Nothing will ever be the same again

Well, certainly not in the near future.
A local football team run by local business men, is no more.
We now have a group of people from various locations around world, with varying strengths of links to each other, who appear to have 'invested' in a project together. Decisions about the club will no longer take place at oakwell, or a big house in Derbyshire or even a greengrocers office in barnsley. They'll be made on international telecoms by people looking to each grow their individual investment as part of a much wider set of portfolios. I guess the real gamble for them is, can they lever the markets in their own regions to draw in additional interest and commerce. We know as fans, that the additional revenue and growth they are looking for, probably won't come through the gate in the short to medium turn, regardless of any improvement in performance on the pitch. But theyll sell nothing to their regions, without that improvement, so must surely invest in that area in the short term. It would seem at first glance that they are all reasonably successful people, but god only knows if they have the know how, connections, financial resources and determination to drive this project on, but I hope to god they do, because Pandora's box is open, barnsley football club has entered the modern world of football and there's no going back.

 

That is the most dramatic thing I've read all week.....but true.

 

I'm not a fan of your politically motivated posts but in this case I agree with every word. Fingers crossed.

 

Thanks. I think

 

I have to say, the overwhelming number of posts on this board have shown (with this odd exception, this post included) a surprising lack of sorrow/mourning/comment/concern for the end of the clubs 130 year locally owned history. For an area so proud of its heritage and community I find it absolutely astonishing that there haven't been more comments or more people upset about it.

 

I'm not upset.

The way we were going, even with the astounding Hecky, we were set for League One. We might still end up there.

Sooner take the medicine which might kill us anyway than wait to die. Upset? No. Cautiously optimistic? Yes.

 

It's called progress; it doesn't always work but overall things improve (just ask Charles Darwin). Time will tell if this takeover is good for our club, but I for one think it has to be good thing, given the current situation of Patrick Cryne, who I'm sure has done all he can to ensure that the future of our club is in good hands. The jury may still be out, but at least we have a jury; and that jury is the fanbase of our beloved Barnsley Football Club, who will no doubt be voiciferous in their response either way.

 

It is a sign of the times in football. If we were getting taken over by the woman who used to run "Pats for Pants" on Barnsley market I'd be a bit concerned though.
The fact is there aren't very many local people with the sort of wealth that can help the club.

 

Unfortunately it's symptomatic of the area in which the Club is situated. For years it was reliant on a state funded industry and self-made millionaires with pockets deep enough to sustain a Championship team in the modern era were few and far between and the pool was further restricted when you expect them to share our interest in Barnsley Football Club otherwise the obvious candidate to have taken the helm at Oakwell would have been Paul Sykes post-Meadowhall when he became seriously wealthy. Much as I share your dismay at the end of 130 years of local ownership I have to be realistic in believing that, in the modern era, the 80/20 split that has been put in place is the best guarantee that we will see us prosper in a division where the majority of our 130 years has been spent. I once heard Patrick Cryne say he would have taken James to watch Manchester United on a regular basis but James preferred to head to Oakwell, there's still red and white blood pumping through the veins of Oakwell.

 

I don't think anybody should be upset. I wish it didn't, but it had to happen.
It's a momentous change for the club and, after the euphoria of yesterday, perhaps the enormity of the situation we're now in is just dawning on some of us. I'm sure we're all behind the club, fans and consortium alike, and all optimistic for the future. But to use Paul Conway's favourite phrase, we aren't going to go crazy, just yet.

 

I felt that when we went into administration and so many shareholders lost their money, on shares they could have made a tidy sum if they had sold whilst we were a Premier nrecomer.

 

For me, and I suspect for many others, the Cryne family retaining 20% is absolutely huge. As much from an emotional perspective as a practical one. It certainly makes me feel more comfortable with the whole thing.

