Brentford Football club’s much anticipated ‘statement’ has now been issued and, for better or for worse, it finally outlines the exact situation at the club following a week of rumour, gossip, anger and confusion.
In short, Mark Warburton and David Weir will take control of first team affairs for the remainder of the 2014/15 Championship season, before leaving for pastures new, whilst Sporting Director Frank McParland has been placed on ‘gardening leave’ with immediate effect. The reasons for these decisions were explained as follows.
Matthew Benham said: “I am a passionate Brentford fan and every decision I take is intended to be in the best long term interests of the Club. “Some of the decisions taken to date have been easy and some, like this one, have been extremely hard.”
Cliff Crown, Chairman of Brentford FC said: “Lots of clubs are criticised for short term thinking – we want to take a long term view and put structures in place that both the Board and the owner believe will be to the benefit of Brentford FC for years to come.”
He continued, “The new structure is unusual in English football, although commonplace in other European countries and in other sports. “We would have loved for Mark to stay, working within the new structure, but he feels that this is not right for him.”
“We understand that completely and had to weigh up the benefits of the new structure against losing a fantastically successful manager before taking this decision. “Recent press articles made it impossible to continue orderly discussions in private about the next steps for the Club. “We regret this happening and fully appreciate that the uncertainty and often inaccurate speculation has been unsatisfactory for fans. We must now focus totally on the remainder of the season.”
Matthew Benham also said: “Under Mark’s stewardship, Brentford have achieved a high league position and played football which is a joy to watch. “It is difficult to seek to implement change, particularly when things appear to be going so well, but I am single minded in my resolve that we can leave no stone unturned in our quest for sustainable Premier League Football.”
“Innovation, not increased funding, can be the only route to success for clubs such as ours, and I fully accept that innovation is never without risk. “We are continuing to build a strong base for the future.”
“Everything has been perfectly amicable between all parties and we remain friends.”
Mark Warburton said: “I will be forever grateful to Matthew for giving me the opportunity to be Manager of this fantastic Football Club and for what he has done for the Club since I have been here.”
“It has been an absolute honour and a privilege to do the job and I have had the pleasure of working with a fantastic group of players and staff and have enjoyed the backing of a magnificent set of supporters.”
“While I am disappointed that we have been unable to reconcile some key philosophical differences, I’m relieved we now have clarity.”
“In my remaining time at the Club we shall move heaven and earth to get the promotion that the players, fans and Matthew deserve and going forward, I wish the club every success in its ongoing adventure.”
“I have enormous respect for Matthew and his investment in the Club and he has the absolute right to run the club in the manner he deems most appropriate and beneficial. I have the privilege of managing an outstanding group of players, a group which has demonstrated a work ethic, a harmony and no shortage of quality.”
“David and I, and indeed all the staff, remain totally focused on supporting this squad of players and ensuring they are best prepared for each and every remaining fixture this season.
“Please be absolutely reassured that nothing will detract from our work for Brentford Football Club between now and the end of the season.”
Quite how the players will react to these developments, who knows, only time will tell. Let’s hope that Mark Warburton is able to focus their minds on not letting this season implode… And whether Warbs will remain until the curtain comes down is very much down to what opportunities arise elsewhere … for the moment let’s assume that is the case.
Either way, the long-term vision for the club has been laid down – and although it may take a little time to absorb and digest that vision – I firmly believe Mathew Benham deserves our support and hope fan infighting can be avoided if at all possible. The bigger picture cannot be ignored, surely?
My only wish is that Mark Warburton shared the same vision and cold remain at the club long into the future. He’s a man that we all admire and thank for what he has done for the fans and our football club.
Dave Lane
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In other words, what the Club means is “Four legs good, two legs better!!”
This season is over!!!!
It’s a harsh but undeniably true statement that happened the minute the news article was written and broke on the morning of the Watford game. Plain and simple. Benham did not want it to happen, Warburton did not want it to happen, the players did not want it to happen and the majority of fans who have pinned almost every last iota of hope that we have to get to the promised land of the Premier League at the very first attempt did not want it to happen but it’s as true as it ever will be. And was it all contrived to be that way?
Has Benham pulled another mastermind stroke that we are all unaware of? We’re we ready for th Premiership? Answer in my opinion is, not even close to it!
We’re we really supposed to do this well under Warburtons stewardship this year? Doubtful. Are we over achieving with he group of players we have? Very possibly. Have we got a squad or group of players fit for the challenge of the Premier League! Undeniably no (especially at centre back and most notably Dean who is getting embarrassed on national TV on the Football League highlights show on a weekly basis these days). Is our ground fit for purpose? Not in the slightest, regardless of what the Press statements of the club might suggest otherwise. We are approximately 3 years away of mounting a strong challenge and one that is sustainable, a word that Benham himself uses when he speaks about the club.
