 The takeover of the club by Ron Noades in the summer of 1998 (who installed himself as manager) brought an influx of money and younger players.Though he was still a regular, Bates was soon superseded as captain by new record-signing Hermann Hreiðarsson.He departed Griffin Park in March 1999, after making 526 appearances and scoring 24 goals in 13 years for Brentford.