I hope nobody was going last night to make a decision about a season ticket

It's difficult to assess, as it's so new. The closing of the shutters for the majority of the time should help. I'm certain Ben Mosley will have taken the durability into account prior to starting the mural.

 

I wouldn't be so sure, he seems like the sort of nutter who would happily come back and repaint it every week free of charge just for his love of the club and his art.

 

I'd be more worried that someone will decide to add their bit to it at 2.59 on a Saturday afternoon.

 

Post of the week.

 

That would be my worry too.

Just as an aside.... did we have any cut backs to staffing, either permanent or matchday following relegation? I thought we suffered some last time we dropped, and recall Flitcrofts Churchillian/embarrassing speech about saving peoples jobs after the Huddersfield draw.

If so, perhaps not surprising that a few things have been eased back on or neglected.

Funny though, and maybe the current generation view things differently. My first time was sat on a wall with a huge puddle in the ditch and not a creature comfort in sight. But somehow, I wanted to go back (though it took a while).

I've a feeling that if we can get back up, we may well see other things that try and encourage new fans and try and retain them, and stay in the ground longer, or get there earlier. I seem to recall GG saying relegation suggested the project may be delayed, so perhaps ideas and plans are shelved for now? Who knows. Just mere whimsy and speculation on my part.

 

I think sadly thats an inevitability. It really ought to be protected by a perspex screen, but that would involve the club showing a bit of initiative and spending a few quid

 

Well they didn't pay for the paints so they might as well pay for some protection

 

No doubting that.

I've had a season ticket since I was about eight. The sound system has always been sh*t, the scoreboard has always been sh*t and the ballboys have always been sh*t. I've never once drove home and said 'Dad, I don't think I'll renew next season. The TVs in the concourse just aren't good enough'. We all pay our money to watch and get behind the team we support. Granted, it'd be nice if other things were a bit better, and a bit more professional, but if it affects somebody's decision that much about whether or not to renew, then there's something wrong with them. Similarly, folk that constantly moan about sweet nothings like this, give it a rest.

 

Sweet nothings such as being able to see the game in the dark. I'm such a ******* expecting a company with a multi million pound turnover and billionaire owners to turn the lights on after charging customers for entry.

Ps, nobody mentioned renewing. I did however repeatedly mention new customers

 

Waste of time trying to explain anything to the disciples.

 

Is this a serious post ST? Normally the stadium isn't ready until the first home league game, its pretty obvious at most friendlies. I'd bet it made absolutely no difference to someone who was thinking of buying a ST, what did you suggest the other day that could possibly put folk off going?

For the record l think off the pitch this is the best we have ever looked. It was cheap and cheerful under Cryne, he didn't have the funds to do owt. Remember the billboard advertising we did one year around town (possibly Robins season) Cryne later said at a forum we wouldn't be advertising like that again, it cost too much. Thats the best it got during those times.

 

"Look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves."

Top local values from our cosmopolitan owners, nailed the local psyche right there.
Incidentally that quote is originally attrtibuted to the 4th Earl of Chesterfield when writing to his son in 1747, his son lived abroad at the time.........Germany. Fate, it's written see.

 

Who goes to a friendly hoping for some inspiration to buy a season ticket? It's a training game, for f*ck sake.

 

Do we still have SLOs to raise such issues?

 

Their promise to improve the match day experience entitles people to complain when:

a) there's no sign of it and

b) the opposite seems to be happening.

 

All seems a bit of a waste of time doesn’t it. Clearly nothing going to change under our new ownership.

 

So do I. So wouldn't it be better if the club provided for people like us who like such things? We have Acorn breweries, a Barnsley brewery who craft some excellent ales. We have Percy turners who produce some of the world's best pork pies. Although not quite as good as Rob Royds. If they sold these things I'd spend a fortune at Oakwell every season. They don't, so I spend nothing. Pretty obvious what the way forward is isn't it?

 

Rob Royd pork pies are the best in the world. I'd also be willing to spend money on food in Oakwell if they sold them.

 

Just to push this a bit further. If the summer continues like it has, with so many many beautiful days, why would I want to sit inside the grotty number 7 when I could be outside down at Oakwell drinking a Barnsley Gold and eating a Rob Royd pork pie. But I'm not going to do that when all they have on offer is massively overpriced Carling and a foil tray that looks like botulism.

The people who run our club should go into Barnsley town centre and actually look what's going on. They should go on Wellington Street and look at the desolation, that no one goes there any more, and realise that's what they're selling. Then they should look round the town hall and see a vibrant town with OO Bar and the White Bear and EVOO and Annie Murrays and Arcade bar and No 7 and Bramahs and Jocks Cavern and Supper Club and Garrison and Tipsy Cow and Pavillion and then go to Barugh Green and see how packed the whitehouse and royal get and go to Map and look at the Wentworth and Talbot and Old Bakery and see how crowded these places are getting, see that people are drinking real ale and coktails and gin and eating ******* good food and start supplying the kind of food and drink the people from Barnsley want. We're not a bunch of yokels that want overpriced garbage, we've got really good pubs and bars and restaurants and it's time the football club caught up with that.

 

Got to agree with this, and its all over the country. The pubs that are dieing out all over the country are the ones who sell microwaved crap and have limited selection of drinks.

Once upon a time, I didn't drink beer, it reminded me of the stale smell of my grandad coming home, eating about a quarter of his sunday roast leaving all his veg and then vanishing for several hours til he buggered off again.

For me a strategy to generate extra revenue is simple. Be in control of everything and outsource as little as you can, stop the downward spiral of poor quality and overinflated prices for average to poor products. Educate and be the hub of change. The football club can do that and harness local suppliers, local producers and local tradespeople. As Jay says, there is an increase in standards of food and drink, but very few football clubs have jumped on board. Introduce businesses to peddle their wares, encourage people to try things. There is so much room around the ground and in the East Stand concourse, you could have stalls galore. I don't know if its the case in the north, but around London there has been a big boom in farmers markets the last decade and "street food" is everywhere. Some fantastic produce.

The Oval was dreadful a few years ago, but over the last few years they've added wider concourse space and changed suppliers so instead of burgers made from cows lips and arseholes, there is just about every type of food you can imagine and really quite good. They've added casks into the pavilion stand for members. Added gin bars, multiple real ale stands, free water dispensers and had several high profile efforts to be part of reducing plastics, my mrs still uses a plastic cup from the Ashes about 5 years ago. The result, for t20 games in about 4-5 years, attendances have gone from around 6-8000, to being full houses. People get there earlier and stay after the game enjoying their drinks in the warm evenings. Their last accounts showed a massive jump in catering and event revenues.

I'm not saying Oakwell would have the same bounce, but there are enough people who for whatever reason get to the ground hungry as they've not had chance and wouldn't be averse to eating something that was actually edible.