'm not saying our lot were innocent but the Ref certainly seemed like he made it up to them for the earlier red.

5 Brentford players surrounded the ref as soon as Helan committed that second challenge, he caved to the home crowd and players as he did with the first BS yellow he showed Helan.

While the ref didn't have a howler or anything like that, he definitely showed no consistency with the cards. His poor carding had a large effect on the game for both teams.

Mcormacks nasty challenge bore a yellow. Buttons aggressive shove was also seen by the ref and only received a yellow? That's a straight red every day. I can bet you that if the ref had seen Hunt commit an act of violence we'd have had another red. That ref was never going to give them a second red, no matter what they did.

Completely unacceptable to be influenced by fans & players, to the point you're undermining the linesman in order to make it up to Brentford.

[madsteve]

Good post, MS!

I thought the ref progressively lost the plot as the game went on. I'm not saying our lot were innocent but the Ref certainly seemed like he made it up to them for the earlier red.

5 Brentford players surrounded the ref as soon as Helan committed that second challenge, he caved to the home crowd and players as he did with the first BS yellow he showed Helan.

While the ref didn't have a howler or anything like that, he definitely showed no consistency with the cards. His poor carding had a large effect on the game for both teams.

Mcormacks nasty challenge bore a yellow. Buttons aggressive shove was also seen by the ref and only received a yellow? That's a straight red every day. I can bet you that if the ref had seen Hunt commit an act of violence we'd have had another red. That ref was never going to give them a second red, no matter what they did.

Completely unacceptable to be influenced by fans & players, to the point you're undermining the linesman in order to make it up to Brentford.

I don't think the referee was biased against us. We have benefited from his decisions on several occasions as I posted before the match. He was inconsistent. The first red card was wrong for the three reasons I stated but Wednesday players put pressure on him because they thought it might work & it did. After that, players from both sides pressured the referee at every decision. On the first Helan yellow card, the assistant clearly indicated "play on" but the referee from further away decided it was a foul & yellow card. The second yellow was pretty clear.

Regarding the Button incident & the Hunt incident, I think the referee wanted to avoid a third red card so downgraded one & pretended he hadn't seen the other.

[Statesideowl]

I don't necessarily think the ref was being biased against us. Just that he knew he'd made a bad decision, subsequently tried to make amends for it which made matters worse.

While their defenders red was harsh I agree, Mcormacks challenge made up for it and not sending him off cancelled the earlier incorrect decision out, but it didn't stop there did it?

Button should have gone, the rules are clear on this. When something like that happens it's a straight red. I didn't catch Hunts challenge but if it is as you say, MS. Then he should have gone too, and if the ref 'ignored' it that's criminal IMO

No-one has the 'right' to put their hands on someone else whether in public or during a sports event. Just the way I see it.