OK Martin Allen then...

From the BBC
Martin Allen has been like a breath of fresh air since arriving at Brentford in March this year.

The former QPR, West Ham and Portsmouth midfielder has transformed the Bees from relegation candidates to surprise promotion contenders in only seven months and his infectious enthusiasm has invigorated everyone at the club.

He has created an amazing team spirit and has also formed a special relationship with the club's supporters and this combination has paid dividends so far this season.

When Allen joined the club from Barnet they were four points adrift of safety with only nine games remaining but he inspired Brentford to a run of five wins and three draws, which was enough to secure survival with a last-day win over Bournemouth.


Martin Allen has revitalised Brentford since arriving at the club

He revamped the squad in the summer, bringing in experienced players like John Salako, Deon Burton and Isaiah Rankin and releasing several others.

He also ambitiously tried - but failed - to sign Paolo di Canio.

The changes left the Bees with a lean first-team squad and an under-18 side and Allen has fulfilled his promise to the youngsters by blooding some of them in the first team.

In an effort to bring the players and supporters closer together, he also moved the club's training ground from south London to nearby Osterley during the close season and invited fans to pop in at almost any time.

And Allen and his entire squad have also shown their commitment to the cause by joining the Supporters' Trust.

In a more light-hearted moment, Salako was fined £10 for wearing a pink tie during a TV appearance instead of a Brentford one.

These sort of things endear Allen to the supporters and his communication skills are superb.

He regularly writes long columns on the club's website and praises the fans' efforts, as well as providing the latest news, his thoughts on the game and cryptic comments about possible signings, who he refers to in gardening analogies.
Some supporters said they were boycotting last Saturday's game at Milton Keynes in a show of solidarity to AFC Wimbledon.

On the eve of the game, Allen pleaded with the fans to go, telling the club's website: "Standing on the side of the pitch tomorrow I will feel isolated if we do not have the backing of our magnificent supporters.

"My players and I draw strength from the number of supporters that have been travelling and their enthusiasm has been amazing."

The supporters listened to their leader and although several chose to miss the match, nearly 1,500 turned up.

Unfortunately a sudden downpour shortly before kick-off left them all drenched in the National Hockey Stadium's open away end so to show his solidarity with the fans, Allen threw off his coat and stood pitch-side, suffering a soaking as well.

"I asked them to come here," he said. "They stood in the rain so I stood in the rain."



John Salako has been an inspirational signing by Martin Allen

Back on the field, his players have worked their socks off, with the experienced players setting a shining example, and they have performed whatever job Allen has asked of them.

The Milton Keynes game was a case in point. Brentford already had a striker filling in at right-back when they were hit by a sending off and an injury that forced another striker and a midfielder into the back four.

But his team survived with a goalless draw to complete their fifth consecutive League clean sheet and they remain one of the sides tipped to be in the running for promotion this season.

Allen, however, is refusing to look towards such a target, saying: "The number one goal I set at the start of the season was to stay up. If and when we get to 51 points I will celebrate and then it will be time to set a new target."

However, the fans are relishing a glorious end to the season - especially the sizeable minority who took up summer odds of 50-1 for Brentford to win the League One title next May.