Intro and Team News

IBO Reporter - channonite

|Well, that was the League Cup

After all the talk that the club were taking the competition seriously and Ralph naming his strongest available team, with the only change being Nathan Tella taking the injured Stuart Armstrong's place, they turn in an insipid performance that was even worse than the weekends loss to Crystal Palace.

What was staggering was Ralph's admission that the players were just not fit. During Project Restart the team looked super fit, often overwhelming teams in the latter parts of the games. The last game of the season at home to Sheffield United was a classic example of this.

Words just fail me.

Match Report

IBO Reporter : channonite

|This game made me cross. Ralph put out his entire available first team, with Tella making his first team debut an place of the injured Armstrong and yet they were still outplayed by a very decent Championship side, who thanks to some positive coronavirus tests, could only name five substitutes.

Within the first few minutes McCarthy was in all sorts of trouble, as Brentford put him under a lot of pressure. He came way out of his area to clatter one player, survived that and then just stopped short of doing the same thing again, only to clear the ball straight to another Brentford player, who would have scored, but for the timely intervention of Jack Stephens.

The strange lack of edge from Saints was illustrated by both Adams and Ings having chances that they would have buried during Project Restart in June/July. Here we are just over a month later and they can't hit the proverbial barn door with a banjo. What on earth happened?

Eventually Saints were made to pay when from a corner the Brentford No.6 was completely unmarked and placed his header beyond the static McCarthy. 0-1 and deserved on the run of play.

I had hoped we would get to half-time, which was about five minutes away, without any more damage. The team just looked stunned by the goal, although Brentford looked far more dangerous. That turned out to be a false hope.

Brentford's second goal by Dasilva was a well worked team goal, showing great skill and composure and came in time added on at the end of the first half. It took the wind right out of the home team's sails.

The second half was a lacklustre affair, only enlivened from our point of view by a looping header from Jack Stephens, which the Brentford keeper just got to, managing to tip it over the bar.

So, a depressing loss against a side who I think would have been a definite enhancement to the Premier League, had they actually managed to win the Championship Play-Off Final. Brentford looked as good as Saints looked poor. It is going to be a long, hard season if we continue in this vein.

Man of the Match? You have got to be joking.

Match Stats

Referee: John Brooks

Attendance: NIL