Brentford v Leeds - Team/News/Reports/Ratings

[Ratscoot]

Interesting team selection you can never say Monks boring Come on Leeds

[Norm]

I suppose, given the number of wingers we have, there are enough potential changes to go around - all combos that he has tried so far haven't really succeeded. 5 changes probably are too many but I feel Monk is getting desperate, especially after the Pontus situation. If he plays I hope we hear the "Magic Hat". The last thing he needs is to feel abandoned.

If we do nothing else we need a good defensive display and no loss. If we're really lucky we'll nick a win, which would be enormous given the circs.

Fingers, toes and nuts crossed for us.

[The Subhuman]

Dodgy start from Ayling

[60sUnited]

looks like the wheels are coming off

[Ronan]

...only positive so far is Fulham losing......but we really need to get our confidence back....it's gone missing !!!

[The Subhuman]

5 changes ...all I'm saying, Never works

[The Subhuman]

quiet in here, is it that bad?

[Haighy]

quiet in here, is it that bad?

Fraid so mate ..

[The Subhuman]

The first doubts about Gary Monk start to sneak into focus. Why Barrow when he wasn't in the matchday squad v Reading, why move Beradi back to left back and drop Taylor.

He's chasing midfielders in the hope he gets lucky, O Kane, Vierra, Phillips is the rotation it seems.. Dallas in on the right, then out, then in on the left...What happened with Jansson? Has Hernandez played two games in a row with the same guys around him?

Is Monk beginning to panic when a cool head is needed

[Norm]

I didn't see a thing but you can't have the high drama we've had without some negatives - the 'togetherness' and team spirit have been affected with probably divisions in the team and we'll be lucky not to have a major slump.

Well done Pontus and Monk - season probably over. At least try to learn from it.

[The Subhuman]

we should still make the playoffs ..Wednesday can only beat rubbish teams and Fulham probably were worse than us tonight

[rab_rant]

Rob Green MOTM, if he had not made the saves that he did we would have been seriously punched in the dick.
But regardless we come away from that with very sore scrotums.

[Ratscoot]

Rob Green MOTM, if he had not made the saves that he did we would have been seriously punched in the dick.
But regardless we come away from that with very sore scrotums

[weasel]

No real need for panic, a slight bit of concern but no panic. After we drew at Fulham they were 8 points behind with a game in hand. They won their game in hand, so effectively 5 points behind, and yet 4 games later they have made no other inroads as they are still 5 points behind. Teams are losing matches all around and the only important thing is that we are in the play-offs positions at the end of the season be it by 10 points or goal difference.

Like I mentioned before when we are playing against teams with nothing to play for and they are able to play without fear/pressure and can knock the ball around and suddenly look a lot better than they are. If we'd have gone in front we would have probably won easily as we may have seen them fold and not really try.

Strange how every time we have a defeat people start talking as if they are a better manager than Monk. What he has achieved this season has been amazing and just because we are in 5th place does not mean we have the 5th best team/players in the division. We have a team that Monk has got the maximum out of time and time again and has got punching above their weight.

[The Subhuman]

Not us panicking. 5 changes, end of season, all to play for. Unless you're resting players for the playoffs thats panic

[60sUnited]

Fully agree with Weasel. We have hardly ever dominated a team this season apart from Derby and maybe Brighton, but we have hung in there and generally snatched a win or a draw while on our 'good run'. We have definitely punched above our weight and due to that we find ourselves 5 points safe in the play offs with 6 games to go, considering pre season I would have settled for a top 10 finish, we cant grumble. Just got to dig in now and scrape as many points as possible and hope that Fulham / Wednesday flounder. Come on Leeds

[The Subhuman]

Don't disagree with him at all, though the defence looks about the best in the division when not being fiddled with plus we have the leagues top scorer.

[Gurj]

I am worried......seriously worried now. The issues that I mentioned previously are hurting us game after game. Once again Wood so isolated at times, midfielders as Noel Whelan pointed out last night, failing to go beyond him. Whatever permutation we go for in the middle of the park, none of them seem capable of making those lung busting runs into the box to try and take the burden off Wood in scoring. We just dont have someone like a Howson or a Bowyer of years gone by. All we seem to have are defensively minded players.

The lack of creativity is a massive concern, yes we may still sneak into play offs but are we looking like a side capable of winning them ?
Nowhere near right now. Also, I am not sure what Roofe has done wrong to be always starting on the bench these days. When we were on that great run around Xmas time, he was instrumental in that line up. Now even the likes of Barrow get a start ahead of him !!

Reason I am worried even more is that coming up we are playing teams who are bang in form right now. Preston scored 5 last night, then we have the Toon, followed by Wolves who have won five on the trot now. Our performances will have to improve massively compared to the current ones to get say even 5 points from those 9 !

Last word on last night, Canos, what a player - for the sake of a measly £2m we didnt pursue our interest. Yes £2m is measly in football parlours these days and no he wasnt any kind of gamble - he has been playing in this league for a while now, it was only a change of manager saw him loaned at Norwich who had too big a squad to get him in the side. Not buying him in Jan, along with a striker and a centre half is proving to be a major error. I just hope it doesn't cost us a top 6 place now !

[lufc1304]

Whilst I am not as worried as Gurj (even the most optimistic of us would have took a top 10 finish at the start of the season), I agree wholeheartedly with his assessment re the January window. Canos wasn't a gamble, but we walked away, we didn't find any sort of alternative to Wood and we brought in two more wingers who have yet to make much of an impact. Did Monk get it wrong? Did the board not back him? We will probably never know, but the reality is that whilst we have, when fit, one of the best back fives in the league, we have a midfield group who are, in the main, devoid of any real creativity. Bar the mercurial Hernandez. Wherever we finish this season, we have made great strides and I have faith in Monk taking us forward, but I can't help thinking we maybe missed a trick during the window. Echoes of 2011, anyone?

[The Subhuman]

Again, Hernandez plays better with Roofe in the side. The more options Monk gets the more he tinkers.