For years now, Brentford supporters have looked on as clubs up and down the country have had their financial situations dramatically improved thanks to huge cash injections from a whole manner of dodgy sheikhs, well-heeled Americans, passport-hunting Egyptians, completely legit Russian oligarchs and very British chancers.

Yet, I am not sure this kind of cash influx is something many Bees fans would wish on their own club.

Notts County may have pots of money and Sven-Goran Eriksson at the helm, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable having Brentford bankrolled by a mysterious and distant consortium, no matter how much cash they were planning to plough in.

Do not mistake this point of view for a misty-eyed piece of nostalgia for football’s ‘good old days’ – before all the foreign players came in and ruined things with their classy touches and strict diets, when men were men, there was no diving and David Pleat used to drive a little too close to the kerb.

Some of these big-money investors have done well for their clubs, with Randy Lerner’s backing of Aston Villa being the best example, but, when someone comes along to a club at our level offering large amounts of cash, it can mean one of only two things.

Either the person is an unscrupulous charlatan with designs on a spot of property development – and Brentford fans have already had their fingers burnt on that score – or they are an insane supporter with more money than sense.

Fortunately for us, Matthew Benham appears to fall into the latter category, having already pumped about £4.5million into the club over the past few years.

It seems appropriate that a fella who made his fortune in the gambling industry is backing the Bees –investing in any football club, let alone a League One club with debts of £9m and a small fanbase, is a leap of faith indeed.

If the Ron Noades debacle taught us anything, it was that caution should be exercised whenever a knight in shining armour arrives on the scene and, although these might end up being famous last words, the deal that has been mooted to hand Benham control of the club seems to be a good one.

Benham has proved his committment to the Bees and, should the takeover proceed, Bees United will crucially retain a veto against any proposed sale of Griffin Park.

With things looking up on the pitch, it would be fantastic if we have finally found ourselves a little financial stability to go with it.