What will you do when that "junk mail" hits the floor in April?

Is that called pay on the day? (I know it's not)

 

when Kev post's a thread like this then that sends alarm bells ringing to me. I now know something is very wrong at Oakwell.

 

Exactly this. I'll make my final decision on the day before next season starts, because I want to see what happens in the summer before I decide. I'll expect any discount on offer to remain valid until then, as a show of good will from the club. If they decide to penalise me for renewing late, that will impact on my decision too. These are extraordinary times and extraordinary measures are called for. We'll see.

 

This is key for me too BigLil. And add that to a 180 mile round trip and so unless there's some changes I won't renew.

 

I'll be renewing. It's my club and they're not taking it away from me. But they won't get a penny beyond my ticket money.

And I fully respect and empathise with those who think differently.

 

I respect that too Shy Talk. Re other spend, I know this may be petty but I stopped buying a programme, 50/50 draw ticket and anything from the club shop back in November.

 

So long as my economic circumstances allow it, I'll always have a season ticket.

Away matches, though? A good seventy quid a pop when everything is factored in, and half my weekend gone? Not sure about that any more.

 

TBH so have I.

 

Says it all really when someone as loyal and rational as your good self is having serious doubts. Sad state of affairs.....

 

4 generations of my family will be renewing.It's in my blood.

 

Thank you for your kind comments, old mate. Much appreciated.

 

Rational???....coming from a bloke that’s got a fetish for sparkly pink leotard?

 

Large breasts, too, Roy. Don't forget about my large breasts.

 

well I was going to post you a picture of Gladys Emmanuel but for some reason it won’t let me, perhaps it realised you’re heart might not be able to take it Kev

 

In any rational world this ought to make the club's hierarchy stop and think. But I'm afraid we are left with the conclusion that they really don't give a toss about the fans. In the game that they are invested in, a few thousand either way on the crowd figures doesn't really make all that much difference. Hence they can cast aside any meaningful communication with the supporter base other than the shallow occasional 'buttering up' version. Their game is fattening up young prospects for market, irrespective of what that does for the team's chances in the short or middle term. There is no gradual growth strategy or any real desire to achieve their professed aim of 'stability in the Championship'. There is no concrete evidence to support the view that they actively seek relegation, but on the other hand there can be no doubt that if their proteges have any of the potential that the recruitment team have identified, a year shining in League One will improve their marketability. That is irrespective of whether they are or are not up to the next level. We can point to Messrs Lindsay, Davies, Pinnock and Moore as evidence of that. Some will sink; some will swim. But that will be discovered after they have been sold at a profit.

I don't seek to trump JLWBL, but my Dad bought me my first season ticket in 1968/69. Working Saturdays as he did, he was afraid that if I attended on my own I might get caught up (as a 10/11 year old) in the growing menace of football ground violence. The years passed happily, some successful, some less so. We were always lower league in my early years attending. Then came Alan Clarke, who first professionalised our club. The man's potential, having been part of the great England and Leeds United teams meant that I didn't mind so much that he followed his destiny to try his managerial hand at a higher level. The consolation prize was Norman Hunter, who took us a division higher, where we spent most of the next two decades.

The ascent to the Premier League was an occurrence beyond our wildest dreams. What Danny Wilson did with an inexpensively-assembled team was nothing short of miraculous. And, as it turned out, it was the pinnacle of his long managerial career. I consider Danny and Neil Redfearn to be unassailably the greatest legends In Barnsley FC's long history. Sadly, what followed was the first of what I consider to be three great betrayals.

The early season ticket renewal discount is the poison cup. It passed in 1998 before both Danny Wilson and Neil Redfearn were allowed to depart. I can't remember, but it may be that Neil was out of contract, and in what must have been the twilight of his career, no-one could have begrudged him another year of Premier League football if he could get it. But could we have pushed the boat out to persuade him to remain for another promotion push? We will never know the answer. But I recall a discussion with a senior club employee in recent years who is still a religious attender at our games home and away. It may be that I misunderstood the tenor of what he was saying to me, and if this breaches any confidences I apologise to him. But the gentleman in question implied (so far as I understood him) that there was a figure which would have persuaded Danny Wilson to remain at the club, where - let's face it - he had a God-like status. The figure was not unimaginable in the terms of that era, and would have been piffling in today's terms. But we allowed Danny to go, possibly thinking that the player to head coach formula would be easily repeatable with John Hendrie. That proved to be a big misjudgement, and a poor assessment of character type and leadership potential. But there we go. Would Danny have got us back up? We will never know of course, but what we bought into at season ticket renewal time was not what was delivered to us on the first day of August.

