I began writing this from a trough of despair after three successive defeats, a flurry of injuries, the relentless schedule, refereeing blunders… I’ll stop there.
It hasn’t gone unnoticed by many of our detractors – a disproportionate number of them Welsh – that once we hit the top the wheels invariably come off or if not, puncture.
Like a needle scratching on a record, our automatic promotion charge veers off course, hits the buffers, is derailed. Use whatever metaphor you like.
It happened last season at Wembley when, according to all the pundits, we were Premier League ready with our trademark brand of silky and at times breathtaking football.
But were we really ready? Was it a style that would have stood the test of 40 games in the world’s most demanding league?
To be honest until our recent blip, and hopefully it was just that as the Sheffield Wednesday win proved –the way we play now is arguably better suited. It’s more efficient, less vulnerable and doesn’t rely as much on the flamboyance and individual genius of individuals. It’s more about the team.
Football though is an evolution and just as Brentford evolved to great effect after the dark days of Yeovil and Doncaster, they have moved on again this season.
Credit for that has to go to the Directors of Football, the people managers and physio and medical support teams, who have an eight out of 10 record of finding talent and then nurturing it to new revenue-boosting levels.
I was critical of the stats-led approach at first, in no small part because the nuances, details and human element behind the thinking were poorly communicated by the club.
But there’s little doubt it works and has been the catalyst for leaving many clubs in the top two flights in the dark ages when it comes to scouting.
We have a Premier League system in place now, but as part of the evolution we have to be aware that as the pool gets smaller and stakes larger we will have to be more patient with new signings when – not if – we make the step up.
This current side, free from injuries, on its game and actioning a firm footballing philosophy, would steer comfortably clear of the bottom three.
But as we’re finding, there are no certainties in football and endless minute factors play their part. How much of Coventry’s win was down to having an extra eight weeks rest? How much of a part did the sapping schedule play in Rico’s, Josh’s or insert name here’s injury? How much does a ball hitting the bar change the three point’s destination?
Promotion would mean a review of everything. But as Leeds have shown and Thomas Frank repeatedly reminds us, hard work, togetherness and good human values are the foundation for any successful enterprise. We have those in abundance.
That too is another aspect of the club that sets it apart from many others. There are some good people connected with Brentford who share the same morality and humility… lose those qualities if we reach the Premier League and we’ll be chipping away at our own DNA.
Bees United and its members have ensured, on the rare occasions the club has lost sight of the end goal, that that will never be allowed to happen.
Anyone in any doubt about the checks and balances in place should read the recent book (password UpTheBees) which is enough to set the hairs on the nape of your neck on end with pride. The newsletters too suggest that Bees United has upped its game to move nearer the new era we aspire to on the field.
I had to laugh when we left Griffin Park and the national media picked up on the story that yes, Peter Gilham would be transferring over to the new ground.
It summed up how little the wider world actually knows about our club. Despite their recent awareness of the ‘xg numbers game’ and our branding as “data revolutionaries”, they still don’t really really ‘get’ us or how we operate.
We’re still regarded as something of a novelty by pundits who glibly mention the stats approach without really understanding the depth of it… as indeed I don’t pretend to. That borderline dismissive approach from the football fraternity would also work in our favour.
I’ve been fortunate enough – or unfortunate if you consider what a soulless experience it is – to be at the Brentford Community Stadium for most games this season.
In the two games with 2,000 fans it was amazing and truly a stadium that would be absolutely rocking with a full house. I can’t wait for that day whether we’re a Premier League club or not.
Because if this last year has taught us anything it’s people that really matter. People within a football club and its fans, how they behave, act and most importantly the values they hold, believe in and mirror with their actions.
The pandemic has forced a re-evaluation of many things though. When compared to some of the sadness we have seen, the Holy Grail of Premier League football and whether we’re ready for it is a fripperie.
Football is, as I constantly remind my wife, the most important least important thing.
Yes, we’re Premier League ready, but far more important than that is that we follow a pragmatic, sustainably-run club and still experience the adrenalin-fuelled highs and gut-wrenching lows of watching Brentford.
Maybe when all is said and done that’s all that really matters… but I wouldn’t mind ticking the top flight off my list.