I see the spin twins are out and about again in Athersley tonight

Well to all you people impressed by the words that these two use to quieten the restless natives, talk is cheap. They might be impressive with the spin but where it really counts they are woeful. The first questions should have been.
Mr Johnson how are you still Head Coach.
Mr Mansford why is Mr Johnson still employed by Barnsley Football Club.
I'm sure they are very nice chaps but that doesn't mean they are any good at their jobs and the evidence suggests that Mr Johnson certainly isn't even a slightly competent head coach

 

If you think me Dyson or Jay have attended and don't tell what we've seen or heard without been able to detect ******** then that's your prerogative. Read wsb10 that's out setdi. We've slagged em to ****. But I'll for one give them fair play for tonite. Honest, self critical and a hint of the same! Why we still here? But an honesty. That for one I applaud.

 

They could hardly sit there and say everything is going swimmingly given the league position and run of results. I don't doubt you can smell the bull **** my problem is this he's a nice chap let's give him a chance attitude that seems to be around. My opinion for what it's worth is no let's not give him another chance he's had quite a few already, last seasons dismal end to the season after we had been well placed to mount a play off challenge the fa cup defeat to non league opposition and last but not least the current league position and 3 pts out of a possible 30. I'd rather he goes himself or is removed by the board before its too late.

 

That's what you would have asked then is it?

If Lee keeps his job, and hopefully he will, the pair of them will do a number of these Q&A sessions over the years. They'll go in to 1930s Barnsley council estates like they did tonight, sit at the front and take questions from a right set of rough neck b'stards, just like they did tonight, and they'll come out of it not just with their reputation in tact, but with it enhanced. They'll do that because they've got some guts and they've got some integrity. They don't get everything right, but they ******* try.

Next time they do this, I'll drive you there and sit next to you while you ask the questions set out in the post above. I'll buy you a beer and I'll be your back up.

I'll bet you a pound to a million that you won't ******* do it.

 

But does any of what was said tonight change the fact that apart from a manager who was apparently on his death bed for part of his run of defeats Lee Johnson was in charge for the worst run of league defeats in the clubs history and when the team lost in the FA cup to a non league team. Being a nice bloke and being able to show more front than Blackpool prom does not make him a capable Head Coach and that's what the issue is not whether he's nice or not. If you want or are prepared to accept a nice manager of a relegated club fine but I'm not I've seen the reds in the forth tier I don't want to again

 

I went to the 'evening with' at Oakwell when LJ first arrived. Think he sold me a timeshare in Spain and double glazing for the house. He was reight good.

Turns out the timeshare still isn't built and the double glazing was only on loan.

 

So are you saying hard questions aren't asked?

 

All the spin doesn't make him a good manager, neither does watching a game at Athersley Rec. It seems he's very accomplished at talking a very good game but so far there has been nothing to back it up. Some people may have been convinced by it but I'm not. It may be an old fashioned view but I'll be convinced when we start showing consistency at the top end of the table.

 

Went to a similar event in Darfield. Johnson is a genuinely personable good guy who comes across well. A few days later I went to Altrincham...

So it's still dead fish eyes from me I'm afraid.

Win some matches play some vibrant attacking football compete at the other end of the table. Like Mario it's an old fashioned view but would win the doubters back much more than some chit chat.

 

I agree with most that something is rotten in the state of Denmark but (and it's a big but) if we were coming into sheff U off the back of 1 loss in 10 instead of the other way round Mansford would probably be perceived as the epitome of the modern chief executive and we'd probably be hailing the appointment of Johnson as the most forward thinking appointment in the football league.

Granted, we are not. So the above is probably just guff. But it's a shame that bright, articulate and intelligent men of football are regarded as ready for the scrap heap before most have retired from playing.

Anyway.

 

The results so far have been ****. Everyone knows that, whether you want Johnson to stay or you want him to go. Those that want him out also know for certain that the results will carry on being **** and we'll be relegated if Johnson stays. They know this for a fact. They also know for a fact that the only way to improve things is to sack the manager. Thing is, they don't. They really don't. Neither you nor I nor anyone on this forum can accurately predict the future. Saying you can doesn't make it so.

I'm not going to sit here and tell you things will definitely get better if we keep Lee Johnson. I'm telling you I don't know. Fact is, I have reservations about his ability as a football manager. Everyone who is sticking by him will have reservations about his ability as a football manager, including those in charge at BFC. We're not blind, we can see how crap it's been. But we can also see that the policy of signing youth was not his design. We can see that when we've missed out on experienced players it hasn't been Johnson's fault. And we can see that even if José Mourinho was in charge of this bunch of players, we'd still be struggling.

I don't care if Lee Johnson is a nice bloke. I think he is, but it doesn't matter. I do care if he can see what the rest of us can see and identify why it's gone wrong. I've heard Barnsley managers of the past speak at the kind of thing I attended last night who couldn't. They seemed to be away with the fairies without a clue why the team were losing. Lee Johnson knew, he spoke like many folk on this forum and many of the people I talk to in the pub. I also care if he can tell me how he's going to put things right. He could and I'd like to see him given the chance to put that in to action. And I care if he's open and honest with me. He was.

Maybe Ben and Lee did a number on us all last night. Maybe they went in to Athersley North, sold us a load of ******** and we all swallowed it. If they did, no one there spotted it. Either we're all gullible, or it didn't happen. We might not have liked all the answers, but we weren't questioning the honesty or the integrity of those giving them. They got a reasonably hard time last night, mostly off me and Dyson, even after I'd sworn I wasn't going to say a word ("Can I just stop you there, what about blah, blah ******* blah" - I'm an arsehole). I reckon everyone left liking and trusting the pair of them a lot more than when they arrived.

There's a lot of criticism that can be legitimately directed at Ben and Lee. Calling them the spin twins is neither fair nor accurate and asking the kind of questions that you claim should have been asked does no one any good.

 

Of course not. Stairfoot.red's questions aren't hard. They're pointless. What can you possibly achieve by being all confrontational and asking the manager, straight off the bat, why he's still in a job? That's a sure fire way to get those you've invited to speak to put up the barriers and tell you **** all. If you want them to be open with you, you've to be a hell of a lot more subtle and ask a lot better questions than that.

 

Top top post stairfoot!

Take a bow fella !

You have smelt the coffee

 

Yep probably do need to take a course on not being an arse but if I'd cocked things up at work has badly as he has the people I'm working with would be asking how the hell are you still here. I just think he needs to go or the club goes down with all the **** that will bring and like I've said earlier I've seen the reds in the 4th tier and I don't want to again

 

I've no doubt that Johnson is a good guy, I've met him & got the same impression.

But it really doesn't matter what answers he gives at q & a sessions. Someone's opinion on whether he's a good manager or not shouldn't be based on how good of a guy he seems in public.

I've never come across a manager make so many bad choices in such a short space of time. The chopping & changing of the defence & switching between a back 4 & 5 constantly & also changing the goalie regularly is something I wouldn't expect to see at sunday league level. How are a group of young players expected to develop & improve under them circumstances?

 

First question should be when Cryne does eventually sell the club will the new owner/s get back the old football club land or does Cryne and the council plan on keeping what they took.

 

Even if we win the next 10 I'm firmly in the "Mansford out" camp.

 

Nothing is stopping you turning up and saying this - but I get the feeling you're all mouth and no trousers?

 

Spot on mr. Stairfoot, not enough difficult questions asked, just wish they were in one of my business meetings; no holds barred, difficult questions not avoided and straight talking only allowed. People must take responsibility and be held accountable for their actions and decisions. Decisions made and implemented. Isn't this what should happen, or have I just been successful by accident?