The second big betrayal for me was the decision to allow Hourihane, Winnall and Bree to leave in January 2017. "They wanted to leave"; "they only had six months left on their contract"; "you have to take the value you can get that is left on their contracts". Piffle, to me. We had (or were anticipating) the Stones sell-on money. We were not in imminent financial peril. We were in sight of a playoff slot. All cashed in for what must have been a fairly minimal gain in terms of the inevitably undisclosed transfer fee for their short remainder. I accept that Patrick Cryne's health, and no doubt his wish to do the best he could for his family were powerful mitigations in those decisions. This particular fire sale was of course at some remove from the renewal date back in April/May 2016. But nevertheless the supporters enjoyed a second half of the season with a considerably less capable and entertaining set of players than the ones they signed up to watch the previous summer. Relegation, and the eventual departure of one of our most promising young head coaches were the eventual fallout from this poor decision. In my view, Paul Heckingbottom was forced to play a more defensive and less entertaining system because of the weakening of his team - I know not everyone shares that view. Small wonder he became frustrated. I personally think his departure was quite cynically orchestrated by the club because he was making the 'wrong' noises by the end. But that's a whole other conspiracy theory.

And then we come to this season. The lures of the 'early bird' discount! Even extended for one day after promotion was secured for us by our rivals! And I fell for it! The meanest defence in league One may not have been as successful in the Championship, but they knew each other's games and had more experience than those brought in to replace them. And we end up with the most goals conceded of any Championship team by February, bar one. And one of only two recognised and proven goalscorers is allowed to depart so that by February we score fewer goals than all bar two teams in the second tier. And it's not just the act of allowing these contracted players to leave but the total failure to adequately replace them that has hurt us. Once again the fans have not enjoyed what they signed up for last Spring.

I did think three years ago that the purchase of the club by people who were supposedly of financial substance would bring to an end the constant decades-long practice of hastily selling our best playing assets. At the very least I thought that the standing of the owners would ensure that departing players were replaced by some of similar capability or soon to be recognised potential. But here we are in the same old same old. I've ceased attending before when I've thought we weren't going anywhere as a club, and next season I will again - possibly for good. The club hierarchy won't care about that - I am a self-confessed fickle fan. But when people such as JLW Big Lil are questioning the point of attending then the Board ought to be worried. But that would require that they had they had the club's best interests at heart. And I'm not convinced they have.

 

P.S. And yes, let's get it in here because it will be coming if JLWBL reads this, there was a time when I didn't think Winnall and Hourihane were up to much. I was wrong!

(Well, about Hourihane, anyway!)

 

Won’t be renewing. Not worth a 120 mile round trip to see the club take the piss out of its fans.

 

A very well written horror story. I sincerely hope the powers-that-be at the club take it in, and realise what they've done. They've finally found an antidote to happyclap, and they've been vaccinating us with it ever since last summer.

 

I think the thing that distinguishes this ‘hard time’ from others is the ownership.

Our fan base has always bemoaned our apparent lack ambition, even though we got to the premier league, but apart from the administration era, I’ve never really felt disillusionment or malice towards the club.

These owners are different gravy. They came with the tag of ‘billionaire businessmen’, talked about internationalising the club, improving revenue streams, growing our reputation in India and beyond, investment and improving the match day experience. Conway was everyone’s mate, drinking with the fans when we were doing well in league 1. All very promising!

Conway has now gone comparatively quiet, as have the rest of them, and it seems pretty clear that they merely want to housekeep the club, and all the rest was just to win favour and smooth the purchase.

Of course it’s a difficult job competing in the championship, and has been for a number of years, but I feel it’s just got harder under the current regime and it’s now a case of ‘abandon hope all ye that enter’ because of their inflexibility and lack of football knowledge.

If people are going to lose interest, I think it will be more likely under this ownership. If you’re happy with league 1 ok, but anyone expecting regular championship football will be disappointed I fear.

 

They wanted Partick Thistle. That in itself sums them up. It would have only taken them peanuts to make Partick the third best team in Scotland and qualify for Europe.

It would take a damn site more money to sustain Barnsley as a Championship club and push on.