What is the point

of football?

 

There is none. Football is nothing more than a perpetual distraction from the pointless futility of human existence.

Hope this helps.

 

Like any sport or hobby, it's a distraction from this miserable existence we call life.

 

Bloody hell lads,I'd love to go out for a pint with you two

 

I don't go out for pints. Don't see the point.

 

I get to spend quality time at home matches with mi dad and i have some great away days with my mates.

I'm going to get that whatever division we are in really, i think people sometimes get too emotionally invested on what actually happens on the pitch rather then what we're all getting from it off the pitch.

That's why i pity the locals armchair supporters of Man United/Liverpool/Arsenal who never get to experience going to games and soaking in the atmosphere with your loved ones,, because celebrating a last minute winner in the away end in league one tops watching your team win the champions league from your living room.

For me anyway.

 

Away days though. Love them.

Whether Barnsley or England on away days with the lads I don't think will ever get boring. Usually the 90 minutes of football is the worst part of these trips.

 

What is the point in <insertanythingthatisnotessentialtohumanexistence>?

 

There is no point, cos its round.

 

If it's to see your club win just about every week and never sell any players because they don't want to be anywhere else then I'd suggest supporting Barca, Real Madrid, maybe Man City.
If it's to acknowledge your team isn't the biggest but get behind them anyway, to take delight in the successes because they're achieved against the odds, to form a bond with a team that represents your roots and heritage, to revel in every win and every goal, to feel connected with your fellow fans because they're all here for the love of the club and not the glory that is attached to it.....then I'd stick with Barnsley.

 

Not even for a pint of Ram Tam .

 

That's the bit that troubles me. Leaving aside all the financial issues, it's really hard to see players you've grown to admire and worship leave. The fee doesn't matter. I've already got my ticket for this coming season, but if the current policy remains I will eventually stop going. It may make financial sense but it's too inflexible to say that all players with 12 months left have to either renew or be sold. Why can't it be decided on a case by case basis? For example, sell Lindsay, keep Pinnock. All these new lads may be great, but if they are they'll soon be gone. It's soul-destroying to continually have to endure days like yesterday.

 

But I think the problem is money in football, and in the eyes of young professionals and agents.
They are always looking to get a bigger pay cheque at the end of the month.
It happens in real life, we'd all love to be paid more.
The only issue is that in football clubs like Barnsley pay lower end... If the big boys come knocking and double your salary for 4 years guaranteed, you'll take it

 

I get it. I don't like it either. Unfortunately it's the football world we have to operate in. I can moan and whinge with the best of em but I don't hold Chien Lee, Patrick Cryne or even John Dennis responsible for the current choices facing our club. I blame the Sheikhs and the Abramovichs, the Sky Tv's etc and most of all the football governing bodies who are supposed to protect our game and its supporters. They are the ones who worship the balance sheet and have allowed the game to become poisoned with money. The FA, UEFA, FIFA, Premier League, EFL are an absolute and utter disgrace.

 

Agree with all your points.

For years I've had the motto "Love Barnsley, hate football". I've not had Sky for over 15 years now, I never watch Premiership football, world cup, euro championships etc. Sometimes I don't even know when England have a game. I've simply lost all interest. But sadly, this feeling is now creeping in to my feelings towards Barnsley FC. Slowly, gradually, the enthusiasm is being squeezed out of me. One day I'll stop going altogether, unless there's a cataclysmic change. It's a sad but honest description of my feelings.

 

Spot on.

People are largely social creatures. We form bonds with some people and not with others. This whole process breaks down those who identify as "belongers", the largest social group, probably even bigger in tribal football circles.

To simple measure on pounds and pence completely misses the point of why many are drawn to football. Tribal instinct. Togetherness. Bond.

An 18 month conveyor belt doesn't help cultivate those social needs so many of us have.

 

It's a fair point and one of the reasons I started that thread about fans' ambitions the other day. We could have a settled team, one that can form longer relationships with the fans, a strengthened communal spirit. To get that though you would probably have to accept that we would have to operate at a level where our income is a match for most of the clubs we're competing with and that's increasingly in the last 20 years become League One.

 

I don't think you have to choose a greater continuity over a certain league status. Of course there will always be comings and goings in every club. At this moment in time, we're struggling to get players to reach 100 appearances. That's maybe just edging into a 3rd season, and that's really not a long time. Every signing is a young hopeful, and if we're selling it to them of a bright stepping stones future, we're breeding the mindset of them being here a short time.

I suspect we have a reputation as a team who develop players, so we're going to be on the radar of many teams. You can exist in the championship with some solid people who just happen to be mid 20's or maybe even older than that (heresy).

I understand all the perspectives of our size, our locality, or budgets and so on... but it just feels like we're becoming an ever increasing production line that is becoming ever more difficult to connect and bond with.

I hope all 7 of our new signings do well for us. Some will, some won't, some will take time, others might not. I'm just struggling to get excited by it all, which is really sad given the highs of last season.

 

I get where you're coming from. I really would have liked last season's team to have a crack at the Championship. The cold hard reality was always that Davies, Pinnock and Lindsay were never, ever going to renew. We could have kept the latter pair for another season but that would have been it.
It's sad. I really would have liked to have kept Pinnock. I am excited to see how the new lads do though. Takes all sorts I guess.

 

I was out for a curry last night with a friend who rang me in a huge fuming rage after the Pinnock sale. Her rant continued at the Curry Mahal, I joined her and so did several other customers. One takeaway customer got so involved his meal went cold. After a while there were about 6 people ranting and raving.

My friend then said "Do you think we will ever see another Bobby Hassell at Barnsley?". Sadly, I don't think we ever will. As DWLC has said, most players struggle to get to 100 games. Maybe the new longer contracts will allow 150 games, dunno? Demoralising.