Football in general…and losing interest

I'm 55 and this is the first season that I haven't renewed for 25 years. It was so dull last season but also very toxic from the fans towards the end of the season I thought sod this I can find better things to do than come home depressed every other Saturday.

 

My Word, if you feel that way Archey then we really are in trouble, always found you generally level headed and try to remain upbeat.

Agree we need to try a back clarke, us the fans but more importantly the board.
I feel like those upstairs have looked at this season seen Birmingham, Wrexham etc and decided we can't compete before a balls been kicked and used it as a season to get the finances back on track without as much as saying so.

I can't see what the DOF has brought to the club under 2 head coaches, the statement when he joined said he'd be responsible for implementing a playing style and coaching philosophy through the club, if we measure that in results it's 2 home league wins in 10 months and a product that's got very stale on the eye.
If we look at the recruitment of his 1st window it's very very poor, it's early days in terms of games and some may come good but I can't see where the next 3.5m Mads Anderson or 4.5m Liam Kitching is coming from, considering he walked into the club in January he had time to plan.
We've become fixated by a playing ideology and playing style rather than recruiting the best we can for our budget and letting the head coach, coach them and get them working in a way that suits what he's got.
I'm not advocating we go back to a manager who signs 15 players then gets the sack and we have a mass turnover of players, but neither can we have a situation where we have a head coach wanting to play with a back 4 at times without proper full backs or wingers because the club stuck all its eggs in one basket wanting 352.
Its not working and something has to change, I don't want Clarke out he is working almost handicapped at the minute with the squad balance being a complete shambles.

 

I relate to your post exactly.
Been watching the reds since mid 70s.
Had season tickets for years.
Ran my diary holidays around games.
Gave my season ticket up in 2019 .
Feel really guilty when I don't go with the youngest as he as a season ticket.
Been to one game so far the first 15 minutes was the best opening 15 minutes to any game I attended.
Other than that we're as poor as I can ever remember.
The defence is absolutely awful.
I don't see this lot turning us around .
However I have got to the point where I don't give a @#£!

 

It's yet another transitional season. The board needs to show some balls and stick with this manager, and back him whilst he's here.

I genuinely believe the home form can be partially attributed to the atmosphere around Oakwell. It's clear that not all season ticket holders are attending every game. I reckon there were no more than about 7,500 there for the Wycombe game despite the announced attendance. The row I sit on is full of season ticket holders, and there was only about 10 of us sat there for Wycombe, 3 of whom I didn't recognise. The fans feel let down by the lacklustre recruitment being done at boardroom level, the deafening silence from the CEO who so far, has been the least visibly involved of all CEO's we've had in recent memory, and the spiralling cost of attending the game. I don't necessarily have an issue with ticket prices, but charging just short of a fiver for a sausage roll is taking the piss. People are worked up and disappointed before a ball is even kicked, so if the game doesn't get off to a lightening start, like against Wycombe last week, then the atmosphere is at best, silent, and at worst, toxic.

It's the main reason for me that we tend to fair better away from home. You've generally got the fans who have gone for the day out rather than the game. The crowd is more relaxed, and that translates onto the pitch (Saturday aside, obviously).

The level of output on the clubs website and social media accounts is pitiful though at the minute. After a win, I used to love rewatching the game the day after, switching between the commentary for the goals, to get the other perspective. I loved watching the 12 minute recap videos. Now we're posting goal of the month competitions without the accompanying video. I don't know whether it's a loss of interest at boardroom level, penny pinching or what.

As I say, I can get over the football. I accepted a while ago that it's just a game, and I'm happier for it. I can't get over my intelligence being insulted though; being expected to turn up, put my hand in my pocket, and accept what is an inferior product (off field) to what we've become accustomed to.

 

I came to this conclusion regarding BFC at the end if the Val era. Had a ST for many years, continued to pay through Covid. Then started to miss games. Several family members followed suit.

the game day experience was poor with no signs of improvement. An example was going from Redfearns to the outdoor thing. Car parking also took longer and longer. The decline from a Championship playoff to relegation was shocking but the management and players werent the driver to stop.

Since then the playing side has also got worse with no real interest to return to a live game nor renew a ST. For me we missed a big opportunity with the director of football. Took an odd decision when we could have supported a rookie manager, recruitment etc with an experienced footballing person who could leverage their network.

i can only see the apathy, interest dropping. We don't look like a club who fits into the championship right now. In fact we look very much relegation fodder.

