Why I’m falling out of love with Barnsley

That's my answer to everything. Sadly it's 10:40am and my boss will be wondering where I am.

 

If you can only look forward to a season when you're pretty certain your team is going to do well I'd suggest Barnsley isn't the team for you.
As for ambition. As far as I can see, other than Conway chiselling a few kick backs out of his time as CEO, any money the club has made on transfers over the past five years has been funnelled into running costs or player recruitment.
Unless you can find a billionaire willing to throw a hell of a lot of cash at the club the reality is that we're as ambitious as it's reasonable and prudent enough to expect.
Like it or not the current reality of football is that we ARE a top end league one lower end Championship club. I certainly don't like it but, in a system where financial cheating is endemic that is where we are.

 

I'll hold my hands up to being pretty uncompromising in my responses this last few weeks.
Do you know why? Because I'm sick of seeing what I feel is one of the best sites, football or otherwise, on the net being dragged to the levels of twitter by people who write bombastic rubbish based on rumour and speculation and make reasoned debate nigh on impossible.

 

I think they're is reasoned debate still. They're a two or three posters who regularly pollute threads or start their own with WOT IS APPNING AT JOKEWELL rubbish, but I'd like to think that there are plenty who recognise that things don't seem to be all hunky dory - whilst still understanding the handicaps and parameters that were working within.

Were cancelling friendlies due to lack of players (according to Guiseley), we're facing EFL sanctions, we seemingly can't send season tickets out efficiently, we've chinned off our local photographer, we've released a horrendous home kit (subjective though that is) and we apparently are unable to sign our targets (although that too is speculation).

On the plus side, the new coach speaks well, our best player has signed a long term deal, we've a new keeper and the rumours about Kitching were rhubarb - so it isn't all bad.

But I would say that there's more negativity from the club than there's stuff to be happy about at the minute.

 

There is reasoned debate Fonzie and I'd like to keep it that way.
I don't think everything at the club is rosy and I'm happy to pipe up when I've got an issue with something.
In your list of issues I really don't think for a minute we're short of players. The EFL investigation isn't ideal but it's deaking with past rather than current issues. The kit is entirely subjective and though I'm not a great fan of it I can see there may be some positives from it in terms of wider exposure publicity wise outside of football.
The photographer issue. I think the club clearly has the right to adjust its staffing to cut costs and increase efficiency. The absolute silence from them though and on other issues is an indication that they are still completely tone deaf at times communication wise. The ticketing also seems to be an ongoing problem.
Is the club in a better or worse position than at the end of the play off final? Worse. Undoubtedly. But that's football. It's not ever a snooth ride. And in a month's time we just may feel we're in a much better position.

 

No reasonable person could have a problem with this post. I don't happen to agree with your overall conclusion but your position is well explained, examples are provided and it's quite clear you're giving us your opinion not a FACT. All your posts are like this. There's plenty of others who don't share my optimism for the coming season who also post in this measured way.

However, this close season has seen a huge influx of posters who exhibit what appears to be genuine glee in anything they can twist to be a negative. Everything is reactionary and sensationalised, much of it is fabricated and they have managed to convince a large section of Barnsley supporters that the current owners and CEO are toxic and ruining the club.

These are owners who injected £millions of their own money to pay the bills and in their first season took us to Wembley.

What is being written is damaging the club and damaging the reputation of people who are working hard and personally financing the club we're all supposed to support.

I don't see any support.

Your post reads to me to be that of a fan wanting a bit more. Many posts from others this summer read like a genuine attempt to take the club down, to encourage others to be at the throats of the board and to withdraw their support of the club. And it's working.

(And yes, the kit is bloody horrible.)

 

Brave post and I fully agree, I hope the BBS has changed sufficiently so you get through this without a bombardment of abuse.

We pay our money so we can say what we want
Slagging the fans off who pay these players wages.
Board are buying cheap players to sell them on for a profit to line their own bank accounts etc

 

Fair points mostly and thanks for the sensible reply. Just regarding my "facts" though:

It is a fact that we've cancelled two friendlies at short notice (one due to a lack of players)

It is a fact that we're facing EFL sanctions.

It is a fact that we've had plenty of administrative problems regarding season passes which has yet to be addressed by the club.

It is a fact that we've dismissed our club photographer of many years.

