Reflection on the last 4-5 years

I was thinking back to around 2012-13. What change its been since Keefill and Flicka. This club has been through a hell of a lot of change and identity crises. The latest panic about Hecky leaving and the opinions of him being replaceable has made me personally take stock of how lucky we are to have such a stable club and not one that thinks ot can throw money away or fleece the fans consistently. Weve been the envy of other clubs this last couple of seasons.

I think the fundamental change though now conpared to the dark dark days of Keef is we now have an attitude of togetherness. Seeing to our own business instead of comparing this club to other and feeling sorry for ourselves.

 

I'd respectfully disagree. We're only ever one transfer window away from a complete rebuild imho. Lucky to have a Barnsley fan as Head Coach.

 

You're right. It's been a good few years. I hope on the other thread I didn't give the impression I thought Hecky easily replaceable as I think he's got something a bit special. I was just trying to suggest that there is a framework there to ensure we don't slip into total chaos if he leaves.
But yes, I've loved the last two and a half seasons.

 

Agree. I look at us now, my pride is back, I can even have dreams again, but we are in such a good place compared to back then, and particularly when we got relegated.

I saw a club absolutely on its ar5e, and thought it would take a while to turn us around. Part of me is always glad to still have a club after what happened in 2002, but there is that togetherness now, something that I thought the regime at the club seemed to actively go out of its way to prevent during the Davey era in particular.

 

2014 was *****.

2015 was the worst year ever. Worse even than 2012.

2016 was obviously one of the best ever.

2017 has been indifferent. I'm being generous with that.

 

Between 1961 & 1979 was awful , since then , apart from the odd season , being a red has been pretty enjoyable

 

The feeling for the Wembley twice squad was almost like falling in love with the club again. It was like turning the clock back 20 years. A connection with a special bunch of players, who you could have such pride and faith in. It was a shame they couldn't have been kept together for longer.

 

The worst years for me were:-
1972-relegated to the Fourth Division, playing the worst football (scored 32 goals in our relegation season) and managed by the worst manager (John McSeveney) in my time as a fan;
1975-being bottom of the entire Football League for weeks on end and being knocked out of the FA Cup 3-1 by Marine;
2002-relegation and then being taken into Administration.
Nothing recently has come anywhere near these years, in my opinion.

 

You're surely not calling the Barrie Thomas/Johnny Evans/Jimmy Robson years awful are you? I know this was only a time of elevation from the 4th to the 3rd Division but it was still special to watch.

That FA Cup first round tie against Southport, for example, during the early Thomas and Evans days, was brilliant. From being a club on the verge of extinction, with less than 2,000 in the ground, we suddenly found ourselves flying again with over 11,000 at Oakwell for that game. We had the likes of Winstanley and Howard, Bettany and Hewitt and, of course, the great flying winger himself Bob Earnshaw, with George Hamstead on the other wing landing his crosses with Hourihane-like accuracy on Big Winnie's head.

Great days. Short, but great

 

I agree with all that mate apart from the John McSeveney bit.Although he wasn't very good I don't want anyone to forget the input (or lack of ) that was Nigel Spackman.

 

The 2002 relegation was as a consequence of Nigel Spackman.

 

In my opinion, John McSeveney was the worst manager we've ever had, old mate, but Spackman & Parkin aren't far behind.

 

I wonder if hes still living Mr Mc.Over the years I've seen him in Asda a few times but not recently.

 

I don't think I'd recognise him now after 45 years!

 

It was an enjoyable time , unfortunately it didn"t last long but I was just pointing out that my first 18 years of watching the reds was by & large hard work , whilst we have had one or two blips since then but mainly the football has been of 2nd tier level & even one season in dreamland , so to say that 2015 was the worst season ever is really a bit over the top for me but we have all watched the club for different lengths of time, so we all have differing views

 

The days when the jewel in our midfield crown was tempted away to the dizzy heights of Peterborough United and late season recoveries to drag ourselves out of the re election zone were the fare.
Yeah, it's rubbish being 16th in the Championship.

 

Paul Hart probably was not one of the worse but he used to bore me senseless !

 

Me, too.

 

Spackman was very poor. Didn't appear to have a plan B. When Parkin came in in November, the words,
" I have an encyclopedic knowledge of players in the lower divisions" should have told us what to expect
as he embarked on the recruitment of some of the less gifted players ever to wear our famous red shirt ever.
I remember going to Rotherham on an icy cold Winters day and came away absolutely apopletic at our style of
play. It was 29 th December 2001 . We drew 1-1 and Rotherham even had to score that for us.!
I phoned Radio Sheffield in the evening as did others and said if he didn't go, we'd be relegated and that proved
to be correct as we finished 23 rd on 48 points. See he's still working his magic, he's now a coach at Bolton.

 

£20,000 for Bobby Doyle. What a steal!