Harlee Dean believes the international break has helped Brentford recover from a run of seven defeats in eight games.

The Bees have been sliding down the table and are now too close to the relegation zone for comfort.

Dean went off to Dubai with his family and admitted it was nice to be away from the football bubble having been difficult to be around after recent losses.

He said: “I think the break has helped. It's nice to recharge my batteries and take your mind off everything.

“It's your job and what you love doing and it affects you. It's nice for my family to see me in a different light as the person outside of football.

“I probably have been grumpy although you don't think you are. You're not happy. You come home after a Saturday and don't want to do anything. You become frustrated.”

The recent run of form is the worst by a Brentford side since Dean's arrival, even though he has been happy with how he has done personally.

He added: “It's the worst I've been since I've been here. I've never experienced it in professional football.

“I wasn't too happy with my form a few weeks back. I've been happy with the last five six games but we've been losing.

“We can't score goals and we don't look like creating and it's a bit of a tough time at the minute.”

When asked, why form has been so bad, Dean, after pausing to think, responded: “We've lost a lot of players. The impact of losing Tarky and Toums was massive. It was the spine of the team.

“People have stepped in and done well. We're an inexperienced team and we haven't got a goalscorer.

“Look at what Andre is doing for Burnley – they're going to go up as they've got him. We need goalscorers and I don't think we've got any.”

Burnley's Andre Gray
Missed: Andre Gray

Dean knows Brentford need to get sufficient points in order to survive before rebuilding in the summer.

“Everything sounds negative but that's where we are at the minute. I think the future will be positive. I'm not going to paper over any cracks or say it's all rosey when it's not,” Dean explained.

“I think the idea is to get over the line. The plan didn't work and now we've got to make sure we don't go down and rebuild with new players and go again in the summer and hope we have a year like we did last year and it'll be better.”

Dean signed a new two year deal recently but didn't reveal any conversation about future plans, although he admitted that he felt the club weren't successful in their recruitment style this season.

He added: “It wasn't really expressed. I always said I wanted to be here. The couldn't have said anything and I'd have wanted to sign.

“I think the style of recruitment this year maybe hasn't worked 100 per cent. The new players that have come in will have experience.

“We'll be better as a team. I think you need flair players and people who score goals in the Championship.

“We haven't got anyone at the minute apart from Judgey and you can't rely on him all the time.”

Leandro Rodriguez

The Bees have to now scrap for their survival and Dean believes the presence of Alan McCormack, Sam Saunders and the arrival of Leandro Rodriguez will help the club's cause.

He said: “We're not a physical team so it's a tough situation we're in. We can play nice football but it's probably not effective.

“I can't remember us creating a lot of chances in the last few games. Having Macca back is good. We've got the experience of Sam. We've got Leandro in now. He's going to run the other way and that's what we're missing in a striker.

“He's shown some great bits of skill as well and he can take a tackle. It was tough for him against Blackburn but he's ready for the Championship.”