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I hope we win our first ten games and we can all say I Told You So. Connell signing is brilliant. We've made a decent signing between the sticks. Our manager seems pretty competent.

But yes, the kit is terrible.

 

It is a good debate I agree. I guess the perceived negatives I see as being more serious than you do - which is just a personality trait I guess.

 

We walked away from Wembley after the most painful defeat in our history, the days after, the result was extremely difficult to come to terms with, but I think there was still an amazing sense of positivity to be found amongst us and the club as a whole. In my opinion, that was the time a club needed to sieze on it, a plan for either result should have been implemented, players identified to leave and replacements sought, manager replacement also shortlisted because to have no idea duff was going is unbelievable. Much better comms from the club, incentives to get the day trippers on the hook. But nothing, just ameaturish business, cryptic ramblings on twitter, issues with the board that surface a month before kick off, the keith photographer debacle. 2 weeks before the kick off and once again we find ourselves woefully underprepared for a new season. Where we will probably miss out on points that mean just the same as they do in April.
Im not advocating the 'doom and gloom' attitude but surely even the most optimistic have to admit the close season has been a big disappointment.

 

Just on the cash injection point, remember that £3m was put in to the club to settle the legal case on the deferred purchase amount.

A further £750k had already been taken out of the club to meet a previous instalment. The net contribution to the club from the owners is actually less than £3m. Not a number to be sniffed at, just providing some balance and facts on the support provided by the owners.

 

The ticketing operation appears to have been shambolic this close season.
Beth was taken away from the office in tragic and unexpected circumstances.
Go figure.

 

Aye those Vegan nut roasts.

 

This is exactly how I feel & couldn’t have put it better myself. And let’s be honest you’re only saying what you’re seeing.

 

Agree mate not been a great summer and we may get 'the season of adjust' this season instead of last.
I've every faith in Collins to do his best and to have us challenging at the top, but it may not be straight away..

 

I may be rather naive but I feel that the expectations of many would dangerously compromise the future of the club by committing money in the hope that success will necessarily follow. History tells us that this has been done by many clubs where sometimes it works but too often just leads to failure and ruin.
I would much prefer our current process in the hope that it MAY lead to success or at least another exciting season.

(And I don`t agree particularly with the cancellation of pre-season friendlies - especially against the smaller clubs but I acknowledge that these were lined up before Collins came in and maybe just don`t fit in with his plans. Still could have sent a young team to represent the club.)

 

Snapshot points on this from me...

1. It hasn't been a stellar pre-season with the negatives probably outweighing the (undisputable) positives, as posters have already eloquently listed. It's fine to acknowledge that.

2. We (fans) are still hurting from the way we lost a play-off final at Wembley. And who to.

3. General life is a bit **** at the moment, at least certainly worse for most of us now and over the last few years than it has been in a long time.

4. A bit of a rant about something in an imaginary space is a valid outlet. In 'real life', people's words might come across a bit more tongue in cheek with a winking grin in the pub than the unbridled anger they appear to be in internet text. Cartoonish venting about something of less importance than paying the bills or feeding our families has its benefits.

5. Those wound up by the dialogue (both Tinpotters and Happy Clappers), turn off the internet. Don't go on Social Media. Don't give the attention seeking morons what they seek. Stay off here for a few days. You'll feel much better, believe me.

6. Let's not turn on each other as fans, certainly not to the point that it affects our love for the club. We all want something to cheer about and we all have varying levels of how concerned or supportive we are about the club. That's fine, that's life.

 

well thank you for telling me who to support!!! Is wanting my team to have a little bit of ambition a bad thing? In regards to player signings, I don’t expect us to spend beyond our means by any stretch.I have support us since 1992 and I am kind of use to that by now. What was the last thing we heard from the board, have we had any positivity from anyone at the club, just a brief don’t worry kind of message would be fine. Is this me wanting too much.

 

Not really. I think they should have been more reassuring about the EFL charges. Having just listened to the manager's press conference I think what he said dovetails with a few comments on here in that it will be a long term benefit rather than a bad thing.
Other than that then maybe we should see how we're doing at the end of August/September, trust in the fact that we have a lot of good players here and stop looking for any possible excuse to batter the club.
And I'm not accusing you of the latter by the way.