I have never known anything quite like this. The loss of a reasonably successful manager is usually seen as a disaster, and much hate is expressed for the club they are going to. It seems to me that everybody is quite relaxed about it, and also being very mature in so far as they are saying thanks and good luck, which is being much appreciated by the Villa fans.
I think it is a measure of how much people trust Matthew Benham. Brentford have a system, it is a well run club and we will find somebody to fit in and hopefully somebody who has some of the qualities that Dean Smith lacked. for example, his tactical match management has been perceived as lacking as well as an inability to profit from dominance and to close games out.
As somebody who goes back to the mid-fifties I must say that in addition to the emotional attachment that you get after all that history, I'm very proud to be a Brentford supporter today. I have had severe concerns after the Warburton, Dikhuizen and Academy events, and I am not a fan of both DF's but like everybody else right now I trust the owner. We might not get it 100% right but we are moving forward one way or another.