I can't stand up for falling down.

Ruminating on being a Barnsley fan as I returned from Blackburn yesterday both finaniicially and spiritually poorer I was thinking about what keeps me going as a fan of a club like ours.

Like most of the clubs in the league pyramid we have no realistic chance of winning anything. Historically we are a Championship club financially given the changes in football since the formation of the premiership we are punching above our weight.

Local pride. Local chauvinism. Bloody minded ness. A celebration of my tribe. For the first time in a long at the end of last season I felt that we the fans were reconnecting with our club. Since our relegation and administration there has been a gradually intensifying feeling of disconnect that the club has alienated itself from us; has changed from being at the centre of our community to being something else. The run in the passion of the manager and the players the acknowledgement from the hierarchy at Oakwell that mistakes had been made. All contributing to a feeling of a new dawn.

The club I started to support in the 4th division in the late 70s was a tight knit passionate one. Our ground was occasionally ramshackle in the intervening years but there was a genuine sense of community of it being run as a community club before such terms were in vogue. The club shop remained a small but friendly place run by Shirley for years. The snack bars were 'in house'. Everything was run for the club to promote its and our interests and it felt like that.

The club like the town was decimated by the Tories in the aftermath of the miners strike but we overcame and moved forwards. The team that got us promotion restored pride and belief in our town and ourselves. A significant number of core players from the promotion squad were local yourh products and understood the club and the town. Watson, Eaden, Moses, Liddell, Bullock (well he seemed like a youth product) later Morgan and Scott Jones. We came together in celebration led by Redfearn who changed from man of many clubs to talisman at ours.

In the midst of this success though some mistakes were made we decided to make the running of our club less community based and more like a business.

The fall out from relegation and the insane appointment of Hendrie as manager then the collapse of On Digital and a further relegation leading to administration were body blows. Decisions were made. Necessary decisions given the financial issues such as franchising and cost cutting that felt like a further disconnection from us. The ground had the feeling, which it still has to a degree, that everything was being run in the cheapest possible way to extract cash from us. Fair enough but there was also the feeling that this cash was no longer being ploughed back into the club but was just off to live some other buggers pockets.

Promotion was achieved and basically we have been in a perpetual relegation fight ever since. Managers have come and gone with too much frequency as have players. There has been little or no stability and our youth system appeared to have completely collapsed. It appeared that the club was being run on perpetual crisis management with short term ism and short term contracts being the order of the day. In this there is no criticism of patrick Cryne he has saved our club from extinction whilst facing problems of his own.

On the past at this level we bad managed to attract quality players Futcher, Redfearn, Baker, De Zeeuw and they had stayed and won places in our hearts. This time players shipped in and shipped out with such alarming frequency there seen no continuity no link from pitch to fans. I can honestly say for the first time ever I went a few seasons with no favourite player they all seemed much of a muchness and I expected them to be gone as soon as they had the chance anyway. This is not good we all need heroes someone who you think yes I'd pay my money just to see him in a red shirt.

Our recruitment policy seemed to become more and more desperate as we raided the lower divisions not for true quality most of the time but for numbers with the hope that one in six would come off.

The margins of professional football at the level we play at are so thin that this sort of policy makes it very difficult to see the wood for the trees. Is Stephen Dawson an excellent player who at the top of his game is good enough for a team challenging for promotion from the league below or can you progress in the championship with players of his qualities (of which there are many). Chris Dagnall is an admirable person and model employee does that translate into an ability to score goals regularly at this level.

The response to these challenges from January last year seemed to be a strong one from club and fans.

We have a young manager who proved that he can be inspirational. He has also shown that he can make mistakes. We are currently on a poor run of form in terms of results and performances. We have been unlucky with injuries in the key centre half position, the manager has picked some players out of position and we have suffered from some poor reffing decisions

On a more positive note Our recruitment seemed to have shifted given that we have signed over the summer 3 full internationals, a player that Bayern Munich saw immense potential, Nyatanga who's qualities we are aware of and O'Grady similarly. We have signed M'Voto who has perhaps played a little more than we needed him to but she's glimpses that he may be able to take the step up.

For the first time in a fair while we have some youth players coming through who have a realistic chance of making it as Championship players in Rose, Digby and RNL

Off the field we have replaced and reinvigorated the clubs front line staff and attracted a go getter in Mansford who acknowledges the issues raised by fans and is taking steps to address them.

The fans have responded with guarded positivity and an increase in season ticket sales though the start to the seaon has dented thus alike and does nothing to attract pay on the gate fans asked to pay silly money.

I think as fans of our type of club we are looking to feel that the players care about paying for our club. We are looking for a strong youth policy that constantly provides 2 or 3 first team regulars; we are looking to have a couple of players we retain for a significant time who are strong at this level (O'Grady and Cranie of the current lot). We are also looking to feel involved and part of something to be treated as supporters not consumers. We are looking if not to play total football to play with intensity and purpose. We are looking for our club to either run things like the shop and the snack bars and bars themselves or ensure that service, cost and quality are paramount in any franchisee.

I think we are on the road towards this. Real progress has been made. We should not fragment and turn in on ourselves our manager or our team. We should continue to buy into the project. The road back to running a community orientated successful club that makes us feel proud is not a short or easy one there will be bumps along the way.

Onwards and Upwards.

 

Excellent post.

We, as fans, just get the short-term frustration, after being beaten 5-2, coupled with harsh red card and players playing below par and out of position.

I think the majority know we are on a much more positive pathway and your post spells this out very well.

 

And relax, not bad at all.

 

Excellent post.

 

To be sure

to be sure.

 

Re: To be sure

Enjoyed reading that.

I'm still upbeat. Faith in the squad and management.

Never going to agree with every little decision, but that's the norm.


Bring on the Terriers.

 

Re: To be sure

What a fantastic post.

 

Good read that, mate

Nice one.

 

Re: Good read that, mate

Agree with the majority of what has been said BUT if we continue to concede goals at the alarming rate we are then the fans will once again become disillusioned and the positivity from the end of last season will be nothing but a distant memory.I have every faith in Flicker and his staff but some tough decisions must be taken regards some of the playing staff because some are not good enough in this division and need to be moved on.
After the sending off yesterday the fragility of our defence was all too apparent and we folded like a pack of cards. Massive game on Saturday and unless we rectify the frailties in defence we could once again be suffering another home defeat.
I know i'm sounding negative but i'm fed up of building up my hopes for the season only for us to keep committing the same old errors.
If we win next saturday then maybe we will all feel different. Fingers Crossed!!!

 

Re: Good read that, mate

Excellent read - put my thoughts into words. I like that bit about the tribe!

 

Excellent post. One of the best things I've ever read on here. Not a great deal of competition I like but still . . . .

 

Oliver's Army

Well said Jimmy, couldn't agree more mate.