This season is over because if Warburton is not already lined up or courted or hasn’t already signed a pre contract agreement with another club, quite possibly QPR or Leicester or any other, I’d be very surprised by now. And if he has, early mornings, after training, in the evenings, at weekends after the games or even in the hotels prior to them he next day, Warburton will be in contact with his new club talking transfer targets, putting in place ideas/training methods/pre season trips or other such things that will be important for HIS own personal success next season……and who can blame him, even if it is at our nearest local rivals because if we don’t want him, who can begrudge him the chance of doing it there without the need to uproot his family or move house half way up the country? Not me.
This season is also over because the group of players who were protected, cajoled, bigged up, put on a pedestal by Warburton and who he remained fiercely loyal to, are now in fear of where they’ll be playing next season. Those who are nearing the end of their careers namely Douglas, Craig, Saunders must be fearful that the stats or figures of which Benham seems to assess his playing targets, might not stack up in their aged legs in their performances anymore. Players like Harlee Dean, Bidwell (although I think it’s just a small blip but I’m not sure he could progress much higher than Championship as he cannot beat a man round the outside ever), Proswitcz, numerous others within he squad must be quaking in their boots and realise that their days are numbered at the club. Our analysis team must have ran out of ways of watching the video replays back of the games and after watching Deans numerous unforced errors and glaring mistakes, must be trying hard not to make it sound other than personal at this stage but it’s a harsh fact of life that he has not coped with the step up to Championship and will very easily find his level in Div 1 again sometime soon but hopefully not with us in tow and under Benham, I doubt that will happen in the near future. But all these players, some of which sound and appear from the outside in, are the big personalities in the dressing room. Definitely Douglas, Saunders and Dean and the only way to break their hold on the team if Benham thinks it will hold it back, is to break them up and move them on.
It is horrible to hear or read about as the day before Watford we were all dreaming about trying to break the top 2 before the end of May but I’m not sure it was ever in Benhams mind to do so. It would have been a logistic and PR nightmare. A club with a ground not fit for it, playing in a borrowed home, home and away games played away, most of the money being earned being siphoned off to our landlords and all in all a drag for supporters each week. premier League big wigs sniggering at our attempts each week to mix it with the big boys, given the small little club we are, well I doubt that is Benhams vision. He is much more forward thinking than that. He’ll do it in his own time, under his own rules and when we get there, which I seriously believe the single mindedness of the man will achieve, he will do it when he will fell more than comfortable walking in to the marble halls of Old Trafford, or The Emirates or Stamford Bridge on an even par and not as anything inferior at all. We’ll go there holding our own. But I’m afraid this season is over. Anything other than that way of thinking is naive at best.
Benham has sacrificed, what appears to us loyal fans as our best chance in years of dining at the top table next year, for a much better, more balanced approached go at it, in a few seasons times but what with the recent worlds ‘success as quickly as possible’ outlook these days, we cannot accept it. But give him time, he’ll do it. Has he let us down yet? Not me anyway.
Everyone’s head has been turned, the manager, his assistant, his back room team, players, reserves, fans, general staff at the club and the air of uncertainty is rife so there is no chance we’ll sustain our challenge this year but as I said, I’m not sure it was Benhams interest to do so, just in case we did happen to achieve it.
On a final note, if we look back on our previous 28 years of absolutely struggle to get out of the bottom 2 tiers, and then it was only for a year the last time, well we’re all well ahead of schedule but in that same time period, we were all aware of the most successful club over a sustained period of time in Man Utd. Although they kept the stability of the manager in place for all that time, although at the start there was a real blip, they changed almost every year, they made widespread changes to playing staff, they made calls on getting rid of popular players to bring others in, some who went on to much improve te team but one thing they did was they never sat on their laurels, they kept moving forward to stay ahead of the others. Is Benham simply doing the same with his new way of thinking. I would love to think that we are so blessed that right now, those so called professionals and Press who are writing tabloid headlines about the huge mistake Brentford are making, will be totally embarrassed in a few years time when they will all be lauding Benhams model as the way almost every club is run and be knocking down our door to find out how to do it and why we are so successful at it.
Keep the faith. We’ve seen change before but I’m not sure we’ve ever seen anyone as visionary as Benham before and I for one think we are more than blessed to have him.
We Could do with both Mark and his assistant staying at the club,Why as an owner cant you see this is the correct team to gain us premosion. Why break up a winning team?