put together they are about 75% of what we need from that position. I would drop one if not both of em.
YT with the shackles off is way better at match reports than the towing the company line ones he would have had to do. We've seen it before with match reports where things have been edited out later, where 'those above' will have had a word about the language used.
Sums up a lot of my thoughts & posts on here but all altogether as one. Supporting Barnsley over the last year or so has genuinely baffled me. I’ve often wondered if I know what I’m watching anymore. People kept telling me Collins was the problem when I felt he was overachieving given the personnel he had & the lack of pace & width in the squad. Then there were players that I thought were brilliant for us like Cadden & Kane who kept getting slated on here whilst loads were voting for someone like De Gevigney to be player of the season. I think the biggest issue like it was last season is the lack of pace & width in the squad. It’s ludicrous to start the season with one left full back / wing back who’s only 19. It’s also ridiculous to have no natural wingers contracted to the club given how much we were crying out for width & a plan b late last season. So I put most of the blame on the people running the club & their recruitment. Having said that I often disagree with Clarke’s team selection & don’t get his formation switches. Despite it being dull I understood exactly why Collins set us up how he did & it was rare he made a sub that baffled me. I’ve seen nothing that suggests we’re a top half side up to now.
Worth remembering, that Hudds, with a better squad on paper, and a supposed better manager, were also poor today and last few games as well. Yes they won, but they were just as poor as us.
They had 17 corners and 8 shots on target. They dominated possession too. Huddersfield played well with half their regular starting line up missing.
That’s palpably untrue. They were miles better than us today, dominated the possession and chances. Deserved to win. They werent great but not as poor as us, nowhere near. And don’t forget they have half their first team unavailable at the moment.
Neill did a very good job with the tools at his disposal. He was following on from Duff which I think was always a tough ask, and for a good six months he was probably matching him in terms of points picked up. Look at the away record. Incredible really. He was a gent of a bloke, a true professional and found a way to get results. And whilst I accept the results and form fell off badly towards the end of the season and the football on show was often dull and uninspiring, I was both shocked and gutted when I found out he’d been removed. With a game to play. I only knew Darrell a month and whilst a very different personality, again, I found him a really decent bloke and felt we’d have another good crack this season. That was July though. I’ve no idea about the landscape within the club anymore. So I’m as blind as everyone else. Can only judge what we see before us on matchdays, say it as we see it. Naturally, my thoughts beyond the players, coach and team’s performance, I’ll be keeping to myself. You’re spot on about a lack of pace though. Whether folk rated Jordan, Devante, and even the likes of Kitch and Luke Thomas a year previous, they brought speed to their respective positions and to the makeup of the side. But other than Cotter, we’ve nobody I’d call quick. Maybe Watters when fit. And it’s a massive issue. It’s one we cannot fix any time soon either. So it’s up to Clarke and co to do as Neill did, and find the best players at his disposal to fit the most productive system.
After the match today, which I watched on TV, I drove 3 miles down the road to watch Athersley Rec in the tenth tier of the pyramid. Without possessing the technical skills of the so-called professionals, I saw a bunch of lads, on both sides, running their blood to water for scant reward other than love of the game. I saw passing moves of more than two passes, attempts on goal, hard but fair tackling. I didn't see diving, cheating, or shirking responsibility. I was entertained, and it cost me £3 for the privilege (£6, full price, for my son). I've been watching Tarn since 1961, only missing home games through illness or family crises, but as time goes by I'm starting to chalk off games simply because I can't be arsed - it's becoming a chore that I look forward to less and less. I feel happier, more comfortable, and better entertained following Rec, the Brig, Wombwell and Penny Church. Sad but true.