 

Unfortunately, (it always comes back to this), the amount of TV money pumped into the premier league, means that even multimillionaire business men struggle to keep a Premier (and now championship) team competetive. It now has to be Russian oligarchs, middle East princes, Indian, American, Chinese billionaires or consortium's of millionaires.
Life's cruel nature has forced our hand and we have no alternative but to go with that flow and embrace it, no matter how appealing it was to many of us to have a 'plan' that helped us be a David amongst the goliaths. We also have to be grateful that the club was run in a manner that made us appealing to this particular consortium.
I'm afraid it doesn't matter how many of the more experienced amongst us yearn for football to return to its simple roots and be a game for normal working class people, it isn't going to happen any time soon because there is just too much money slopping about in it.

 

I know what your saying and I think most older fans will concur with the sentiments but we have to move with the times otherwise we’ll be left behind.
To an extent we are stretched to as far as we can go in these financial restricted shackles we have or had.
That’s not anyone’s fault connected with the club it’s just how times have changed and we had limited resources to combat it in the near future.
Patrick has done marvels with the relatively small resources but has pulled a rabbit out imo with this deal.
Oakwell and the playing staff has continually changed whilst I have been attending the hollowed ground.
Indeed I was sad to see the score board go when they developed the away end (standing)
I was sad to see the co op sports area go to develop the training/academy area
I was sad to see the old brewery stand demolished for the magnificent east stand
I was sad to see the old ponty end go for the new stand we have now.
It’s all progress and I know for a fact the Cryne family will keep an eye out for years to come
So yes I am sad but excited for the future. COYR

 

Just to be clear - Im not saying anyone is necessarily wrong for wanting this change. I was just a bit surprised how little attention, concern or comment there was about such a massive change of direction.

Most people had seemingly jumped aboard the new ship before they even knew if it was sea worthy.

Edit: "Upset" was perhaps too emotive a word in the OP.

 

But we all have short memories: the Management did the unbelievable last January when the team were on a rising ever-upward trend, and ripped the team apart. It was almost that they did not want Barnsley FC promoted to the Premiership. Now that is hard to believe isn't it? I welcome the modern age of football, who'd have thought that Lee Johnson (who everyone at Barnsley disliked to some extent) could have possibly done as well as he has at Bristol City--How has he achieved that when he couldn't here? I am afraid I do not have rose-tinted glasses for the present bosses of our club and welcome the change.

 

Key word there is 'change'.
And I suspect you, along with many more Barnsley fans just don't like any sort of change.
That's a ridiculous way of living your life.
We all have to accept change - if it propels the club and consequently the town forward.

Unfortunately there arnt people living in Barnsley that has this sort of money.
So the only option was to look abroad.
But James Cryne retains 20% of the shares and the deal has taken along time to put together.
I would guess that's because Cryne Junior has the legal means to keep the train on the track.

 

For me they seemed to speak very highly of Patrick and what he has created here and they want to build on that rather than tear it apart. I think oakwell will look very different in 5 years but for the better. I can see a hotel, a leisure area for kids, perhaps better bars and food places around the gound and as they say a whole better experience. We dont use oakwell apart from 90 mins a week. Why not shake that up and make it somewhere to go even when there isnt a game.

If Patrick wasnt so ill i’d have been happy with him carrying on but with the ultimate outcome its good we have some people in that know how to run a football club and run it well. It also shows how much he thought of the club to spend his last few precious months working at the club when he could have just walked away abd spent time with loved ones. Lukcily bfc is a love and he wanted to ensure it was in good hands.

Good time to be a barnsley fan inho and i am sure the new owners will look to keep as much heritage as possible and also look to export that heritage to fans abroad.

 

Absolutely. I’m really pleased that they have 20% stake. Heard a few rumours of much smaller stakes but 20% is large enough to have a significant say in all decision.

Would like to know the percentage breakdown of the other 5 investors. Assume Chien Lee is majority shareholder? Or will every board member have an equal vote in decisions?

 

Longing for the past is simply futile. I have often argued that the club was actually under-achieving (pre-administration) due to its locally-directed and disparate ownership structure (which prevented external investment). The fact that we easily filled an 18k capacity every Premiership game might lead you to believe that there is latent demand out there if only the club could compete financially. Plus, given Burnley's success, despite their similarities to us (not just the name!), ought to provide some belief that the future could be bright.