Hecky ........... and potential new owners (Part 2)

So who is then?

 

Nobody now!

 

Cryne/BMBC.

 

Terry butcher was offered 200k a year five plus years ago and mel machin waa on 45k in 1991. Aa a businessman PC knows what pay rates are all about and you don't get a mortgage on a near 600k house on peanuts. Some of you have too much time on your hands you would talk about hoss **** if anyone cared.

 

New
........ if the potential new owners want to get hold of Barnsley while maintaining a successful route forward - then contact Hecky ASAP and give him what he wants to enable him to stay at the club.
We have one of the most exciting managers in the football league at Barnsley - let's stop any further attempts by clubs like Sunderland trying to tempt Hecky away from the club.

PS ......message to Chien Lee - get yer finger out and get the deal signed !!!


Sorry Nudger, i agree with a lot you say but on this point I cant....We have the best most exciting manager in football, he is one of our own!

 

YHPM

 

Why would we be in the ****? Are we in the **** now? There's a disturbing lack of faith shown by some Barnsley fans.

 

We've had a good spell with the transfers, previously we were treading water at this level. Can you see this plan being a long term thing? using a budget like this in the second tier or do you think the rest of the teams will wise up and offer these youngsters more money. Didn't Leicester take a Chester defender from under our noses? Somewhere along the lines we will need investment if we are to become a comfortable Championship team.

 

Disturbing blind faith shown by others.

 

Blind faith?

Who do I believe, you or my own lying eyes?

 

Statistically you're always going to end up buying players who dont make the grade. You're also inevitably going to go through a spell where the team doesn't do quite so well. Those things in themselves are not proof the system doesn't work in the long run, imo.

Sure, some clubs might change tack and go for a system similar to ours, although I think that the system suits our club, whereas it probably doesnt suit bigger clubs who have different expectations and funding levels. You could argue that some of these clubs already do buy young players, but then fail to bring them through.

One thing I remember Patrick Cryne saying (perhaps a couple of years ago) was that we had previously lost out on some players because we identified them, but didnt bite the bullet quick enough (a bit of "umming and ahhing") and instead others teams got there before us. I sense that has changed and we're now going with the courage of knowing the system and the scouting is producing good results.

Now we've built up a reputation I'd be hoping we look at recruiting more players along the lines of Williams, Fryers and McCarthy. There must be plenty of good players (but not Harvey Barnes type ones who are probably destined for better things) in Premiership clubs who would be attracted to come here and play because they're simply never going to get a game with the lord knows how many other players in front of them.

If we can find good young players from lower divisions and throw them together with excellent coaching, we're more than capable of identifying others from higher up the ladder. There's also nothing to say we can't make the scouting system better and refine it. I'd be really interested to hear how they do this, I dont think we've ever done such a good job of finding players and although it might just be a fluke, I'd guess it's not

 

double post.

 

A good response, very well thought out. I do feel that the network behind the scenes will also eventually be picked off by the better teams, haven't Wednesday already headhunted one of our Academy staff? Bunny and Branson have both left, although they weren't headhunted they are a big loss, and Stones and Holgate have recently credited them both with their development and the "Barca way" that they instilled in them. How long before teams sit up and take note of our club behind the scenes.

With regards to the players, wouldn't it be great if we developed them and we were able to keep them after having a good first season? Even with the improved contracts this season l think we would still snap anyones hand off for anything over £3 million. Is £3 million much in today's market? I would rather have kept Hourihane/Winnall/Bree for the remainder of the season than the money we received for those three.

We are at the risk of being the modern day Crewe, who produced loads of good players in the 90's but the club itself didn't go anywhere. A bit of investment and we may be able to give these players a decent second contract, where we could really see the benefit and they would probably double their transfer fees.

 

My concern is that as with the Head Coach, if those in power get carried away thinking 'the plan' means any staff member is easily replaceable that the individuals we have who contribute greatly to what we're doing at the moment get undervalued and as you say - picked off. Any plan is okay right up until it comes into contact with the enemy.

 

People have spoken about offering higher wages with more investment but I think this is in many cases this is misleading because we're so far behind what those clubs can offer that the investment would have to be of an order that is very unlikely. Some clubs can offer £30k a week and our highest earners are probably on £8k or so. We could treble those wages to £24k a week and still fall £6k a week short of what others can offer and that's before bonuses and signing on fees.

Could we offer contracts to lure some of those better players I mentioned in the fringes of Premiership clubs - yeah, quite possibly and I can see some value in that. Although without knowing what Fryers etc., are on we could already be doing that to some extent, funded by the sale of the odd successful player.

We're always going to be picked off for players, so yes we have to get a decent fee. The club has clearly made mistakes but by in-large improved the fees it's received. I certainly don't remember us selling so many players for such large values, with the exception of a couple of players when we came came back into the second tier from the Premiership. I think everyone at the club was caught short by the success of last season and we didn't expect so many of our players to be attracting interest from bigger Championship clubs. We've had to rebuild and as Hecky said today, he's pleased with the squad as a whole and thinks it's a strong one (with perhaps a striker needed). Hopefully we have players to step in, and others lined up to replace them should we need to buy. I understand the urge for investment, but I'm wary that it's seen as a panacea, when in actual fact it brings about a whole new set of problems and that's before you throw out the tradition of the club and how it's seen by our fans and others.

 

Any high turnover of staff is unfavourable and the law of averages says you aren't always going to be successful. So there has to be a balance. Hecky is not replaceable in my opinion at this point in time. He's proven himself and he should be paid accordingly, if he's not already. I do think that him being from Barnsley will help us dodge some bullets, because he's a fan and he's not going to turn and leave quite so easily. But, who knows....

 

Obviously we can't compete with Hourihane's wages or Winnall's, but l doubt that they would be on those sort of wages had they not have been signed so cheaply and by nutter owners. I do think we would have been able to compete with Scowen & Watkin's wages and possibly Roberts with a bit more investment.