Brentford 3 Wolves 0 - Report and pictures
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Just when you thought the situation couldn't get anymore desperate.more
Shambolic Wolves were torn apart by Brentford, who hadn't won at home since mid December, in a performance that quite simply lacked anywhere near the required quality to win football matches at this level, writes Tim Spiers at Griffin Park.
The away end turned toxic. They chanted "you're not fit to wear the shirt", booed their own player in Rajiv van La Parra, and hurled abuse at the team and Kenny Jackett at full time as they sheepishly made their way across the pitch to the tunnel.
What a mess this is. Wolves are now winless in seven and have lose three on the bounce.
But worse than that, their performances have got exactly what they have merited.
In fact here they were arguably deserving of an even heavier defeat.
The changes Jackett made to his XI, hailed as positive by most supporters before kick off, made no difference.
The is a team devoid of confidence, one lacking in guile and nous, one lacking a coherent gameplan.
The players are lost souls. They need organising, they need leadership.
And Steve Morgan must now decide whether Kenny Jackett is the man who can give them that leadership.
So disenchanted and embittered are these supporters, that they need and deserve an answer, be it back him or sack him.
Because this is a team, and a rudderless club, going absolutely nowhere.
Jackett made three changes from the side that lost 1-0 at Huddersfield on Saturday.
In came Kortney Hause for his first appearance since being stretchered off with a hamstring strain against Middlesbrough in October.
Nathan Byrne was handed his first start since December 20, while Kevin McDonald was also restored to the XI, with Dominic Iorfa, George Saville and Tommy Rowe dropping out.
It was an attacking line-up - and Wolves started on the front foot, producing more shots on target in the first nine minutes than during the entire 90 against Huddersfield.
Six minutes in, Van La Parra delivered an on-the-money cross for Bjorn Sigurdarson whose free header was straight at Bees keeper David Button.
And then Joe Mason broke down the right, played inside for Sigurdarson, he teed up Byrne who curled into the keeper's arms from the edge of the box.
That was too good opportunities wasted, and the game soon settled into a scrappy pattern.
It wasn't until the 23rd minute that it came back to life, with dangerman Alan Judge, scorer of 12 goals from midfield this season, pinging one off the outside on the post from 20 yards.
The game then began to open up,
Matt Doherty saw a gap in the Brentford box and broke towards goal, but fired wide.
In a frantic minute, Danny Batth made a characteristic last-ditch block to deny John Swift, before Sergi Canos sent a free header over the bar.
Brentford, managed by former Walsall boss Dean Smith, were playing some intricate football in and around the Wolves box, with the visitors guilty of ball watching.
Judge fired into the side netting, Canos hit one at Ikeme and then Nico Yennaris lashed over when well placed.
It was all Brentford, with the ball continuously coming back into the Wolves half, and the Bees duly took the lead six minutes before the break.
The ball broke for Swift in the box, with Ikeme beaten, and his shot hit Ebanks-Landell and rolled into the net.
Mason fired a close-range effort at the near post before the whistle, but it was very much Brentford's half and Wolves were lucky to only be 1-0 down.
The players and Jackett had to walk gauntlet in front of the Wolves supporters as they headed for the tunnel - and the away fans gave them plenty of stick.
There were no changes made at half time, but after a couple of Brentford corners Wolves began to re-exert themselves.
Van La Parra's deep cross only just evaded Byrne, and then McDonald forced Button into a low save with a decent effort from range.
But the improvement didn't yield an equaliser - and clinical Brentford made Wolves pay when they doubled their lead on 56 minutes.
Judge teed up Canos in the box and he had freedom to crash past the helpless Ikeme.
The boos then began for Van La Parra, every time he touched the ball thereafter until he was substituted, along with Byrne, on 62 minutes.
Saville and Le Fondre replaced them as Jackett switched to 4-3-3.
The atmosphere in the away end was turning toxic, with the 900 or so who'd travelled to London chanting "you're not fit to wear the shirt".
And their mood only darkened when Brentford made it 3-0, Swift having time and space to pick his spot from close range after the ball came across goal from Canos who beat Hause all ends up.
Thereafter it seemed a matter of 'how many', but aside from a Judge shot and another couple of blocks and a late Ikeme save.
Brentford showed mercy. But will Steve Morgan?
Brentford (4-2-3-1): Button; Yennaris, Dean, O'Connell, Bidwell (c); Woods, McEachran (Kerschbaumer, 81); Canos (Saunders, 76),Judge, Swift; Djuricin (Vibe, 86). Subs: Bonham, Hofmann, Barnet, Clarke.
Goals: Swift (39, 67), Canos (56)
Wolves (4-4-2): Ikeme; Doherty, Batth (c), Ebanks-Landell, Hause; Van La Parra (Le Fondre, 62), Coady, McDonald, Byrne (Saville, 62); Mason, Sigurdarson. Subs: Martinez, Iorfa, Price, Rowe, Hunte.