 

One thing for sure, the amount of people who have

(A) stopped buying season tickets
(B) Just turn up occasionally
(C) put off by how poor the matchday has become
(D) Become completely dissalusioned by the direction and ownership of the club.

Is alarming, that list above doesn't include what's going off on the pitch.
These people aren't the usual ranting irate fans responding after a poor result, but the complete opposite.

There will be people at the Club reading these comments and posts I'm sure of it.

Worrying times ahead sadly

 

I think that's a very good point, the people voicing issues are no longer just the reactionary posters, it's the more level headed fans who are making their voices heard. And that indicates that the problems are no longer surface deep but that there are deep set issues that aren't going to be solved easily.

 

Sadly have to agree

 

In the same boat - mainly since the Covid break and losing my dad. We both had a season ticket since 99 and went every week - but following Covid, I renewed for the season after. I then lost the passion for it really and I just check results and follow games on here now.

I had planned to go to a few games the last few seasons, but the 30 quid tickets plus other matchday costs just doesn't make it worthwhile.

Shame really, but that's life I guess.

 

I’m still going UREDS

 

If they're trying to balance the books then why on Earth the ridiculous expenditure on the extensive coaching staff around the first team? How much is Hourihane earning? For what purpose?

 

No idea, add to that the additions of Jon Flatman, Mladen Sormaz and Anne Hough at the earlier part of the year, the place has gone mad

 

I've not renewed for first season since the 90s. Had one last season but only went to about 5 games. It bores me to tears these days, absolutely not sitting in the freezing cold for absolutely zilch entertainment value.

My interest in football in general has waned massively too. Still watch games on TV but most of the time I'm more playing with my phone than watching the game.

 

That’s a very good point regarding the folk responding in this thread.
I definitely don’t think of myself as a reactionary or knee-jerk poster. I don’t do post match angry rants and, even in my initial post, here, stated that I am not wanting the manager out (in fact, Archey’s 18 month/3 transfer windows principal is one I agree with).
I also never call for the owners out either. I admit that they aren’t great but don’t believe we have a queue of wealthy folk, with good football business knowledge, wishing to take the reins.
Just silly things really, like seeing Sedgy, our ex physio, sat on Huddersfield’s bench on Saturday. Why could we not cling on to him? (As an aside, is it only me who thinks fitness levels have dipped and injuries become more common since his departure). The updates and well wishes for Beth, part of the furniture round here have stopped. Whitey departing and, rightly, not giving his reasons for leaving what was his dream job. There’s all sorts. And it just doesn’t feel like ‘our’ club anymore. Buying a season ticket used to make you feel invested. But, now, it feels more like pickpocketed.
As I say, I have slowly been falling out of love with football for quite some time. I just never thought my interest in ‘my’ club could sink to this level. But it has and whilst I half know what the problems, around the club, are, I literally have no idea what the solutions are.

 

It's a good point re Sedgewick, I noticed Vikki Stevens stood near Duff, and Sedgewick was on the bench. It was a surreal feeling and for a minute I thought I was looking at the Barnsley bench.

The thing that frustrates me is how we undervalue good people and overvalue... I'll choose my words carefully... Those who have yet to prove their sense, value and commitment. We do it repeatedly. And as the faces change, the more things feel the same.

The last time I felt genuinely excited to watch us regularly was under Stendel. Even though we've had seasons which could be considered successful or near misses, for me it feels like we've gradually been diluting who we are... Or what we thought we were.

I think back to Patrick setting a DNA. Sadly, I don't think our owners and key execs would even understand what he was talking about, let alone be able to manifest it on the pitch and through the culture and identity of the club

 

Go to match really now to meet up with mates and have a few drinks , otherwise I probably wouldn’t see them

 

Make
(Association) Football
Great
Again

 

Someone who claims to know Sedgy told me he roughly doubled his wages & doesn’t even have to work every game.

Could be nonsense but it’s a weird thing to make up.

 

This is it. They can’t use the excuse of cost cutting at any point in the near future when they’ve got enough central midfielders for two clubs.

I can’t begin to fathom how you can be so incompetent at your job that you only have one left wing back at the club when the rest of the squad is built to play 3-5-2.