Grabban: 6 million; João Carvalho: 13 million

Do you really care about being laughed at others for supporting the reds ?

 

I agree ridiculous. Why are Luton and that above us and lanes better than us? Is that because we can’t compete against likes or Luton. Ridiculous. Let’s all support Sunderland! Lower league but they have the attendances so they are all full of joy and success

 

But then he can could go?

BUT WAIT.....last time around everyone was annoyed that Hourihane and Winnall went in January.

Why not sell 'em in August if they wouldn't sign new deals? Which none of them would this year. Davies would rather not even be on the bench at Stoke for the money he is getting.

You can dance as much as you like. The financial gap between Barnsley and Swansea, Forest, Leeds and the rest is massive.

To pretend that we are not batting above our average, whilst it perhaps provides you with a modicum of relief, is daft. And not the club's policy, anyway.

 

I'm not dancing or pretending anything, I'm giving calm rational answers to someone in a state of hysterics.

 

And that's the state of modern football.
In League One when we were thrashing teams, they'd say how we were brilliant, but we had more money than them and better players - that we belonged in the league above (well... everyone except Sunderland).

Here in the League above, we've got the cheapest players and the some of the smallest gates.

Maybe we 'belong' in the void between the Championship and League One?

 

Batting above our average was us getting promoted to the premier league. Not struggling to stay in the Championship.

 

Maybe, but I think we'd be making a much better fist of things if we hadn't been so quick to sell our leading goalscorer and one of the best centre halves I've seen play for us in years

 

I think we are.

 

I think every one on this forum is 100% behind the players and coaching team. I suppose you're happy with Conway and Lee using us as a cash cow, taking a lot out and not putting any of their own money in? We know we can't compete with a lot of the teams in this league but I expected us to push the boat out more than what we have. What about Conway's bullsh*t about every single penny from transfers will be reinvested back in the playing squad. These owners are taking the pi*s out of us fans and all they're interested in is a quick buck.

 

You're perfectly entitled to that opinion.

 

We had no choice re the centre halves, we were desperate to keep Pinnock but making him the best paid player at the club wasn't enough for him. But the replacements aren't so much worse either IMHO.
As for Moore - he wasn't the best finisher in the world*, he missed more than he hit, and hit very few last time in the Championship - Cauley is 10x the footballer, but we are short of a striker or 2.

It's more mistakes than planning - what would it have cost to keep Pinnock? What do we really need to spend to buy someone else better than Moore? These are the issues that need resolving.

I don't see a pattern of behaviour, this Summer wasn't a repeat of any previous firesales, we've just been a little naive about what Championship success is going to cost. We're playing some fantastic football, we just need a bit more quality up front.

*Don't get me wrong I liked Moore, but he wasn't a clinical finisher - he often looked like Bambi, and would fall to ask for a foul when staying on his feet and playing football would have been better, and at the end of the day he wanted to move on and was never going to stay.

We could have made a better job of the Summer - but blaming the owners for players wanting to move on is plain daft.

 

They've taken nothing out!

 

@Donny-Red you're so, so wrong regarding players leaving. The owners are to blame.

 

Batting above our average is complete ********. We have competed relatively successfully at 2nd tier level more than any other club in the FL.

There aren’t 2 options. John Dennis ran for the most part a tight ship and kept us easily in this didlvision for years whilst facing similar odds.

 

You don’t have to he was our player and under contract. You lose far more money getting relegated than we got for selling our best players.

 

It’s beyond obvious to say the club that has spent more years in this division than any other is not batting about their average. We are where historically we should be.

 

Of course we had a choice with the Centre Halves. They were under contract. The cost of getting relegated exceeds the money we got for them so you keep them.

 

I'm not blaming the owners for players wanting to move.

You don't have to sell players because they want to go. You don't have to match their wages elsewhere when they're under contract. We lose £6 million if we're relegated, more than we sold these players for before you even take into account the cost of their replacements.
Plus the time and energy spent chasing replacements at the expense of strengthening where we really needed it before we weakened where we were strong.
I'll now get replies regarding the state of mind of players from people who have never met them never mind know them.
I know one thing, after a year in the Championship a player like Pinnock could command a hell of a lot more money than he got from Brentford and a huge signing on fee as he'd be a free transfer.
We got a lot of money for Moore, but to sell him without a replacement lined up... and I don't mean the kid from Austria.

 

I don't think you understand average. I'm not referring to the amount of time spent in the league, I am referring to our capacity to compete in the division relative to the financial clout of the other teams in the division.

Barnsley are currently well below the average when it comes to attendance, wages, and transfer budget.

This impacts our ability to attract players and keep players.

I do not want the club to borrow money from the owners in any way shape or form so that it can buy players and pay big wages — do you?