[Official Site] 13 DAYS LEFT UNTIL EARLY BIRD DEADLINE

Really?
You find it pathetic that someone wouldn't hand over £400 to watch something they find boring and depressing?

 

I don’t actually think anyone finds the football depressing. That’s just hyperbole. The idea that this football is anywhere near as bad as some of the bad teams & seasons we’ve had is just ridiculous.

If anyone renewed after the Schopp / Asbaghi season & are now claiming they aren’t renewing this time due to the style of play then quite frankly I don’t believe them.

Maybe they have other things going off in their lives like financial issues, kids been born, grandkids, a longer distance to travel to the games that could influence it & combined with been a bit bored at times with the football they’re justifying not renewing then fair enough.

I think if you’re a Barnsley fan & your circumstances haven’t changed then you renew. I renewed every season under Ritchie, Davey, Robins, Hill, Flitcroft when we lost far more than we won & for the most part the football was dull, far more than this season.

 

The early bird period ended weeks after Asbaghi was sacked. It's clear Collins won't be sacked before the current deadline passes so there is absolutely no comparison between the two

And congratulations on you personally not finding the football depressing. I assure you that plenty do

 

The manager won’t be here for long. He’ll either get head hunted or be sacked. Look at our history. We barely keep a manager longer than a season. You can’t base a renewal decision for a club you’re a huge fan of based on who the manager is at that time. That just seems crazy to me.

I can see why someone might say they find the football boring at times but I think depressing is overkill. I don’t think that’s the right choice of word.

 

Do you think it possible that you can fall out of love with it though? I've been a supporter since 1966, and have had a season ticket for more years than I care to remember, but the way the club has been managed over recent seasons has certainly had a negative impact in terms of my affection for it. I am going to renew but, to be absolutely honest, the main reason is that I get to see my two sons and my grandson. Other than that I would struggle to find many good reasons.

 

Yes definitely.

I think if you’re pissed off with how the clubs been run then that’s a fair enough reason.

I just find it hard to believe that anyone is solely contemplating giving up their season ticket based on style of play when if I look back over the last 20 years this is definitely a top 10 season.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s nowhere near as entertaining as 18/19 or the second half of 15/16 but there’s been a lot, lot worse in recent times.

 

It's the right choice of word for me. I'm not just bored, I come out of oakwell absolutely depressed. My money is hard earned, I value each pound. When I've spent £400 to sit bored out of my mind getting frustrated that someone is so **** at their job that they find that acceptable and knowing I'm paying hard earned money to witness that then yes it's depressing.

And of course who the manager is has an influence, it just does.

You might think it's a top 10 season and if you're only looking at the league table it probably is but I don't sit looking at a league table at oakwell I look at football and it's depressing

 

Perhaps the thing I find most deflating is the lack of any semblance of excitement; having a player, for example, with the ability to do something different or unexpected. To some extent I question the academy system, which seems to produce players who have a good first touch and can retain control, but seem to lack the ability to do anything other than play to a rigid formula. It's as though they've had it coached out of them.

 

I'm not just bored of what's happening at BFC, I'm finding football in general to be somewhat boring (when I'm watching on TV I'm normally doing somert on my phone too). Hence, I'm not renewing, not worth the hours' drive each way. About 30yrs of having a ST, and about 15yrs before that attending regularly, probably to just a few games next season (perhaps more away than home). I've been wavering for a few seasons, but always renewed, but 100% not bothering this time.

Brother and father not renewing either. Shame, but football isn't what it used to be.

 

You're right it is but I don't think it suits anyone at all to make it 2 weeks shorter than the previous year with a price increase and ending it before there is any certainty about whether we have to endure the same dross or not.

Well actually I think it does suit some people, the club. It suits them because it forces people into making a rushed decision because they know nobody will wait and take the large financial penalty imposed for daring to do so. It's a form of financial blackmail imo, pay now and accept this football or we will charge you a large fee for waiting.
No problem with early bird deals but imo they should a. Be of a reasonable time period to allow more than one wage slip. B. End after the season ends. And c. End after all pricing and information has been released to allow an informed decision. Anything else is purely financial bullying and pressure sales.

 

They'll still sell 9k again, excellent support.

 

Speaking to people I can assure you we won’t. I know plenty of people, some very long standing season ticket holders (including myself) who are 100% not renewing.

 

And that's real people before we even factor in how many people who paid a tenner to reserve the seat next to them won't pay £35 for it

 

Hope you’re right but I think they’ll do well to sell 8k this time in all honesty. Unless the EB is extended and/or we suddenly go on a winning streak to the end the season.

 

Definitely feasible for something along the lines you're describing, as that's a big part of what I'm feeling at present.

We have an ownership that I'm supportive of, we've been in the play-off places for most of the season and yet I'm increasingly finding driving to Oakwell from Leeds something of a chore. Part of that relates to the club's decision to close off the car park where I'd been parking for years, which means I now have to ensure I get to the Courthouse car park before it becomes dead man's shoes parking by around 2:15pm. Hitting any sort of delay, on a journey where I have to navigate around Elland Road on matchdays on some occasions, sometimes prevents that.

Beyond that though, I'm just falling out of love with football. Part of what makes me return season after season is the hope that we can somehow achieve something special once again. The Premier League, EFL and everyone else involved in running the game are making that more and more unachievable with each season. The standard of refereeing is more inept than ever, and yet the system that supposedly addresses that in the Premier League is something that I'm grateful is not a factor in our games.

I watch much less televised football than I did a few seasons ago, and the fact that you have to chase games across multiple subscription networks to see them means I sometimes can't watch one the the games I would have an interest in.

More and more I'm weighing up the decision on matchday as to whether it's worth the effort of making the journey and, as with today's game, it's becoming increasingly easy to decide not to bother.

I haven't decided what I'm doing about renewal as yet, but it's not being helped by having to make a decision in the next few days due to the prospect of artificial and unnecessary price increases beyond that, which I refuse to pay on principle. If anything, the rush to have to make a decision is more likely to produce a negative decision than a positive one.

There's a lot wrapped up within it, and it's not as straightforward as being uninspired by watching Collins-ball, or having doubts about his abilities as a head coach. It's a decision that has nearly 30 years of history as a season ticket holder behind it. It used to be a non-decision, as it was just a case of when do I need to pay, but the experience of this season is very different, against the backdrop of what should be positivity, given our league position.

 

You must have money to burn. It’s over a week’s wages just for the ticket, then travelling to and from Oakwell is looking at almost another week’s wages again over the season. Calling someone pathetic for choosing to prioritise where they spend their money based on how much enjoyment they get from it is pathetic.

 

Facebook memories is doing a good job of reminding me that it's never been about the quality of the football.

11 years ago today was the 0-6 defeat at home to Charlton. 15 years ago was a game against Swansea, which Google tells me we lost 1-3 at home, at a time when my round trip for home games was 250 miles to and from Buckingham.

 

No, most definitely not. I’ve literally put on the post below that if you have financial issues then I get that as a reason not to go.

If you have financial issues, have to work some Saturdays, have family issues, have issues with how the club is run then I think they’re all perfectly understandable reasons to give up a season ticket.

If you’re throwing a wobbler solely about style of play when it’s not anywhere close to been one of our dull seasons & we have a high turnover of players & managers I do find that a bit pathetic. But like I said above each to their own.