Am I reading this right on the official site?

http://www.barnsleyfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10309~1335839,00.html</p>

Does it say that Patrick Cryne feels that we are favourites for the drop because barnsley fans arent betting that we'll stay up due to them 'feeling the pinch'?</p>

 

Also, did 270,000 different football supporters really pass through the doors at oakwell last season

I think that an optimistic guess would be that the average away following was 3,000 last season which is a total of 80,000 give or take (again a very optimistic figure) leaving around 190,000 different barnsley fans over the course of the season. Really?

 

Yes.

 

thanks

I wasn't sure if i'd read it right because he goes on to say that if barnsley fans did bet then they would be giving their money to the bookies. Doesn't that mean that he's saying they would lose the bet and we are going to go down?

 

I would say so...

...at this stage of the season, bookies set their odds based on how much people are gambling, not on who has the best (or worst) team.

Don't expect them to give the same odds at Christmas, when we're still unbeaten and running away with the league.

I'm not sure why PC is making a point about it though, would have thought he would be having a quiet flutter

 

How Come When Cryne Speaks......

it's never to the official ***** and always to a secondary source like a local paper? I guess it's so more people are likely to read his thoughts, but our official ***** rarely get exclusives, which is a shame. Instead we have the same newspaper interview cut into different news stories, instead of the whole interview in one.

 

RE: thanks

I would think he means we won't be winning the league, so they would lose their money, rather than because we might go down.

 

Oh right, didn't realise it was talking about odds of us winning the league, thought it was just staying up or going down. As it's about winning the league then isnt he wrong to say they have us down to be relegated? they just dont have us down to win, the odds of us getting relegated could be totally different if a lot of people have us down as a team that will finish mid table

 

That's how I see it...

... but then, I haven't read the article !

I don't think you get very many bookies running odds on teams getting relegated, perhaps the online ones might do - but then they bet on absolutely anything !

It does seem to be a bit of creative jounalism by our creative website editor

 

RE: How Come When Cryne Speaks......

Because he realises that the website is only read by a small percentage of Barnsley fans who have internet access and know about it.

More exposure in the likes of Yorkshire post etc, then its cut and pasted into the website by Rob Knowles.

 

i'd actually say its a fairly large percentage who read stuff on the net. would be interesting to know. How many users does the official ***** have?

 

RE: How Come When Cryne Speaks......

Perhaps, he's trying to tap into those thousands of disgruntled Leeds supporters

If you wanted to increase the numbers of supporters coming to Oakwell, then I think he is doing the right thing.

What he needs to do now, is get a few column inches in the Mirror, Star, Sun, etc. so the message gets across to even more fans.

 

Mate of mine has done this site. Think it ties in nicely with this thread.

http://thebbsmash.blogspot.com/

 

The full article

BARNSLEY: Tykes don't deserve relegation tag
Published Date: 29 June 2008
By Lee Sobot

OWNER Patrick Cryne has labelled the bookmakers "absurd" for making Barnsley favourites for relegation.
Cryne's side struggled in the Championship last term but still finished above fellow survivors Blackpool, Southampton and Coventry City.

Simon Davey's side also showed their potential in the FA Cup, brilliantly humbling Liverpool and Chelsea before being agonisingly denied a place in the final after defeat to Cardiff at Wembley.

Cryne has already promised to back Davey in the transfer market and on Thursday Barnsley unveiled the exciting signature of striker Iain Hume from Leicester for £1.2m.

Hume, 24, has 22 caps for Canada and played 132 games for Leicester, netting 34 goals.

His signature illustrates Barnsley's ambition and the club's owner feels the bookies have got it wrong making his side joint favourites to go down with Blackpool.

"That's where we were last year (in the betting) and it's absurd," said Cryne.

"We are behind other clubs who, if you look at it rationally, are more likely for the drop than us.

"Surviving for one season alone after stepping up from League One is difficult – Bristol City did a fantastic job last season, but historically the sides that go up find it very difficult.

"That's two years we've had now and you would think we would get some credit, but these things are not conducted by the strength and history of sides, they are done on who has the most money.

"The people in Barnsley are obviously feeling the pinch and not having a bet and quite right too as all they'd be doing is putting money in the bookies' pockets."

Barnsley beat off competition from Wolves, Sheffield United and Preston to seal Hume's signature and Cryne revealed that more new players will be on the way,

"Simon is looking at potential signings and is hoping to make some signatures," said Cryne.

"He's looking at strikers, wingers, defensive midfielders and central midfielders and I think you'll find a few signings in the next week."

Barnsley's players return to pre-season training on Thursday, five days after the deadline for season ticket renewals.

Barnsley have slashed season ticket prices by £10 per adult this year, as well as allowing under 11s free and Cryne is certain numbers will be up on the 7,500 of last term.

He said: "Season tickets are well up on last year, we've had a good response.

"We've made it more affordable to watch us and more economic to watch us with a season ticket rather than just one game.

"To reduce prices by £10 across the board for adults is pretty radical and then you have children 11 years or younger getting in free.

"We are trying to get the kids into the ground next season to secure their loyalty for the future."

Barnsley's Oakwell ground will host an important fixture when Manchester City use the facility for their preliminary-round tie in the UEFA Cup on either July 17 or July 31.

This is because the City of Manchester Stadium is being used for a summer event.

Cryne is urging fans to make the most of the spectacle, stressing that the Tykes are lucky to be granted the honour.

He said: "We had to fight off competition from other clubs, but we did everything in our power to convince Manchester City that we would be good hosts and that the people of Barnsley would be interested."

Meanwhile, striker Kim Christensen is leaving Oakwell after his contract was cancelled by mutual consent.

Christensen was transfer-listed towards the end of last season and has now returned to his homeland to join Danish side FC Midtjylland.

The 28-year-old forward signed for the Tykes from Odense Boldklub in August last year and managed only one goal in 13 games for the club last season.

Barnsley's first pre-season friendly is now less than two weeks away, Davey's side visiting Buxton on Friday, July 11 and Glossop the following day.

Their pre-season schedule then kicks further into gear at York City on Tuesday, July 22.

 

According to Mr Knowles

About 10 million

 

Well, it's from the Yorkshire Evening Post for a start

And it is about odds for relegation.

 

WTF?

 

Smales.

 

RE: Well, it's from the Yorkshire Evening Post for a start

For Promotion :

http://odds.bestbetting.com/football/england/coca-cola-championship/promotion

For Relegation :

http://odds.bestbetting.com/football/england/coca-cola-championship/relegation

Seems like the article was based on the relegation odds, not promotion !

So we are not quite the rank outsiders for promotion, Blackpool are beating us to that !