Championship: Brentford still learning league challenges, says manager Dean Smith
Thursday 10 March 2016 16:41, UK
Brentford manager Dean Smith insists his young team are still learning how to meet the challenges of Championship football ahead of their west London derby clash with Queens Park Rangers on Saturday.
Brentford currently sit 17th in the table and have won just two games since the start of 2016, and have lost their last two games against Charlton and Rotherham.
The Championship club have made eight signings in total this season and seen 14 players depart the club, including some who were part of the Brentford side that finished fifth last season.
But Smith, who left Walsall to take over from Lee Carsley at the end of October, feels the team are making progress despite the results.
"A lot of people are learning," he said at Brentford's press conference.
"You've only got to look at our back four including [defender] Harlee Dean who is our oldest campaigner in that area so we've got a young squad that are learning and the Championship is a tough league to learn in.
"I'm now looking forward to Saturday, the atmosphere at Loftus Road and the following that we'll have. I've experienced going to Fulham quite early in the job so I'm looking forward to it."
The Brentford boss also feels there is not necessarily any added pressure on his team to deliver a positive result against QPR, but performances have to keep improving .
He said: "We're in a results-based industry and you've got to get results but there's also a project you're working towards as well."
"One thing I've always said is, 'You've always got to concentrate on performances because you very rarely get results', there's a lot of tangibles that are not in your control.
"You have to control your performances and that's what we'll continue to do."
Club captain Jake Bidwell says that heading in to the QPR game, the players will use the recent defeats to two clubs currently in the relegation zone as motivation to be mentally prepared for the derby.
"You've got to draw on more recent feelings," he explained.
"Sitting in the changing room after the Charlton defeat, you feel sick. You've got to remember how that feels to drive you on and make sure that doesn't happen again."
