Keith Andrews insisted Brentford are capable of much better than they showed during a dismal first-half showing against Nottingham Forest.
The Bees made a poor start under new head coach Andrews,losing 3-1at the City Ground, where all three Forest goals came in a totally one-sided first half.
Chris Wood scored twice and Dan Ndoye also netted for Forest before Igor Thiago reduced the deficit with a second-half penalty.
Brentford have been tipped by many to struggle following the departures of boss Thomas Frank and key players Bryan Mbeumo, Christian Norgaard and potentially Yoane Wissa.
And their performance, especially in the first half, will do nothing to silence the doubters.
But Andrews said: “I said to the players at half-time, and I firmly believe it now, that that 45 minutes doesn’t define us as a group.
“We didn’t do things right in the first half, but the second half showed a lot of what we’re about.”
Brentford were without Mikkel Damsgaard, who missed the game because of the birth of his child.
And, as expected, Wissa was not involved amid uncertainty over his future.
Wissa wants to join Newcastle, who are keen to sign him, and Andrews wants the situation resolved.
“As far as I know nothing else has happened today, definitely didn’t yesterday, so it’s as it was,” said Andrews.
“I have no idea what the situation will be. Hopefully it can resolve itself sooner rather than later.”
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