A year ago today (February 10), Brentford fans were waking up stunned after reports suggested Mark Warburton was going to be sacked and replaced by Paco Jemez.

Indeed, a week later the club statement came and Warburton's tenure at Griffin Park ended at the conclusion of last season.

The Bees have undergone a lot of change since that fateful day and debate still rages about whether the decisions were right or wrong.

Before we take a look at these events in detail, it is fair to make it clear that Matthew Benham has Brentford's best interests at heart and the money he has put into the club has given him the right to run it how he pleases.

Without him, the club would certainly not be an established Championship side – that is an undeniable fact.

Where the club would be without him is up for debate. But, in this reporter's opinion, it is more likely Brentford would not be in the Football League and it is plausible to suggest they would not exist today.

That is not to say, however, the actual decisions made can't be questioned. So, without further ado, let's dive into the past year at Brentford FC. We'll start by doing some mythbusting.

Mark Warburton was sacked?

Brentford FC main investor and owner-to-be Matthew Benham

The popular myth is Mark Warburton was sacked and this is still prevalent on social media. The short answer to this question is Warburton was NOT sacked.

The long answer remains in the negative but with certain caveats.

The club statement confirming Warburton's departure included the following: “There will also be a new recruitment structure using a mixture of traditional scouting and other tools including mathematical modelling.

“As part of the new recruitment structure, the head coach will have a strong input in to the players brought in to the club but not an absolute veto.”

Critics jumped on the three words 'including mathematical modelling' but that was not the overall reason why Warburton felt he could not work in the new structure.

The real explanation behind it all was the former manager would lose the veto – this was confirmed by Warburton prior to his departure.

Going back to the original question, Benham decided he wanted to change the way the club is run, as he has every right to do bearing in mind he has ploughed around £100million into Brentford.

Warburton, sporting director Frank McParland and assistant manager David Weir did not want to work under the changes imposed on them.

The trio were NOT sacked but they clearly felt their positions were made untenable by the structure Benham wanted imposed.

I would compare it to being in a bar and being told you're no longer going to be served alcohol that evening. You can stay and have a soft drink if you so choose but that's it.

In that situation, normally you would choose to leave the bar of your own accord through the front door and the bar aren't getting a bouncer to sling you out of the back door.

If Warburton had stayed, Brentford's best players would have remained?

Departed: James Tarkowski

This, again, is a myth. If you go through all of the players to leave since the end of last season, it is highly unlikely any of them would have stayed if he was at the club. Alex Pritchard and Jon Toral weren't the club's to lose so they aren't included.

James Tarkowski – His unfortunate mother's incurable illness would have meant he would want to return up north.

Toumani Diagouraga – The Frenchman would have doubled his wages in what is likely to be one of his final major contracts in professional football.

Jota – His personal issues would have dictated that he would leave the club and return to Spain.

Andre Gray – The money offered met Brentford's valuation and the striker would have certainly enjoyed a large increase in wages.

Stuart Dallas – Possibly the only player who would have remained at the club had Warburton still been involved but would have received a much better contract at Leeds.

Moses Odubajo – Hull met his release clause and he wanted to leave.

Jonathan Douglas – Unlikely to have stayed under Warburton but rowed with Benham, which was one of the factors leading to his departure. Brentford are yet to replace him on the pitch.

Tony Craig – As much as the Bees miss his willingness to run through walls for the cause, the Millwall defender would have only been a player in the wider squad.

The signings

Successful: Ryan Woods

Brentford could have done nothing to prevent the departures by and large but the success of the recruits has been mixed.

Of those signed permanently, only Ryan Woods and Maxime Colin can be judged, at the time of writing as a success.

There have been a lot of encouraging signs regarding Yoann Barbet, but it is still early days with the French defender. One thing is certain though, Barbet absolutely gets the club and its history.

