Dijkhuizen's Departure: Brentford in Turmoil?
- essentialbrentford
- Sep 28, 2015
- 4 min read
Marinus Dijkhuizen has been "sacked" by Brentford after recording just two wins from his nine games in charge, and with Brentford hovering dangerously above the relegation zone.
The first thing to say is that it is very early days, and one should not believe everything they read on social media sites.
The phrase "sacked" is automatically thrown around instantly whenever a manager leaves a club. This has become the norm, but it is not always the case. Whilst it is likely that Marinus has been sacked, there may be other factors involved.
Perhaps Marinus felt that the revolutionary statistical approach to the club's infrastructure was not for him, or (more likely) his relationship with Benham deteriorated to the extent that he felt he could no longer work. Indeed, Marinus used the word "resignation" in his farewell tweet, although this could just be a result of his faulty English.
It seems unlikely that Benham, a cool and composed man who has built his fortune around making rational decisions in the gambling world, would make such a seemingly off-the-cuff and rash decision after Marinus had served just eight league matches in charge.
Additionally, the fact that Dijkhuizen's assistant, Hendrikson, is following the manager out of the club hints that there is more going on behind the scenes than the club are telling us.
Many external media outlets will look at the situation at Brentford and label us as a club in crisis.
Their view will look something like this:
After sacking their successful manager, the tyrannical owner of Brentford football club has overthrown the club's structure in an attempt to go against the inherent humanity of football and use lifeless robots to improve his team's performances. The best players from last season have been sold for cash and the one's who remain are in disarray - with Harlee Dean refusing to sign a new contract and looking set to leave at the end of the season.
Benham has now done a Massimo Cellino and sacked his manager after only eight league games in charge. Brentford are now perilously close to the relegation zone and League 1 football looks a likely prospect next season.
This viewpoint, although it will be the stance taken by outsiders such as Fulham fans and media outlets looking to attract readers, is completely unfounded.
Marinus' departure is a shock to the fans of Brentford FC, as well as the players of the club. However, our league position does not merit the performances that have been taking place on the field. We have improved from game to game and have had a series of bad luck.
A win against Sheffield Wednesday would have left us with the exact same points total as we had this time last season after eight games.
The fact that the Birmingham game was called off earlier this season has meant that we have had a game in hand since matchday 3. Thus, our position in the table has looked a lot worse because we have had one less game to amass points (i.e. the league standings are effectively saying that we have lost one more game than we actually have, and one loss makes a big difference when you've only played a small number of games).
Brentford have not been playing badly, and have not been helped at all by our injury crisis. This is why Dijkhuizen's departure is such a surprise, and why it is hard to accept that Benham has simply looked at results and gone "Yeh, he's run his course".
When a manager has several star players sidelined and is having to resort to the likes of Udumaga and Clarke, who would get nowhere near the first team under normal circumstances, you can't blame him for a mediocre start.
So why has Benham done this?
Unless Dijkhuizen has been uncovered to have been going around with a baseball bat injuring all our players (or simply digging rabbit holes for MacLeod to fall into), there seems no reason why a rational and level-headed owner who only wants what is best for the club would make such a bold move, attracting even more negative media attention to himself and the club.
Some have suggested that he is gunning for promotion this season. However, given our start and given the fact that Lee Carsley will now take charge until the end of the season, this looks unlikely.
I hate to say it, but this season looks like one where we should aim to consolidate and get everyone settled.
What we are now faced with is another manager who knows that he will be out the door in the Summer, much like we had last season. The only difference is that Carsley has a slim chance of maintaining his position if he produces results.
Who knows, maybe Carsley could be the next Mark Warburton? We all know what Mark did when he was handed the job after Rosler left. Let's hope Lee does the same.
For now, all we can do is remain positive. It is a tough time with all the injuries at the moment, and the players are still getting used to their new surroundings. Once our injury crisis is over we will improve.
For the meantime, it is still very early in the season and if we win our game in hand then we leave ourselves four points outside the play-offs with 37 games left to play. Four points in thirty-seven games?
We're not a club in crisis.
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