If you do want to show your displeasure at the Board

Not sure if they would let you in after game has started but why not all walk in after game has started say 21st minute. Benefits:
Different
Noticeable
More likely to pique press interest
Still support players/Coaches for rest of game
Sends clear message directed at Board only.

 

They have no empathy with us. No interest in the town. Not really interested in Barnsley Football Club, other than financially. I'd bet they don't even like football. They certainly don't appear to understand it. I've chosen to set off away earlier. Could have gone but really can't be arsed. It is so sad this.

 

Dirty protest?

 

My view hasn’t changed, not a chance am I walking out because we’re bottom of the Championship.

 

Biggest mess in your lifetime .......... then you must be 15 years old or younger.
And I doubt that.

You have only got ONE valid point here - and that is that the club is not saying enough.
But isn’t that what I’ve been saying about these owners since they took over ????!!!!
But not many took notice - Ganaye was in charge and the club was doing reasonably well - so not many were bothered that nothing was coming out of the club.

As for many supporters saying that the directors don’t care.
Other than changing the manager - what else can the directors do to improve things ???
Nothing!!!
Their only window of changing things will come in January.

Admitted - the directors got it wrong in the summer.
But hindsight is a wonderful thing.
Most of us believed that this squad would be good enough.
It’s been found wanting.

 

Sorry for the delay JTR. Here are my thoughts:

What do I want to protest about?

For me it’s about two things, which are inter-linked but for ease of writing / understanding I will separate:

1. The paucity of communications from our owners and CEO and apparent absence of any interest in acknowledging the concerns of fans by properly engaging with them.
To explain further: Since the summer and the infamous “best transfer window ever” statement, communications have been less frequent and the content of those that have been issued has deteriorated– at the time it actually needed to increase in order to keep fans informed and engaged. There is less transparency. Examples of this include:

- the 21 word statement regarding the ‘separation’ with Daniel Stendel;
- the absence of updates regarding the objectives for his replacement;
- the 21 word statement announcing Gerhard Struber as the new manager (this was either a direct FU to fans or a clumsy and inappropriate attempt at humour given the frustration and anger about the previous 21 word statement)
- the fuller announcement of Gerhard Struber as manager including an inappropriate request (positioned as being from him) for everyone to pull together;
- the PR stunt getting Mr Struber to visit a local pub;
- the announcement of Dale Tonge leaving the club which left it open to interpretation about whether he’d been dismissed or resigned.

Rightly or wrongly, long-standing supporters feel they have a right to express their views and deserve to know that they’ve been heard/ acknowledged. Strong businesses actively seek feedback from customers, they don’t ignore it and they certainly don’t demean it. I believe that the decision some (maybe many based on threads on here in recent weeks) fans are making not to attend is not primarily based on results, it’s more about the degree to which through their communications the owners are inferring that fans are not valued.

2. The rigidity of the transfer policy.
To explain further: I think most fans understand and support the ‘buy young, improve and sell for a profit which is then reinvested’ approach. I believe they also understand that the desire is to build the plan over time. What they do not understand or accept is that the application of it has to be at the expense of being able to compete effectively in the league we are in. Previous communications have made it clear that we will only invest in young players likely to grow in resale value and that we will not sign older players either permanently because there is no resale value or on loan as we will not invest in developing other teams’ talent. It also made clear that we will not allow a player to run down their contract and leave for free – which means that we will sell them whenever an acceptable offer is received.

My position is that this policy is too rigid. I believe that occasionally signing an older player is that right thing to do (because their experience will improve performances / results and because they can help to develop the younger players) and that occasionally not selling a player and allowing their contract to expire is sometimes the right course of action because it is more likely to produce better results in the short term, particularly when stepping up a division.

Others have expressed the view that the owners understand that mistakes have been made and will be corrected and propose allowing the January transfer window for that to happen. I partly agree, except there is no evidence to believe that either are true. There were communications about the application of the policy, there have been no communications that it will be relaxed or applied differently or even that there are any current issues with it. The absence of such communication is what is leading some to the conclusion that money is the sole driver of the policy i.e. we won’t spend any transfer fee or wages on a player where there is a lower probability of their future value increasing and we won’t forego a fee for any player approaching the end of their contract, which is where the accusation of greed comes from.


What this isn’t about:

- For me this isn’t a protest about wanting the owners to leave. Instead it’s about wanting some communication, an acknowledgement of issues, and change.
- Being abusive or insulting. I am (still) assuming positive intent, that the owners took decisions they thought were the right ones for the future of the club. Their continued lack of communication does call that into question however.
- Results and our position in the league. The acquisition of older, more experienced players may not have made any difference to results. But I firmly believe that there would be more acceptance of our situation if recruitment had been even a little less restrictive.

Why would this protest be the way to go?

Because it would visibly demonstrate the dissent which fans increasingly feel. And because it may attract some attention that would be more difficult for the owners to ignore.

So what is the idea in more detail?

