Positive scenario

If we win at Wigan we move up to around 17/18/19th (we’ll finish the season 18th. We could have been 3 points better off but for individual errors which can be sorted. We’ve then got a chance of getting 4 influential first teamers back after the international break from injury and whatever else. This will bring more defensive solidity and threat from assists and obviously our best striker and then it’s game on until January.

 

It’s a bit soon to try and be positive. Expect to be scythed down

 

We will be a much better team with woodrow dougal cav and the option of brown in it thats for sure. Still bitter about moore and pinnock tho god we miss them in this team.....

 

I'd given up hope on Saturday evening but after seeing England perform miracles yesterday I have some positivity back.

You're quite right that we have some key players out, some of whom (Woodrow and Brown) should be back after the international break.

I'm still concerned about lack of cover in key areas but we are where we are for now.

 

Do we all believe in our Head Coach?
It’s a tough task on his hands as we are favourites for 24th for a reason.
So do we give in as fans after five matches and four points or do we refuse to give up which is what the Head Coach said after Saturday’s match?
I’m looking forward to Wigan and supporting our club.

 

Out of interest, what is the reason we are favourites to finish 24th?

 

I’m not sure but they’re wrong, we are going to finish 18th

 

I have 100% faith in our head coach and his team. I don't have the same faith in the plan at championship level.

 

Sounds good to me. Have you put money on it?

 

Do you really think the current players have more talent than say Hourihane, scowen, Mawson, Winnall. Harvey Barnes, Matty James et al. Even on the most optimistic day I don’t see that.

 

Complete guesswork by the bookmakers. Nothing to do with how much inexperience we have in the side, or whether our head coach has managed at this level before, or how many times we've been relegated from the Championship in the past few seasons. Just pure guesswork. They probably pull the names out of a hat.

 

We are Barnsley FC a club who've always been seen as unfashionable.
We were tipped to go down in 96-97 after selling Payton for 250 grand and signing old men and unknown foreigners.
We have seen the departure of a handful of key players.
We have signed a plethora of players with potential but very little experience at the level.
We have a foreign Head Coach with no experience of the level.
We have bounced between level 2 & 3 for the last few years as it becomes more difficult to compete on what is not a level playing field.
We are quite unique at the level in that we live within our means.
In essence it's quite obvious why we are seen as favourites to fall again through the trapdoor.

 

Only one of those was ours and is operating at a higher level and is no longer getting selected.
Not that I'm downplaying their abilities.
They are all however earning a salary that we choose not to offer.
Should we?

 

We have been relegated 3 times in the last 17 years out of this division. We have sold off nearly all of our team and brought in nearly all unknown and unproven players.
People are often offended at being favourites to go down, but it just makes sense.
What the bookies are saying is, that it's very likely we will go down. I doubt the odds on us simply staying up are that long.

 

Ever met a poor bookie?

 

Winnall, Scowen, Mawson, etc were all ours. And have all since they left played for teams above us in the league structure.

Do we have to be competitive in the league we are in. I’d say yes unless you straightforwardly say to the fans expect to be relegated.

I’d say that competitiveness may have to come in the shape of keeping contracted players for the duration of their contracts and being prepared to lose money on them rather than competing in salary. Basically The next time we have players of the quality of Pinnock and Lindsay and selling them would net us 5 million but relegation cost us 6 million then we have to tell them to suck it up for a year and take the loss. It’s a gamble but less of one than playing inflated wages.

 

We were relegated with Barnes and McBurnie who are worth absolute fortunes.
Who was to blame for that relegation?
Because it can't be Moore, Pinnock, Davies or Lindsay.
Nor Heckingbottom.
Is Morais the reason we went down despite getting a better ppg out of the squad than his predecessor?
Or were the owners at fault?
Maybe it was the late Patrick Cryne.
I honestly get confused within all this theorizing.