The fundamental brutal truth is that Barnsley Football Club is a means to an end for a footballer. There will be one or two exceptions in every few hundred players where a heart rules over head (Hammill the obvious one of late), but essentially a player comes to oakwell because we can pay more than other clubs who are in for them at the time, or they feel we can develop them to then step up and do well at a higher or more lucrative level. Barnsley is not a glamorous place, people don't come here for the lifestyle. The second a better offer comes in, they will be keen to go. Whether we allow that at derisory transfer fees, thats our problem and one that badly needs addressing. We cant compete with most clubs in this league. FFP allows a club to lose £39m over 3 years. We have no where near that level of ability to compete. I keep saying this craziness has to end, but there seem to be more vastly wealthy people eager to throw away their fortunes for a moment of vanity in the limelight than can be believed. Its therefore vital we maximise transfer values. To do so, we have to be much braver with contracts and when they are offered and extended. We've been stung many times, but we shouldn't use that as a reason to be shy in offering better deals early to retain talent, reward it, and allow us to get proper fees. If Winnall and Hourihane both go this window, its absolutely vital we get Watkins, Scowen, Davies and Roberts deals extended. If that means paying more than initially expected, so be it. Losing the whole spine of our side is likely to be disastrous, whoever we brought in as they get up to speed. The final thing I wanted to say. I can't blame any player for accepting rewards 5-10 times more than what they were on here. Even if to Wednesday, I would wish them all the best. Playing in front of bigger gates, for a bigger club, on vastly more money. No issue with them at all. They've always tried their hardest, they've developed well and they gave us an unbelievable experience over the last year. So thank you. And in the case of Winnall in particular, there have been many who have criticised him regularly. Yet his scoring record has been 1 in 2 and far and away our top scorer this season despite not starting regularly til of late. If i read this message board as a player and saw the large amounts of negative comments about his play, how he was doubted in the summer as to whether he could make the step up, then got a better offer at local rivals.... i'd also snap their bloody hand off.
I accept all of that, but I'm left asking one question: why Wednesday? Perhaps I should go and watch them.
All the above may be so. But we didn't need to accept the paltry sums offered. Why bother to get EVERY fan onside after years of crap, only to then show you've learned nothing from the mistakes of the past and sell, TO A RIVAL CLUB, two of your best players for next to nothing? It's akin to successfully rekindling a friendship, only to then push that friend in front a bus for twenty quid. Utterly, utterly stupid decision whichever way you look at it.
I suppose if you're born in Wolverhampton you don't have any personal association to what it means. I guess it's the same for one of us signing for Villa from Birmingham. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
