Brentford produced a tepid display of football as they were deservedly beaten 3-1 by Reading.
The Bees were off the pace in the first-half and fell 2-0 down thanks to goals from Orlando Sa and Nick Blackman.
Lasse Vibe pulled one back in the second-half but Blackman's penalty, after being felled by goalkeeper David Button, sealed the game for the Royals.
Below are six key talking points from the contest that frustrated the Griffin Park faithful.
Brilliant Button
David Button kept Brentford within touching distance in the first-half. There was nothing he could do about either goal conceded and made a string of fine saves, including a spectacular double stop late on.
Reading fans were telling him that he was a poor (might have been a different word) Jenson Button, the McLaren Honda driver but the Bees goalkeeper performed above the level of the rest of his team, unlike the current Formula One backmarker.
Button is one of of the best, if not the best, goalkeeper in the second tier and would probably be the biggest loss to the team were he to leave or get injured.
However, he needs his team-mates to give him some more protection and that is something they haven't done yet.
O'Cause for O'Connell
The central defence was a problem last season and it remains so this season. The partnership of Harlee Dean and James Tarkowski has led to too many goals against.
Jack O'Connell looked impressive in pre-season and was one of the few players to come out of the Oxford debacle with any credit attached.
His natural left foot would strengthen the left hand side of defence and his strength and height will benefit the club as well.
For me, Tarkowski should be the man to make way. He has been off the pace in both home games, lost Sa for Reading's opener conceded the foul for their second goal with a needless push and failed to track back for the penalty.
Sam Saunders, who had lost the ball, Maxime Colin and Dean all raced back in vain. Alan McCormack was the man left back for the counter.
Vice-captain Dean is not perfect but, unlike several others on the pitch in the first-half, was at least trying to put some organisation into the team.
Mystifying Midfield
Toumani Diagouraga was hauled off after 36 minutes after a performance that was well below the standards he would set himself.
Andy Gogia was also withdrawn at half-time after an anonymous performance, while Konstantin Kerschbaumer went off late in the second-half.
Diagouraga and Kerschbaumer have not clicked as a partnership in the same way that the Frenchman did with Jonathan Douglas last season.
For me, it should have been the Austrian to make way as Diagouraga and Alan McCormack would have known each other's games better.
The Irishman has gone from being a player who couldn't get off the bench towards the end of last season to one that has become vital for the club.
McCormack would admit himself that he is not the quickest player, nor the most skilful but when it comes to commitment and heart there is no better player in red and white stripes than him.
Clarke's Cameo
Josh Clarke replaced the poor Andy Gogia at half-time and showed some encouraging signs with his display, injecting pace and energy into the team.
However, the right sided player lacks the nous and experience to make it as a Championship player.
He has a future in the game but, in the short-term, he might well benefit from a contract extension and a loan move to a league club to play regular men's football.
The fact he is on the bench shows how much the squad has weakened this season with Dijkhuizen not believing the young academy products are ready for Championship football.
Dijkhuizen's Dilemma
I've got a lot of time for Marinus Dijkhuizen. He's honest and frank with his opinions and, for me, it's better than hearing the same old excuses that come out of other managers in this division.
The Dutchman has been dealt a rough hand since joining the club. Firstly, he's had to see it be dismantled with Tony Craig, Jonathan Douglas, Moses Odubajo, Stuart Dallas and Andre Gray all leaving the club.
Those departures ripped the heart and spine out of the team. Craig might have rejoined boyhood club Millwall but he will remain missed by the squad given the strength of his character in the dressing room.
Secondly, the injuries to Andreas Bjelland, Josh McEachran and Jota, who was injured from a Douglas tackle, clearly haven't helped his cause. The lack of replacements for these players has hindered his progress as well.
Thirdly, he had to deal with a pitch that was so dreadful it needed to be ripped up after 270 minutes of football; the Stoke friendly, the Ipswich season opener and Oxford disaster.
He admitted after the game that he had only seen signing to be Marco Djuricin on video. I don't think that's good enough. A head coach/manager really needs to know who they're having to choose from and a highlights reel doesn't do that.
Set-piece Stuggles
Brentford brought in set-piece coach Gianni Vio from AC Milan this summer as this was an area that had, rightly, been deemed necessary for improvement.
The Bees' ability to create goals from dead ball set plays was practically non-existent last season. If memory serves me correctly, only Jonathan Douglas' header against Reading last September came from a corner and, even then, it looked as if he was fouling his defender.
The Bees have matched that tally of one already this season with Tarkowski's late equaliser against Ipswich but their free kicks and corners were abysmal.
Alan Judge couldn't find his man from corners and even curled one straight out of play. Alan McCormack and Sam Saunders both overhit free-kicks that went tamely out for goal kicks.
These things take time but they appearing to be getting worse than what they were last season.
