Brentford must get the basics right to climb the football pyramid (From Your Local Guardian)

Brentford must get the basics right to climb the football pyramid

3:46pm Friday 6th June 2008

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New Brentford non-executive director Mike Power sets out an exciting vision for the club on page 62 of this week's Times.

It is ironic that he has just taken up this role because his views echo those of my esteemed colleague Jo Rooney, printed in this column only last week.

Both used the example of Hull City, recently promoted to the Premiership, as a model for Brentford to follow.

And with plenty of justification. Hull's move away from their dilapidated Boothferry Park to their spanking new KC Stadium has been one of the catalysts for their rise from the basement to the top flight.

Hull's crowds in the Championship regularly topped 20,000 last season - a far cry from the 2,500 or so who sometimes filtered through the turnstiles in the bad old days.

But something bothers me about people whose vision of success seems over-reliant on development plans.

It was a couple of decades ago now, but Wimbledon managed their rise through the divisions at one of the worst grounds of them all - Plough Lane. Indeed, their problems began when they left their spiritual home.

Also, Hull's success has been achieved with hefty financial support from successive chairmen in Adam Pearson and Paul Duffen, while quite often it seems Brentford fans are left digging in their pockets to fund squad improvements.

Hull may have moved, but they also improved the product on the pitch at the same time. They have got it right on and off the pitch. With the exception of a couple of promising years under Martin Allen, it has to be said that Brentford have not managed either.

And it doesn't matter how lovely the new stadium is, if they don't get the basics right they won't stand a chance.

For an example, Brentford are possibly the only football club who would get one of their leading players to launch their new kit in their shop window - and not bother to tell either of the local papers who regularly cover the club.

For a club supposedly needing all the pennies it can get, it was a startling own goal. The worst thing about it is, with Brentford, it came as no suprise.

Compared to Harlequins RFC (another club, by the way, whose crowds have increased ten-fold in the past decade), the Bees - with the exception of chairman Greg Dyke - live in some kind of public relations dark ages.

It makes you wonder whether they could become the first club ever to move to a new ground - and not bother telling anyone.