Just chill out a little

Thanks for your efforts Marc lad, you'll be missed. Thanks for the memories and all the best in your career.

This day was inevitable though, as it was when Watkins, Scowen Hourihane and the rest of the 'Class of 2016' moved on. It's not a secret that we're signing players, developing them and selling them on because inevitably they won't sign a new deal at the end of it as our wage budget doesn't allow us to compete with the Villa's and Birmingham's of this world.

I keep reading the words, lack of ambition and lack of progression. To a degree, neither of these are correct.

In the last 3 or so years since our relegation from the Championship last time, we've transitioned from a club that pays too much money for mediocre players, taking on freebies and cast offs of other championship clubs, to being an attractive proposition for the best young talent in the football league.

The problem with football fans is that they expect instant results. A plan like this might take 10 years for it to be ultimately successful, where we get to a position where we can offer players a 4 year deal, at a competitive rate. The club has identified that the main source of income for it, in order to progress is through transferring players.

Its not great from a fans point of view, I admit that. You grow to love someone, and they move on 18 months later. But that's the nature of modern football, it isn't exclusive to Barnsley FC.

In terms of progression, we've come off the back of our best finish in the best part of 20 years. We're in a position now where barring Andy Yiadom, our key players are all under contract for more than a year, and noises from the club suggest we're trying to rectify that. The mass exodus of players should be over for the time being. Furthermore, we've probably spent more (or intend to) in this window than we probably ever have. We are reinvesting some of the money. We are actively competing with other Championship clubs in terms of transfer fees even if we can't compete with some in terms of wages. We're seemingly constructing a larger squad, to try and minimise the risk of the post Christmas collapse, and we're sure of the players we want, and judging by the last 2 signings, we're not afraid to spend a few bob to bring them in.

Its all down to the players now, I can only say so much but if we finish higher this season, or at least on 60 points, then there will be some evidence of progression on the field as well as off it.

Its frustrating losing players, I agree, but the plan isn't going to change anytime soon, so maybe invest in it in the hope that the eventual goal is that we again become a premier league team. I for one think we're moving in the right direction, albeit at a slow pace, but for a club this size, it'll take time before we can finally compete with the Premier league drop outs.

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How do we know they WONT sign new deals if we consistently refuse to offer new deals? Quotes from hourihane and likes from Roberts and scowens dad back that up

 

Its not as simple as offering them new deals though is it, Its the amount being offered thats key.

Does anybody truly believe if we had gone to hourihane, winnal, roberts et al and said here you are, new 5 year contracts for £500 a week extra they would have all signed ?

 

I agree that it's a sham if we haven't offered them a new deal. Although it was public knowledge around October time last year that Hourihane didn't want to discuss a new deal until the summer.

But you can't deny it's still a slim chance that they will sign a new deal. We can't compete in terms of wages with Birmingham, Villa or QPR. I think the 2 players who have signed new deals have done so whilst not under offers from elsewhere.

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To your comment about finishing higher than last year or at least on 60 points, I have to say that I think it would be a minor miracle if we achieved that.
Remember that following Hourihane and Winnall's departure, we still had our senior players like Scowen, Watkins and Roberts in the team, and yet had the season begun in January, we would have been relegated.

If you build a complete team from scratch, it is very unlikely the players will gel immediately and so we will lose points while the players get used to their roles and each other.
If you build a complete team from scratch using tried and tested championship players, you have the same problem, but if you build a team from Scottish League players and League 2 players, there is another adjustment to make, which will take time, and I would hazard a guess, cost us points in the first few months.

All in all, I think we will be near the bottom of the league at Christmas, if only for the last 2 points made.

My hope is that after Christmas, the team has gelled sufficiently to pull us up the table. For me, success this season would simply be staying in the Championship.
And I'm perfectly chilled about it - but then, I live 200 miles from Oakwell and haven't bought a season ticket.

I hope this post isn't construed as being overly negative. It's just the way it is, as I see it.

 

We've absolutely no intention of using the cash pile to subsidise increased wages.

If you think we have you're kidding yourself I'm afraid

 

This is not new though. I'm just about to start my 51st season supporting the club and it's never been any different. The only player I recall another club offering serious money for that we resisted was when Leeds wanted Glavin. Let's just hope we can keep shaking the talent tree...

 

We did offer new deals though, it's just that they weren't for enough money for what players were wanting

 

Whether we offer more money or not, it still won't be enough for what players want when other clubs are offering money that we simply cannot afford

We have reinvested some of the money in transfer fees though, evidently

 

agreed but the OP was intimating that we'd eventually be able to offer the same wage levels. We have no intention of doing so, rightly or wrongly

 

In the last 51 years when have we ever sold or lost seven first team players in less than twelve months?

 

We do need at least eighteen players so buying one or two is probably unavoidable.

 

I'm not saying we'll match big clubs, but a time will come where we'll have no choice but to increment the wages we're paying. It's the only way we're going to be competitive. The fact that we've extended the contract of 3 players in the last year suggests that we are prepared to increase players wages.

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Big turnover from just before the start of the 95/96 season that was completed at the end of it - Taggart, Butler, Payton, Rammell, Archdeacon, O'Connell, Bishop were all sold or released, Fleming we lost to injury. It's maybe more apparent now with transfer windows seeing any exodus compressed into a shorter period of time, rather than ongoing trading.

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Difference between losing and releasing though.

 

Agree. Bosman rule also a big factor.

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If we were running the club as supporters instead of Patrick, and tried to compete on wages with the Birminghams of this world, there's only one place we're going and that's administration.

 

From a low starting base and with no interest in em

 

Don't get me wrong, I'm as disappointed as anyone. But if I let my disappointment get in the way I'd have stopped supporting the club when it sold Pat Howard and Stewart Barraclough. The fact is that the club prioritises its survival above anything else. That's the same with any organisation. Our disappointment/disgust is irrelevant.

 

I have to say I disagree. Purely based on gut feeling may I add, but I just don't think we'll continue our poor form post Christmas. January was a disaster. But not just because of the players we let go. I think we missed out on a lot if targets in January and instead relied on the next best thing. Further to this, the only player we signed in January who made any sort of lasting impact on the first team was Matty James, and by all accounts we did very well to get his services. Jones, Elder, Mowatt and Hedges all appear to be players who were there to plug gaps. Roberts missed a bit of the run in too.

I think the fact that some of these players we've signed in this window are players we've been chasing since January and earlier is further proof that we had every intention of properly replacing the players lost, but failed miserably. You've to remember, Roberts was initially a transfer target under Danny Wilson and Yids under the hobbit. The players we pursue for a long period seem to be the ones who turn out alright.

Too soon to tell mind. We'll probably finish bottom now I've said all this.

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