After one of the most memorable and successful seasons in our history, we're back & I'm looking forward to it as much as I did when I was a kid. If you're incapable of enjoying a new season (especially after winning promotion), when can you enjoy your football? Will it be difficult? Of course it will, but so what? The vast majority of folk aren't afraid of hard work and, as we've already seen, it brings out the best in these lads. I, for one, hope we continue to bring in hungry, young players. It doesn't bother me one iota where the lads have come from, whether they be from a Premier League club, or from further down the footballing pyramid. Far better than the experienced ones we recruited last time we were at this level, capitulating our membership of the Championship so feebly & pitifully. There are always things the club can improve on off the field, but 'amateurish' clubs don't win promotion like ours did. As I'm one of the club's older fans, I can also remember when we didn't have scoreboards and other suggestions for improving the facilities available to us. That doesn't mean just because we didn't have things in the past, we should forgo them now. We enjoy a better quality of living in other aspects of our lives than we did a few decades ago (eg. housing, cars, television, communications, etc.), so why should it be any different within Oakwell? Supporting a club from a small provincial club like ours has meant that any success we've enjoyed has been fairly sparse and doesn't last for that long. When we do experience an upturn in our fortunes, it's important to enjoy it while it lasts. Not only don't we know how long it will last (and 2016 has been as successful a year as the club has ever had), we don't know how long it'll be before the next good times return. Sorry for the tome.
Good post.To enjoy the highs you've got to experience the lows and not throw blame at the club everytime there may be an issue someone might not agree with.Looking forward to my 51st season.Can't go today but I'll be up and running for Tuesday night.
Agree with all of that and, like you, I can remember when Oakwell was nothing like it is now. Is it better now? I don't know. I suppose it's nice being able to sit down but, on the other hand, it's a pain when people are getting up and down during the match and disturbing everyone else. I sometimes wish I sat in the empty wastelands of the west stand lower! I'm thrilled that the new season has come around and it only seems five minutes since we were celebrating Lloyd's goal at Wembley to seal a magnificent second half of the season. We owe the tractor boys today - well overdue a win against them. Imagine though.......we win today, we beat Northampton on Tuesday and then win next Saturday. Surely there will be NO cause for dissent from the masses then, will there??
This is my 49th season, old mate, and I'm as giddy as ever! For the vast majority of that time, we've bobbed along in mid table in whichever Division we were at the time along with experiencing the odd flirtation with promotion or relegation.
I'm a few seasons in front of you but missed great chunks of every season between 1970 and 2013 due to my being so far away. This is why it means so much to me now, being able to go to every home game, friendlies and mid week league cup matches. Most on here will take that for granted because they live in the town. I still don't live in the town but am close enough. 4½ hours to kick off! Wish I was heading down there but I don't tend to travel such long distances for away games. Unless we are playing at Oakwell South, obviously
When I was younger, healthier and had the money, I went all over the country watching us. Nowadays, I have to be more selective with my away matches.
I can't get to today's game, old mate. Health and finances tend to make greater inroads into my attendance at away matches than in the past.
