Others might sneer at us, but when we set about going up, we normally see it through if we're thereabouts at the end of the season. I've seen 4 automatic promotions and 3 successful playoff campaigns, offset by 1 defeat in 2000 against Ipswich. Not bad going for a 'tinpot' club. For all the ribbing I get from my Leeds mates about crowds and history etc etc, I don't think I've ever felt as disappointed as them, because they just set themselves up for a fall, and what a fall that was last night.
We’re a realistic and grounded club. We’ve no inflated ego as the likes of Wednesday and Leeds. They look down on us but in recent times they’ve hardly set the football world alight have they? When they implode like last night it’s just what they bring on themselves and it’s hilarious to watch.
Superb post. Could not agree more. Even that defeat vs Ipswich, which was a hard one to take, I thought we were the better team. Had that pen gone in, I think we would have won it. Seen a few Leeds fans today & they are really angry. My feeling is they may have a new manager next season. I'd blame some of their spineless players, like Bamford.
Thing is, all this stuff about crowds etc is nonsense anyway. Do Leeds, Wednesday etc want praise for happening to have a huge population to pull from? Barnsley’s crowds stack up pretty well against most when you take into account the population, catchment and proximity to rivals. Our away support in league one was fantastic.
It was in their hands before the play offs. They screwed it up big time. 1 up at home to 10 man Wigan and lost. Then lost at Brentford 0-3. And lost their final game at Ipswich who had won just 4 games all season. Then in the playoffs they are 2 up on aggregate and blew it. Bottle jobs.
Yes, but they go on about it as though they've invaded in their masses. I live in Sheffield. There are 4 Barnsley Season Ticket holders on our street, in the heart of Wednesdayland. I often go to the pub in the village and see Barnsley fans.You'd think that Wednesday fans and Leeds fans are the only ones who have ever settled in another area.
If Barnsley made it back to the top flight we'd attract more fans from the Pontefract area. There are lots of Leeds fans in Pontefract that were only Leeds fans because they were in the Premiership for a few years. Alot of people in Pontefract are now paper Man Utd and Liverpool fans despite never going further west than Featherstone. Simply because they are top flight clubs.
Leeds is the 4th biggest city in the country and has only one football club. No wonder they have a sizeable following. Why they think it’s something to brag about is beyond me. All the other major cities have 2 clubs and obviously London has several.
One thing that has always intrigued me OMB, is how many supporters Leeds have from different parts of the Country. Like in the Busby Babe period and post Munich, quite a few Leeds fans, were attracted towards the Club during the Revie era. My cousin was a Season ticket holder at Old Trafford for 30 years and he lived in Kirk Sandall near Doncaster. I sometimes used to park in the Metrodome Car Park and walk down through our top coach/car park to Oakwell. If we were playing Leeds, the number of coaches bringing their fans from different parts of the Country really surprised me. It's a similar situation at Forest. Quite a number of their fans started going when Cloughie first went there and still go to this day. I know two who live close to Hillsborough and three who used to live on our street in Donny, although one of them is a pot hunter who has in turn, probably followed Arsenal, Chelsea, Man United and Leicester. Wouldn't surprise me in the least, to learn that he's currently got a season ticket at the Etihad.!
During the Clarke and Hunter era (mainly Hunter), my mate worked at Ferrybridge power station. He said workmates from Ponty and Cas were coming to games and even from as far as Selby and Goole. I would imagine most of them were coming for the big cup games more than owt else though, and probably didn't continue beyond that time. Back in the day, busses sometimes doubled up to cope with demand and by the time they picked up at Hemsworth cross hill, they were pretty much standing room only. Great times.
2006 & 2016 and ? I'm getting old and forgetful Automatic promotions for me 1979, 1981, 1997, and 2019
There was loads used to go from Featherstone in the prem and quite few seasons after. Not as many these days but I’m sure they would all jump on the band wagon again if promoted
Leeds always go on about there crowd, if they lose then they get on about there crowd, they think or believe they have a Devine right to be rubbing shoulders with the elite of the PL, because of there crowds, I'm glad they haven't been promoted not that I have anything whatsoever against the club/ team, but them fans make my teeth itch, btw Bournmouth did ok with crowds of 10k