Matt Hughes - The Times

I disagree. I think there is every need to mention that the west stand is crumbling and has had a fortune spent on it this season just to make it legal and that as far as facilities go we have ahrdly any. Patrick cryne has done a great thing at Barnsley in stepping up and doing his best to run the club but there is no denying hat the ground is dilapidated, run down and in many ways not fit for purpose and in desperate need of renovation.

The irony is that the majority of people on here have said those exact things but when somebody else says it we take offence.

 

That's a bit steep, are the Ponty End, East Stand and North Stand dilapidated?

Sure, the West Stand needs TLC, sure some of the facilities need improving, but tweeking could really improve them, not wholesale bulldozing.

 

I'd say ramshackle running to seed and has seen better times. Enough about me what about the ground...

 

Much of the received transfer money will come in phased payments, and this may be covered in the £20m.

 

The stadium doesn't need wholesale bulldozing but the east stand is bare breeze block, the paint is flaking and signage 20 years out of date (unless it's been replaced in the last couple of weeks). The floodlights until a matter of days ago were too dim to comply with requirements, the west stand was literally unsafe until a matter of weeks ago when it was repaired to an aesthetically poor standard. As of the end of last season there was broken signage on the exterior of the stand.

Sorry if people don't like it but the stadium is run down. We mention it a lot, I'm not hypocritical enough to start crying when an outsider dates to notice it.

Doesn't mean I'm not extremely proud of the club though

 

That was my thought. The 6 million debt makes sense if to PC and his family but where has the huge recent profit gone or is it that he took money out as the only shareholder but feels the club is still worth 26 million done as 6 million debt and 20 sale price? If that is the case the 26 million plus 14 million would be 40 million. Is the club really worth that. Very confusing!

 

That makes a lot of sense

 

It's the first article I've read which acknowledges that we already operate in a similar manner to that first constructed by Billy Beane, and not that we're a club looking to his guidance in order to do it.

The talk of the ground being dilapidated is quite insulting though. It needs a bit of a freshen up, but it's certainly more presentable than Hillsborough for one, a stadium which half the journo's seem to get all teary eyed over.

 

It still makes a good read when you put aside any stupid political or demographic errors and think that hey, they are talking about MY club.
This is Barnsley Football Club, little old Barnsley, battling Barnsley, teams like Barnsley, that is now in prime position in lots of media and the big boys' Times. We should be feeling chuffed to bits that this is us in focus, today's game against Villa will bring it home to all of us just how important we are and how much bigger it could potentially get.
A few years ago think where we were, no disrespect to 3rd division clubs, and we succeeded where so many similar sized clubs would have given their all to be in our position. We were probably lucky but you make your own luck and maybe these fancy statistics did make a big difference in our case. Perhaps others will try it out if we do well.

 

I wish the the match price signage was a bit more dilapidated and 20 years out of date... I see that gets a bit of serious restoration each season...

 

I don't get the 6million pound of debt we are in we made over 15million in profit since last summer. And I believe we receive around 6million for been in the championship.

 

IIRC, PC has written off previous debts, so can't now be paid for them without a tax liability. Of course he could claim Entrepreneurs Relief and only pay 10% tax on the proceeds.

I'd imagine the bulk of the £20 million is to re-unite club and land. Nowt more than that.

 

Its disrespectful because the guy doesnt come from bsly...lol its the same old....we can say what we want and pull the place down because bsly is in our hearts anybody not from here or hasnt got bsly in their hearts says it and we all go on the defensive.and want to kill everyone...lol

his description of the ground is way off the mark.....we have 3 decent stands and an old lady who is in need of some attention, be that a radical make over or in my view needs sending to the retirement home but the way he dramatises his article, it adds meat to the bone thus painting a bleak picture and further similarities between both us and moneyball....

 

Didn't think it was a bad article and glad that Barnsley are getting in the public eye. None of the stands are crumbling, but the west stand is showing its age. The bog is not fit for purpose in the modern age.
As far a yo-yoing is concerned every season I'm happy when we stay up. Thought it shed a bit of light on what's been happening.

 

Really? The last time I looked we had training facilities superior to about 90% of the clubs in all levels of english football. We have one old stand that needs replacing/renovating, the rest are up to standard, bare breeze block!!!! doesn't mean anything, go through the turnstyle, stand talking to mates for 15 mins go to my seat. An expensive paint job on the breeze block won't make a blind bit of difference to me or anyone else. A car park second to non bang next to the ground, close to transport infrastructure, no we aint got any facilities worth talking about. Old signs and peeling paint, aye ok I'll give you that, have you been past hillsboro lately, now that is the definition of dilapidated.

 

DO NOT GOOGLE MATT HUGHES...christ

 

Matt was best man at my wedding. Lifelong Huddersfield town fan. He votes Labour, just so you know.

 

Nice one. Could you ask him why he had to be so disrespectful to the club in the opening paragraph?

Tory paper - assumed he'd be a Tory journo, so apologies for that. Doesn't change my mind about the opening paragraph.

 

Rod Liddle is a Labour Party member so this article should be OK, not sure why this is relevant but it is apparently. Most of it is behind a pay wall but it was positive.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/mr-beane-could-well-be-the-perfect-man-for-barnsley-bph87qb8s