As for the strikers, none of them can be deemed as successful, certainly on this season's showing but that can change in the future. Lasse Vibe is exhausted after playing for over a year. Philipp Hofmann is left too isolated for the way Brentford play, while Marco Djuricin has been hit and miss and is yet to return fully from injury.

Andy Gogia and Konstantin Kerschbaumer have yet to set the world alight, although these were the two 'cheapest' signings while Andreas Bjelland suffered a season-ending injury 45 minutes into his Brentford debut in August.

Of the players brought in on loan, John Swift and Sergi Canos has been more hit than miss which, given their relative inexperience, is encouraging.

Deals extended: Sergi Canos and John Swift

Signing a player is always a gamble to a greater or lesser degree. A club could sign Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo but, due to a freak incident, they suffer long-term injuries.

Speaking to Jake Bidwell last month, he admitted he needed time to adjust to London life from the relative quiet of the north west.

He could empathise with players coming in from abroad as they also had to learn the language and adapt to a different style of football.

On a personal level, I prefer the Warburton/McParland profile of signing which was taking talented players from the leagues below (Odubajo, Gray, Hogan) as well as supplementing them with bright young talent from a Premier League academy (Pritchard, Toral).

Those players will cost more money but there is less 'adjustment time'. One can only hope the likes of Vibe and co benefit from a season of learning and adaptation and return in August much better players.

Personnel change behind the scenes

Summer recruitment: Head coach Marinus Dijkhuizen, co-director of football Rasmus Ankersen, owner Matthew Benham and co-director of football Phil Giles

Rasmus Ankersen and Phil Giles became co-directors of football to replace McParland and their first job was to help select the new head coach.

Marinus Dijkhuizen was the man the club chose to take charge as they implemented their new systems.

The Dijkhuizen reign though was short-lived and it was one that will not be remembered fondly by Brentford supporters.

The Dutchman appeared out of his depth coming from Excelsior, a club where he practically ran everything, to Brentford, who have far greater resources.

Indeed, the first two months were difficult. Results on the pitch pointed towards a relegation battle. Off the pitch, the upheaval had taken its toll and injuries blighted the squad as well. The Griffin Park pitch, itself, had to be ripped up and relaid after two competitive games.

Resurface needed: The Griffin Park pitch

After Dijkhuizen was ruthlessly axed after eight league games, Brentford turned to Lee Carsley to steady the ship.

There were relegation fears after his first two games in charge with the Bees playing badly and the former Everton midfielder saying he did not want the job.

However, the October international break saw a mini pre-season and Brentford returned to action and started an excellent run of form that saw Carsley and Alan Judge named manager and player of the month respectively.

The Bees were looking for a permanent head coach and they found it at the end of November as they appointed Dean Smith to take charge.

The former Walsall boss has had an inconsistent start but has not been able to change the squad as the club didn't make any additions in January, which led to Ankersen coming in for criticism from fans for previous comments.

Are Brentford better off for the changes?

Dean Smith

If looking at the respective points and league position compared to last season, the answer has to be no.

If looking at the financial footing of the club then the answer has to be yes.

This season has to be taken as one of consolidation – the play-offs are looking like a long-shot and winning them an even longer one given that we all know Brentford and the play-offs don't mix.

If the play-offs are ruled out though, then the aims for the rest of the campaign are simple.

The majority of fans I have spoken to would rather finish in the bottom half, while beating QPR and Fulham in the two remaining west London derbies and end the campaign above them in the table, than finish in the top half and lose to their west London foes.

Aim: Beat Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink's side

It is too early to judge whether the decision to change is the right or wrong one, however the club faces a critical summer.

The money raised in January will be reinvested and the club will have to make sure their squad is much stronger in August than it is currently.

If Brentford are pushing for a play-off spot next season then it can be seen that the long-term approach is working.

But, if they are in a relegation fight, serious questions will need to be asked if the system is working as a return to League One would be a major blow to the 'big new ambitions' for all concerned.

poll loading

Are Brentford better off for the structural changes?