BRENTFORD fans should become owners of the club by Easter after agreeing a deal with former chairman Ron Noades and his company Altonwood to release the shares to them.

A club statement says that supporters trust Bees United are working on "an agreement which would enable Bees United to acquire Altonwood's majority shareholding in Brentford FC Limited in the near future. Former owner Martin Lange has also agreed that his company's 25 per cent shareholding in Brentford FC Limited can be acquired by Bees United at the same time. This would give Bees United more than 85% of the shares in Brentford FC."

Meanwhile, Brentford have turned down an offer from QPR to share Loftus Road in the short term, but may reconsider if they need to sell Griffin Park becoming a new stadium is built.

John McGlashan, the former Bees United chairman and now an executive director of Brentford, revealed: "The original agreement Bees United made to acquire the club for £1 from Altonwood remains in place, but the shares in Brentford FC have been taken out of the option agreement and offered to Bees United now. The deal should be completed by Easter.

"The original option includes shares in both Brentford FC and Griffin Park Stadium Ltd. And to acquire shares in both companies Bees United would have to release Altonwood from the bank guarantee for the club's overdraft facility of £4.5 million.

"Griffin Park Stadium Ltd. is a dormant company and does not own the Griffin Park ground - that is owned by the Football Club. But the Football Club owes Griffin Park Stadium Ltd. £1.3 million, the balance of the £1.8 million for which it bought the stadium in 2001. The £1.3 million becomes due in 2006.

"So once Bees United acquire both companies they will owe themselves £1.3 million which they would not, therefore, have to pay."

It appears that Noades, so often the target for fans' abuse, has been misjudged. He is prepared to give up his 60 per cent share-holding in both companies - and 60 per cent of £1.3 million is worth £780,000.

McGlashan declares: "Some fans thought Ron was out to asset-strip the club, but this shows he did not intend to do that. Supporters also criticised him because the club ran up huge debts under his five-year reign, but he had to pick up the pieces after chief executive David Webb left.

"It should be pointed out, however, that we have reduced the annual losses from £1.1 million in 2002 to £177,000 in 2003, and we expect to break even or be in profit in 2004. When Ron left we were over £4 million in debt to the bank."

The 53-year-old McGlashan, who negotiated the deal to buy the club from Altonwood when he was Bees United chairman, adds: "Both Ron and ourselves feel the club would be taking an important step forward by becoming owners of the Football Club shares. As owners, we could have options to refinance. For example, we could then consider a share issue or dispose of shares.

The option to buy the club for £1 was negotiated by McGlashan two years ago. A six-month option ran out in September 2002, but a new two-year option runs until the end of May 2005.

Of the offer by QPR, McGlashan said: "We told QPR at an informal meeting on Friday that we want to stay at Griffin Park in the short term. But should we have to move before our new stadium is ready we would consider sharing Loftus Road." QPR are to lose current tenants Fulham at the end of the season.