People can deny it as much as they want but despite the success in certain seasons the playing staff and arguably the coaching staff have got worse year on year since Patrick Cryne gave up control of the club. The quality of the players brought in to replace the players leaving as declined with every passing window. The club has lost its identity it's losing its fan base it's losing money and the people to blame are those at the top. All the blame lies at their door they have turned a sporting club into a retail outfit for footballers the problem is it's a very poorly supplied retailer and so the quality of the merchandise is getting poorer after each windows fire sale . In truth the model is failing but that's no surprise to some of us. The whole club needs somebody to grab the wheel and change course.
This sentence speaks volumes. I know you won’t but I really would like you to elaborate on this. I know the problem lies a lot deeper with things. I posted a few months ago about the turnover of staff and people either leaving the club or losing their job. My opinion will always be that I don’t want these lot in charge of the club. Some see them as hero’s on here tho as “they are keeping the club afloat by putting money in” All well and good while we go down a downward spiral. How about making some “good” decisions for a change and treating people right. Can throw as much money as they want at it but if you keep getting things “WRONG” there’s only one way and that………ain’t UP.
Exactly this. I never call for the ‘board out’ because you have to consider what the alternative is. I don’t think Patrick Cryne ever particularly enjoyed being our owner but was more a local, wealthy Barnsley fan who, reluctantly, came to our rescue. Under him, when buying a season ticket, you felt like you were investing in your local community club. But, sadly, them days are gone and this applies to most clubs now.
Agreed. If we're going to have foreign ownership, I'd at least want them to come in and start throwing silly money around. For years I was sure it wasn't what I wanted to see, but what's the alternative realistically? Although looking at Lincoln City....
But by ‘silly money’, in the main, that is players’ wages. That really doesn’t sit right with me. Probably most of us, on here, who used to play pub league football, actually PAID to play, not got paid. Subs, domino cards, chipping in for the ref or to hire Astro turf pitches. And that was because playing football was a pleasure. So why should anyone be able to demand £500k per week to basically take part in their favourite pastime of playing football. Even down here, in League One, a mere 3 grand a week amounts to over £150k per year. That’s a doctor’s salary!!! Imagine that, Sam Cosgrove will earn more than a doctor or a solicitor. Astonishing really.
Can't argue with any of that Andy. As you've alluded to where is Clarke's identity in the team. I've lost patience with him and can only see this squad struggling rest of the season. Humphrys needs to play up top as you say with DKD just off him.
I completely agree. It's a short career, so £3k a week is unlikely to set you up for life. But it's a very nice platform to build on if you're sensible with your money. To be fair to Sam Cosgrove, I believe he's completed his university degree and is now doing his accounting exams while playing, which is a really smart move. But some of the wages even in the Championship are nuts. Nobody justifiably needs £20k per week, never mind the £200k and above some Premier League players are earning.
The primary aim for us at this level has to be promotion. Duff failed, Collins failed and Clarke is failing. I honestly think Pep would struggle with the playing squad we currently have. Easy to make the manager the scapegoat, although I don’t think he’s helping himself with his lottery number selection and formation approach. Common themes you see and hear are the unbalanced nature of the squad, the lack of pace, minimal full back options, attacking limitations. You also have to factor in the nature of the loans, I’d be pretty sure that both Slonina and Craig have to play if fit. You put all this together and is it a surprise we are struggling? I think you have to look further than the manager though, again easy to point at the recruitment team but again they are only working with a budget that is set from above. Sormaz is the first director of football we’ve had he’s never done this role before but so far recruitment seems scatter gun, not addressing the unbalanced, bloated squad the club has. Fundamentally the issues rest with the board. The issues of the club are encapsulated in the playing performances but the issues are much deeper, the matchday experience is poor, communication has gone down the pan, it all smacks of extreme cost cutting. The current board (version 1) took on the club in the Championship with £5m on the balance sheet. The intervening years have seen the balance sheet decline, the quality of the squad wither despite the board pumping in the best part of £13m. My conclusion is that the issue of the decline sits at the door of the Directors, I’m sure they are well meaning folk but their track record is one of decline which appears to be accelerating.
