The wife said to me "why do you keep going when I just come home and moan about how bad they played. You could have spent £22 on something else". My answer "Because I love my club. It's the club I've supported from being 10 years old (I'm nearly 32) and if I came home happy every week, we'd be in the champions league. Football is full of ups and downs, you get really great seasons, and then you get really bad ones. You get really great performances like on Wednesday, and then awful ones 3 days later. That's why I love this club and support it no matter what. When my kids grow up, they will go to Oakwell and not be gloryfied with the likes of the premier clubs hopefully. It's what makes us who we are. We are a special group us Barnsley fans. We see it how it is, take no S**t and when the team need our backing, they get it. When they need a kick up the arsenal, they get that too. Some people will just never get why we keep watching and supporting. The only ones who do, are us, the fans. Yeah we lost today but so what. There are plenty more Saturdays to go at and with this squad and manager, there will be more days like Wednesday than days like today. That's why I love being a Barnsley fan.
a most excellent post fella so you would have been about 12 when we went up to the Premier league then ?
I wish I could share your Optimism. Can someone tell me what SUCCESS LJ has had as a manager? Hopefully he will end up with a promotion on his CV with us but he is going to have to book his ideas up to achieve this. I wish him well
Great post man. Of course I'm gutted after today, it was painful to watch but things have to be kept in perspective.
Re: a most excellent post fella I started going to Oakwell in 1993 seeing the likes of O Connell, biggins, archdeacon etc.... With crowds of around 4k. Nothing spectacular either. Just caught the bug. I was 13/14 in the premier and Remember it all like yesterday
well one thig for sure is this I first went when I was 6 years old , that was back in 1961.... I am not going to bore you with a personal history of BFC supporting but will say this... In my opinion over the years.. decades even... I have been dejected, annoyed, happy, thrilled, sad, pissed off, ecstatic,hurt, proud, in other words all the extremes from one swing of the emotional pendulum , to the other... I have felt the sour bitter taste of defeat and relegation and humiliation and ridicule. The worry that administration brought... and yet sipped the sweet nectar of victory, success, giant killings, promotions. Had the wonder of going to some famous stadia to watch my team, my Barnsley.... I wept when they walked out at Wembley for the Play-off Final. I was so proud at Cardiff the Millenium stadium to see so many reds down there.... I almost hyper-ventilated at Anfield when Brian Howard killed the Scally's off. The point I am making is that we have a lot to be thankful for as supporters of Barnsley. We have had dark days ... we have days of great sunshine.. there are a lot of teams in the top FIVE tiers of football (and beyond) who would love to have experienced a fraction of our emotions ... I will still whine like a stuck pig when we fail... I will blow my trumpet from on high when we are victorious, its called being a supporter. I feel sorry for the plastic fans who jump upon the band wagons of the Premier leagues elite, they have no real chance of attending too many games, and no real chance of getting a feeling that being a real fan is all about, by that I mean the experience of the passion and the pain. Next summer I retire and I will be able to take up my season ticket again after 5 years without (due to work patterns and family matters)... cannot wait for that. But for now WTF was that all about today LJ you muppet.... just kidding.
What success did Tim Ward have as a manager before he was appointed in 1953? What success did Johnny Steele have as a manager before he was appointed in 1960? What success did Allan Clarke have as a manager before he was appointed in 1978? What success did Norman Hunter have as a manager before he was appointed in 1980? What success did Danny Wilson have as a manager before he was appointed in 1994? What success did Andy Ritchie have as a manager before he was appointed in 2005? Which Barnsley manager has won something before coming to Oakwell and then won something here? Lee Johnson has had the same amount of success as a manager as all the other managers of Barnsley Football Club who have guided the club to promotion since the Second World War.
Re: well one thig for sure is this Great post Mr Dragon. I salute you sir. Saturdays are the days I look forward to most and always will. It's the one time Im not at work, being a husband, a dad or being shouted at by the wife. I become a football fan.
Have we appointed the correct man? Who Knows but in a years time we will have a better idea! On Current evidence the jury is still out and could be out for a long time.
then you Sir have got it totally correct with your attitude to being a proper supporter, shame the fans of the elite have not... not saying there are not fans of the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, both Mancs etc who have not trod the dark valleys at times .... but the ones who have are far and few between.
I don't know if we've appointed the right man because I'm not Nostradamus. It's always more difficult to show patience & tolerance after an awful performance and result. But what's the alternative? I can't believe anyone would expect there to be no grumbling after such a poor showing and result. It'd show a disturbingly distinct lack of passion from the fans if there was. But to persistently complain after every managerial appointment? Where were all the complaints about Lee Johnson in Oakwell on Wednesday night?
Don't expect that level of performance every game, and a top one it was, but its the alarming irregularity of half decent performances that's worrying.
But it's the same guy who was in charge for both matches. If you are querying what success he's had as a manager after today's game, why weren't you asking the same question in Oakwell before, during or after the match against Everton? It's a young team. There'll be highs & lows until this group of lads strike up a level of consistency. It seems with some, patience will be shown as long as there's a decent performance, but none after a poor one. Funnily enough, the level of praise after a decent performance never reaches the same volume as the criticism after a poor one.
So if we have a season of what was witnessed today with 1 good game in 12 would you still say stay patient? Highs and lows go with the territory, but not at the ratio we are experiencing at the moment. Lots of positive vibes came from the meeting on Thursday judging by the comments but its words. Words are ok if they are backed up by actions. Anyone can talk a good game but delivering one is a different matter. We have had 1 Great performance the other night but in the grand scheme of things one swallow doesn't make a summer. A manager will live or die by his results and performances. Patience is a must when a new recruit is put in post but if a continual stream of poor displays and results continues to happen change will take place as sure as day follows night. L J has my support for the entirety of this season and hopefully for many more to come, assuming he delivers the goods.
I'm saying I will stay patient with Lee Johnson and won't put a timescale to it which is unilaterally created. Others can do what the hell they like. I enjoy it when we play well, even if we don't win. I even enjoy a victory if we haven't played well. I prefer when the two are aligned, but accept it if they don't. But if you and others are entitled to air your views, so am I. I'm not going to tell you what your opinion should be. Nor that you have to see games & players performances the way I do & if you don't then be classed as being wrong. That would be condescending, patronising and simply wrong. I'll offer a differing viewpoint to anyone who holds an alternative opinion to me as I see fit.
What in your opinion are fans of clubs like Portsmouth ,Bradford,wimbledon,notts county etc that stuck with the club. Chumps, Heroes,?
Fine That's what this board is all about. Don't matter anyway cause we don't do the hiring and firing.