I posted this two weeks ago

Now I'm not arguing that there weren't valid reasons for sacking Hill. But I really don't think that those in charge of the club have thought through any of these questions before taking the decision. I hope I'm wrong but I can't help thinking we are gambling on simply staying up with little or no consideration for the future

http://v2.barnsleyfc.org.uk/showthread.php?179056-So-you-sack-keith-Hill

 

I think in appointing Keith Hill the club was looking long-term, hoping he could implement a style of football on the club and develop players for the coming years. I would have thought that such a long-term approach may have even accepted a relegation, with emphasis put towards the wider context and future. However, I think this vision was naiively based on the hope that we wouldn't find ourselves in a position like we are now, staring relegation in the face. Due to the alarming slide down the table and awful 2012 in general, the club have decided to get rid of Hill. But now what? Do we abandon the long-term vision for short-term survival? Or do we look for another manager who could develop the club in the coming years like O'Driscoll? For me, if we are to go down the long-term route again, keeping whoever we appoint even if we go down hoping they'll get us back up, then Hill would have been as good a option as most.

I think the club/board has perhaps shown it's lack of football knowledge. I think we wanted to create some sort of long-term vision under Hill, got scared by the results so sacked him, but now find ourselves in a right muddle as to the way forward. I'd like to see some kind of strategic thinking at Barnsley, we cannot just appoint someone new every 18 months to scrape 21st position. Sooner or later we have to have a long-term plan. But long-term plans often don't bear fruit until after fan's frustrations reach boiling point. I'd hate to have to try and sort BFC out at the moment and just pray Don and Co. get it right.

 

This long term plan is poppy **** invented by managers to give them time.

 

I think it would be really difficult to try and ingrain a style of play on a football club for the long term. Sooo many players and managers come and go in such a short period of time, it makes it almost impossible - even for the bigger clubs. Only Arsenal have really managed this and looking at recent seasons, I wouldn't call it particularly successful. Its all about the ability to adapt imo

 

Like's not the word. F.king adore would be more suited.

 

I certainly take the point Farnham, but I also think the club's strategy to break even (correctly IMO) meant there is a good chance of relegation at some point. Hill's vision was to try and make us more competitive in the long term under that strategy. But given the resources available to him it meant we may go down during that process, as we may have done under a manager with a short term stay up at all cost plan.

If we do just stay up the new manager is going to be facing the exact same constraints Hill has this season come next summer. I just hope that we do appoint someone with their own long term plan to allow us to compete within our budget. Just chucking some money at it in January and hope for the best doesn't leave us any better off in the long term because it isn't sustainable.

 

It's all well and good having a 'long term strategy' but can the club afford to loose £6 million or so by being relegated? If we have a tight budget now just imagine how tight it would be in league1!!!

I liked KH and I wanted him to succeed but the club had no choice but to sack him. As they say "stats don't lie" the last year had been the worst since I started supporting Barnsley in the late 70s.

 

Apart from the lack of results and his seeming inability to accept what was wrong I also don't think that they counted on his ability to alienate a large percentage of fans with his stupid naive comments.

 

I think the board thought long and hard before Hill got the sack.

They would have been quite justified in getting shut a month ago.

He has had plenty of time to turn things around but kept making the same mistakes week in week out.

The Don said in on interview that relegation wasn't an option for the club.

We may now find the "little money" we have spent more wisely on players who are Championship standard who will get a game.

 

If the board provide any manager with the lowest budget in the division then relegation is always going to be a very real option

 

I suspect that he was sacked because the board thought he wasn't up to the job. He has consistently selected players who were out of form and were letting him down. The pass/pass/ pass policy seemed to have no purpose or end product. We can't throw the ball more than 5 yards- corner kicks and free kicks are a waste of time and lead nowhere. Don't get me wrong I am not a long ball merchant but passing must have purpose. Throw ins are a particular weakness.Against Blackburn we had a throw in 20 yards from the corner flag. Wiseman took it and had 4 players within ten yards of him and one man-Tudgay in the penalty box. That is a familiar routine with the same predictable result. We are easy to play against the build up is slow and laboured so they drop back and wait for us to lose the ball .Opposing managers must find their team talks easy at Oakwell.

 

Develop players you always here about vaz te and buttercup what about the failings Mido silva etc etc and what the hell have they done with digby yes hillcroft you brilliant at developing players