2002-03 vs 2024-25

Think Lee Johnson's bomb alley brigade losing 9 on the spin, bottom of L1 and losing at Altrincham might give it a run, dreadful period though if we're factoring the admin/ownership changes.

 

You’re talking about a stretch of games in one season. I’m talking about watching a four-season decline. One minute I was watching Darren Barnard and Craig Hignett, the next I’m watching Paul Gibbs and Mitch Ward.

The LJ sequence you reference was indeed horrific to endure. I used to vent my spleen accordingly on here and elsewhere during that era. There’s elements of that period that feel similar to this one, at Oakwell especially. Where tactical stubbornness is all too apparent.

I don’t want Clarke out. But that team he picked yesterday should be beating a side in the relegation zone. It shouldn’t be losing to Stevenage either, or, away at Wycombe when leading at half time. You’re talking about three clubs who’ve made their way up from non league. Watched by a few thousand fans. It’s not good enough and if we start accepting that it is, we may as well close the gates.

Sorry, got on my soapbox there.

 

Loan Lumsden good

Permanent Lumsden pub

 

It OK mate never worry about ranting, good read if not painful, although I do remember us having about 6 players registered prior to the 03/04 season but then having a flying start under Gudjon a small ray of light in what was a bad period.

I don't know the answers to our current plight, I've gone on record countless times but it's only my opinion of course about just being pigeonholed to 1 formation and no Plan B/lack of options

 

We signed him in January 2001 from Fulham. He played 10 games, but was clearly struggling and then finally broke down completely. Turned out he had a massive hole in his knee. He had it when we signed him but our medical team failed to pick up on it. He didn't play again that season, didn't play a single game the following season, managed half a dozen games in the season @YT has highlighted, then did a full season in 2003-04 helping us to 12th in the league we're in now. He then retired.

But we fixed his knee.

 

Are we talking about the poor quality of players and the football played in those days.
And thats before even thinking about the boardroom problems, relegation followed by administration, and almost going out of business!!.
Thank goodness that Peter Doyle stepped in, he was very popular wasn't he.

 

A David Coleman ****-up I remember was when he commented...'Asa Hartford (Man City) is a whole-hearted player'. It turned out that Hartford had a hole in his heart.

 

Yeah I remember all that about his knee. Didn’t they do a ‘culture’?? Or something along those lines? I just recall thinking he was a decent player.

 

We have no god given right to beat Wycombe away, choose where they’ve come from, non league or whatever!....they are second in league and are pretty decent side this season, especially going forward. I think you are well wide of mark. We are no great shakes this season so why are we expected to win away at second from top?.....baffling

 

Think he probably was, but he was 30 when we signed him and had a whacking great hole in his knee! Not ideal.

 

Although that beats the signing of Richard Kell who had not one, but two broken legs! And we knew about those. Unsurprisingly, we didn't get much of a tune out of him.

 

You might want to read what I posted for a second time.

 

Just read it mate, same meaning to me

 

I never said we should beat Wycombe.

 

Correct, sorry you say we shouldn’t lose to them, splitting hairs but no prob.

 

I wasn’t belittling them. I don’t think we are some kind of footballing giant. I came into the season thinking there’s arguably six clubs bigger/better than we are, and that - looking at the squad - somewhere between 6th and 12th would be likely.

But nobody had Wycombe down as a promotion hopeful. And looking at their squad, I still don’t see it. I didn’t see it the other night either. Or at Oakwell. They’re a run of the mill third division outfit having a better than expected campaign. Lost their manager and still right up there. So fair play to them.

But leading at half time, I don’t think we should be losing to them. That we contrived to was completely about us and that’s the point I tried to make. We are tactically negligent.

Anyway, we all care enough to babble on on here don’t we? Let’s see what the morrow brings.

 

Maybe those fans have still got those X ray vision eyes, which apparently can see more than we do.

 

Just like Brian McCord

 

I would have guessed more too. We’ve had 3 different goalkeepers, 6 different players in the 2 wing back positions, 6 players play striker, the midfield is a random pick 3 from 4 each week and we’re only half way through the season.

I couldn’t guess at the 2 wing backs. 3 Midfield or 2 strikers next game.

 

Back to the original post, something I find interesting is that while I don't think the overall squad is better than the current one, there are players there (Morgan, Dyer, Sheron) that just wouldn't have stayed if the same happened in this era.

Maybe it's because these days the contracts are more linked to the level the team is playing at?