Fans walk-out at the QPR match on Saturday 14th December

Our owners are not listening to fans concerns about their plans for the future of the club and / or don’t understand the strength of feeling.

A mass walk-out of fans in the 60th minute of this game will very visibility illustrate that we the fans are expressing our disagreement with the policy as it stands.

If this is well supported it will communicate these concerns to the owners and thereby invite a response.


Another poster on this thread has suggested arriving late (after say 21 minutes). I'd do that too, but my view is that there will be a trickle of people getting to their seats as they get through the turnstiles, which isn't as visible as hundreds of people all leaving at the same time.

N.B. I understand that some may not agree and others may not feel strongly enough to want to protest in this way and I respect both. My motivation isn't to cause trouble, it's just because I care about what I perceive is happening at our club. Ultimately it will only work if enough (it'd probably need to be hundreds) of people do it so if there's no appetite for it I'll forget it and just continue to express my frustration on here.........

 

And I respect that JamDrop.

 

I believe the board already know our views, and they don't even have the courtesy to respond. They appear to believe it's nothing to do with us fans. Well, that's the way it seems, because of the silence, but who knows what they're really thinking about the situation?

Despite that, I'm going to continue to support the lads on the field and in the dugout. If by a miracle we're going to get out of the predicament we're in, the players will need support to instill confidence. I'll make my decision about next season when the time comes, but I'm loathe to walk away from my beloved reds during a game.

 

Here's some great words written by a fan earlier, reproduced with permission. You may recognise the author: -

"Everyone who knows me, knows that I have Barnsley Football Club ingrained into my heart. I love the Club with a passion. I've spent thousands of pounds over the years following them home and away. I've always been there through thick and thin. The bad times and the good. Never wavering in my support or belief, always having that optimism and always aware that football is cyclical, good and bad times will come and go. Barnsley FC has given me some of the best moments in my life. I've had joy in bundles, despair in bundles but always my heart with my club. However. My love has taken a battering because I no longer recognise the club I love. I no longer recognise what this heinous Board has done to the Club I love whilst remaining deathly silent to fans like me about their intentions for the future. Their silence beggars belief As a retired teacher, when teaching, my job was to inspire, energise and encourage the children in my care. I now see a team of very young, inexperienced lads, thrown into a League in which they are outclassed, game after game after game. They give their All but its not enough. I can't bear to watch the confidence, the energy, the hope dissipating after every performance. Who is giving them the support they need? I see no one. I find it so painful to watch I can't watch It hurts so much. I have a very strong sense of justice. I CANNOT BEAR INJUSTICE on any level. If my sense of injustice is threatened, I'm like a Rottweiler and boy, its certainly been triggered here with this heinous Board. I'm currently at combustion level with them I'll join in any organised peaceful protests currently being considered as its imperative this Board goes NOW and we get our Club back to where it belongs, to us the fans! I'm not attending tomorrow. I'm forever being told to choose less negative aspects in my life and so am doing just that. Love you ❤️Barnsley FC ❤️ but you have been stolen from me and all my others friends and fans alike. My message to the Board "Get out of our club! Go now!"

 

Is just carrying on carrying on in hope that things get better the way to go?

There needs to be no confusion that the majority of the fan base at least isn't happy at how they have approached this season, that we don't like the silence coming from the club, and would like some indication of how, or even if they plan to improve things in January.

 

Ian?

 

Haha no, it wasn't me!

 

Your doppelganger?

 

I would have liked them to at least admit they got it badly wrong with regard to the squad we put out this season.

I'd also to hear what their plans are to try and address this in January.

Without anything coming from the club, we can only assume more of the same, ie better players being sold and more youngsters being brought in.

 

There isn’t a cat in hells chance that I’ll be walking out early, I haven’t done it in 39 years and I’m not starting now from the click of the fingers from some daft **** I don’t know. I’ve seen us in significantly worse positions than this and as the club hasn’t got the power to open the transfer window early I find the idea of a protest childish and ridiculous. Simply stop going if it causes you that much “pain”, you then have a choice of renewing or not.

 

As you will have gathered from my other posts I share this fan's angst albeit I'm still assuming positive intent and therefore don't want them out. For me they still have an opportunity to reach out and engage fans and create the conditions which result in the sort of relationship this fan describes. Unfortunately until they take it more damage like this will be done.

 

I’m off on holiday on Wednesday for 6 weeks or would definitely have joined. Someone should organise though.

 

you are right the cause of the disconnect is the lack of communication form the owners/directors to the fans.
Looking through the Hull matchday programme there is nothing form the owners.
They must be aware that we're not happy and a contribution from them in the matchday would help - even if we didn't like what they said it would be at least acknowledging we actually exist!

 

Regardless of who owns us what they do right or wrong as long as there is a team to support I’ll be there! I’m not happy with what has gone on and the continuation of it all but I’ll be behind the lads on the pitch remaining hopeful we will scrape a win. My fear is if people have protests etc would they turn nasty on people who decide to watch the whole match or go in before 21 mins, but if I can make a match I’ll go as at the end of the day I support the team not the owners!