Brentford fans should give Marinus Dijkhuizen a chance before passing judgement on the Dutchman.

The former Excelsior trainer was named as the new head coach on Monday after holding successful talks last week.

There was a mixed reaction when the 43-year-old was named as the primary target by Matthew Benham, largely because nobody had much knowledge of him.

His win-draw-loss record last season of 6-14-14 looks underwhelming but you have to look behind the numbers.

Excelsior were a feeder club to Feyenoord in the last few years. They have one of the smallest stadia in Dutch professional football and they would have a budget that, on paper, should have seen them go down. That they did not is a testament to Dijkhuizen's skills.

I've read on social media 'why did Brentford get rid of Mark Warburton?' a lot. The answer is they didn't.

Warburton chose to leave because he did not want to work in Benham's new structure. The former boss was wary of letting statistics bring in new players but, more importantly, felt the manager should have a veto on signings.

Mark Warburton's record as Brentford boss

FC Midtjylland, Benham's other club, have used the mathematical models the owner has to great effect, winning the Danish league for the first time in their history.

His methods work and, while Warburton was sceptical of whether they would work in England, there is no reason to suggest they won't.

The main reason to be optimistic though is Benham has been correct with every managerial appointment he's made and none of them have been the managerial merry-go-round candidates like Ian Holloway, Neil Warnock, Lee Clark and others.

Uwe Rosler was the most well-known choice given his association with Manchester City. The German brought about a style change and laid the foundations for where the club are today.

Mark Warburton was a left-field appointment given his city background and managerial inexperience. He did an excellent job with the club and provided their highest league finish since the Football League expanded to 92 clubs.

Benham, and Brentford, are not going to copy the bigger boys in the Championship – the club don't have the resources to do so within Financial Fair Play and to adjust a quote from Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane; if Brentford do what their rivals do with less money, they'll lose every time.

It is important to remember, as well, that the head coach is, no longer, the kingpin when it comes to recruitment. What is important is the structure of the club.

While doing things differently in other areas, Benham's idea is to have a club that can cope with the departure of the management and leading players, much like Southampton and Swansea have done this season to their great credit. Who thought the Saints would struggle after losing Mauricio Pochettino, Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert and Dejan Lovren last summer? I did and reckon most people thought the same.

Model to adapt: Southampton qualified for the Europa League after being tipped, in some quarters, to go down

So, whatever happens this season, the structure of the club is more important much like it was at Watford in the campaign just gone. They had four men in charge, admittedly Oscar Garcia left due to health reasons, but still won promotion.

Dijkhuizen, like any management appointment, is a gamble but Benham made his millions from that industry. It would not be a surprise to see the Bees holding all the aces come this time next year.

The phrase 'In Benham we trust' is more relevant than it has been at any time in the club's recent history. Now it's time to strap in and enjoy the ride.

poll loading

Is Marinus Dijkhuizen the right man to lead Brentford?

500+ VOTES SO FAR