Is that what we sold him for? I knew it wasn't much. We really were up s creek almost without a paddle back then.
Just three months after selling top scorer Mick Butler to Huddersfield Town for a similar fee, with John Saunders coming the other way as part of the deal.
I think that's the last time I can remember us playing a game with snow on the pitch. Gary McSwegan up front?
Yes and that was a decent fee as far as the club were concerned. Shocking giveaway just like Winstanley to Chesterfield for £15,000. Pat Howard went for peanuts as well and ended up playing First Division football for Newcastle and Arsenal!
The last 4/5 years. As a Barnsley fan I’ve known the lows the mediums and some more lows. Any serious student of matters BFC will realise the last 40 years have been the most successful in our history. There seem to be some distinct periods within that. 1978-1983. Success more success. And that gradually falling back to mediocrity. 1996-2000 a genuine Purple Patch. 2002- 2006 despair and resurrection then mediocrity. Relegation then gave us a boost a chance to reevaluate. An old guru came back and couldn’t relive past glories but set In motion a sea change. 2015-17 a happy period. The manager one of our own. A team in our image once again. #teamslikeBarnsley.
When people moan about the club/ board they don't remember where we have come from. We've been a decent division 2/ championship club for the majority of the time I've watched us. We've been to Wembley 5 times after having to wait until 2000, won 3 trophies, beaten some of the very best Premier League teams and been there for 1 season ourselves. Not too shabby being a Barnsley fan ...
Parkin started well but then things started to go badly wrong. Still we played some decent enough football under him at times. For me, Hodges was easily the worst - the football was awful, and no light could be remotely seen at the end of the tunnel. I suppose his only mitigation was that he was operating under terrible financial constraints. Paul Hart was also pretty awful, considering he had a decent amount of financial backing but still didn't really get anywhere. Having said that, he built the basis of the Ritchie team that took us up.
John McSeveney had the creative talents of Frank Sharp, Les Lea & a young Ally Millar at his disposal, along with the leadership qualities of Eric Winstanley. Also, he had Jimmy Seal up front (brought in by Johnny Steele the previous Summer). Seal finished top scorer with 12 goals, not a bad return from our total of 32. McSeveney then sold him to York after our relegation, where he went on to have a very successful career. I stand by my opinion of who our worst manager was in my lifetime.
My dad would probably agree with you on that one. He couldn't afford to go much in the 70's as he was a student living in York and Harrogate with no car, but he said it was very dark days. I started going in 1987, so I've only got 30 years worth of duff managers to choose from. I think you'll agree though that there's some pretty stiff competition in and amongst that lot!
I've always held you in the highest esteem, your correspondence a while back with Laura is an excellent example of your virtues. Then you say this and make an old man feel even older!
Sorry mate, and thanks for your kind words! I don't actually feel particularly older than when I was 20, but then I do the maths and realise that this is my 31st season as a Barnsley fan!
Conveniently missed out the second part of his quote Conan lad. 'We've been to Wembley 5 times after having to wait until 2000, won 3 trophies, beaten some of the very best Premier League teams and been there for 1 season ourselves' Furthermore, the financial gap between us and a lot of teams in our league has increased, therefore being a decent div 2/championship team is an over achievement in comparison to what it was in the past.