We left yesterday at 3-0. Both my son and I were laughing about how bad it was. No anger, no surprise, just an acceptance that were abysmal. Do other people feel like this? If so the club are in big trouble. I would quite happily not set foot in Oakwell again this season. It’s my day out with the boy granted but there’s loads of other fun things we can do on a Saturday. He feels the same. He turned to me during the first half and said “why are we even here”?
A feeling that's been growing amongst the fan base for a number of seasons but seems to be accelerating alarmingly this season. You're certainly not alone in feeling like this.
My apathy extends now as far as my dodgy firestick. I don't know why I can be bothered to watch us on that any more.
I wish I was apathetic. Yesterday, and indeed our home form for the last two seasons, have left me infuriated, frustrated, baffled in varying quantities. I work in Nottingham and remember during Covid when we beat Forest to nil 3 times in about as many months. That idiot Conway got rid of Dane Murphy, he rocked up there and 4 years later they're 3rd in the Premier League and we're losing 4 nil at home to Leyton Orient. I'm obviously in no way equating a club of our size to Forest, but we were panning them 4 years ago on the way to finishing 5th in the Championship. The way this club has been led and handled since then has been unforgivable. Like I say, I wish I was apathetic about it all.
After leaving when we went 3 down, my two sons, my grandson and I, had a discussion I thought we would never have. In brief, we discussed what else we could do together on Saturday afternoons to ensure we see each other at least every couple of weeks. In my case it’s not that surprising because, as I get older, I am tending to miss as many games as I attend. But to hear them discussing it seriously was quite shocking. My wife has always maintained that taking my sons to Oakwell when they were little was a form of child abuse, as once they were hooked it was difficult to give it up. She meant it in jest of course, but now I’m beginning to wonder because they were genuinely disheartened yesterday.
As bad as it is right now, we all know it will turn round eventually. And we all know when it does, not if, the success will taste sweet. Part of the game. That's why I'm really glad Man City have dipped so badly. For some of their fans, they will have literally never tasted defeat, which just isn't normal for me. Stick with it.
I didn’t go yesterday. My old man’s abroad but I’d normally make the effort & take a mate on his ticket. I’ve had a rotten cold for the last few days but that wouldn’t have stopped me normally. I decided to watch it at home & then fell asleep & missed nearly all the match. I’m sure many would argue I’d had a lucky escape but I feel a bit sad that I missed a match & didn’t even care.
I’m the opposite jamo. I wish I wasn’t apathetic. I want my son to feel how the club has made me feel in the past. The good and the bad. I thought that love and passion could never leave me. I’ve always called it “ the rollercoaster”. It’s more like the little tea cup ride these days.
I posted the other week it's when the apathy sets in you know you're done. All those who are angry are still invested. This is my 3rd season without a ST. I had upto that point had one since the Premier league season and didn't have one before that as it wasn't as big a thing. I genuinely just had to really think about if this was the 3rd season I've missed as I have lost track.
I gave my season ticket up this season after nigh on being an ever present for 45 seasons. I still watch the games on the internet and even that is proving hard to do. The soul has been ripped out of the club and it’s tough to watch.
We we're in agreement that leaving the Garrison was the slippery slope. up to then it wer a good day.
We started to give up in 2019/20 COVID then happened and I can honestly say I've been to more away games than I have set foot inside oakwell. The only thing keeping me interested is watching on TV. I still get angry like yesterday, but I'm seriously considering not even watching these days. That's so hard to comprehend having been a ST holder since before the Premier League. Will I ever get another. Can't see it for the foreseeable, and certainly not with the constant upheaval at the end of every season. That upheaval every year, is precisely why I gave up going.
I think that lockdown did me a huge favour in teaching me that it isn’t essential to be at every game. Football is not the be all and end all. There will be ups and downs but there are more important things in life. Ultimately its all pointless if you look at it objectively - we will never be able to compete even at Championship level, but we may have our occasional glory moments. Very rare that football ruins my weekends these days. Maybe that is apathy - I can’t be bothered to work it out. ;-)
The team losing hasn't ruined my weekend for months, before I'd be gutted and have that crap feeling in my stomach, now i just shrug my shoulders and forget about it tbh, I think I've just come to accept that we're not very good at football at the minute, happy if we win, couldn't care less if we lose
Not just Forest. Both Sheffield clubs, Bournemouth, Swansea, Derby, Brentford, Luton, maybe Oxford ...... all teams we have computed with, beaten, or beaten easily, in recent seasons just seem to get further away from us. We beat Plymouth away in Stendel's promotion season; Plymouth about to drop to the bottom tier. In a pub a Pilgrim wished me and the lad luck and said 'it will be a long time til we face #TeamsLikeBarnsley again'. Doesn't seem two minutes since. We're in a rut. Like Marc says it will taste better when we get out of it, but I just can't see the light at the end of the tunnel at present.
I travelled nearly 250 miles to watch yesterday’s game and left after 65 minutes after witnessing a limpness on par with the Schopp/Ashbaghi season. I don’t think I’ve felt this demoralised with the club since the pre Cryne days where we just seem to drift aimlessly towards League One. Unfortunately, we’re already in League One and we are drifting aimlessly again. The frustration is from an obvious lack of direction and leadership from those chosen to manage the club. We have a Sporting Director and Head Coach who are seriously out of their depth yet we have to wait, watch and suffer further hurt until those with the power realise their mistakes. If it looks like $hit and smells like $hit - then it’s $hit. The owners need to adult up, acknowledge their errors and act now else I hate to think where the club goes. I’m generally a positive supporter and I don’t mind that the owners aren’t local. I support the use of data and believe a sustainable development strategy is the way forward however this ownership group seem incapable of making good decisions and that makes me fear for the future as I don’t see anything in the near future to hang my hat on. I saw the classic Kes poster in the Kestrel enjoying some pre match Landlord yesterday. It resonates with of us all because it encapsulates what it means to be Barnsley. Please don’t let these buggars break our spirit - you reds.