In all my years of watching Barnsley, we've always been a selling club

It was always the case before my snotty little face was dragged down to Oakwell by my Dad and it'll still be the case once I've left this mortal coil. There's nothing different from what is rumoured to be happening this month to what's happened in the past.
It goes with the territory of being a Barnsley fan.

 

Correct mate. Still not a nice thing to have to do though.
I still cant believe we got over selling Bobby Doyle myself!!!

 

not just barnsley my friend i think you'll have a lot of supporters from a vast majority of clubs having similar views as you about their club.

 

Spot on Big Lil, even at times when fans expectations are through the roof ala late nineties, we sold our best players for the right price, Ashley ward, Craig Hignett. The key is to replace these players without having too much detriment to the club. We'll have to see on that one.
As for Vaz Te, remember he was a gamble that seems to be paying off at the moment. Had he been given a longer contract and it didn't work out then we'd have wasted the money.

 

Doyle could be a real maungy git at times, though!Lol

For example (not that you'd need reminding), Johnny Steele sold the likes of Barraclough & Howard, Clarke totally dismantled his promotion winning team (with the exception of Chambers & McCarthy), Hunter got shut of Aylott & McHale and replaced them with inferior players.
It's always happened and it's never been pleasant. I'd prefer us to keep Butterfield, Vaz Te, Davies & Steele. But if they were to leave, I'm not going to start throwing the teddy out of the cot and stamping my foot like a spoilt, little brat.*











*Like I did when we sold Mick Butler a few months before Bobby Doyle!!

 

The plus side of supporting a club like ours, mate

Is that when we do have a bit of success, it tastes that much sweeter.

 

Keith Hill & David Flitcroft made their reputations at Rochdale

By selling their best players at a profit, whilst still progressing the club off the field and the team on it. Not just for one season, but over a number. Which is why we went for them last summer.

 

Maybe so, but it's very frustrating for supporters when they see players leave for next to nothing. That is different to how it was in the past. There are all sorts of release clauses built into contracts these days - although I wouldn't imagine our club is alone in that respect.

 

I guess you could argue that shorter contracts are a good motivator.

 

That appears to be the case in this instance. Perhaps, and in hindsight of course, we could've had a first refusal type clause written in?

 

Sorry, but it isn't different to the past in my opinion

We sold the likes of Howard, Winstanley, Loyden, Greenwood, Pickering, Butler, Doyle, Speedie, Aylott, McCarthy, Banks, Birch, Parker, Hirst, May, Gray, Payton, Geddis, McIndoe, Howard, (as examples) for nowhere near their true market value at the time.
As I said, just my opinion.

 

its not that we are just a selling club that comes with being a 2nd tier/ lower club, we have also a reputation of rescuing players and bringing them back, Vaz Te is just the latest example, Remember when Craig Hignet was basically a sub at aberdeen we brought him on again and sold for millions.

 

Correct

If some of our headline grabbing players do leave, I have confidence in Hill & Flitcroft to adequately replace them. I'd still prefer those players to stay here, though.

 

Re: Correct

You could say that all Clubs are selling Clubs. We have had periods where we have bought quality in rather that sell. That's how we got promoted to the Prem we kept our better players and brought in players as good as or even better than what we had.

 

It's how clubs like ours survive. That or a Qatari billionaire owner, but I hate the idea of the club becoming little more than a plaything for the bored ultra-rich.

 

correct

 

Re: Sorry, but it isn't different to the past in my opinion

Interesting list.

I guess it depends on what we consider their "true" market value to be. I doubt they would have had "escape clauses" though (with the possible exception of McIndoe).

What do you feel the reasons for this were in the past? Hirst was sold due to financial problems. I can't really remember much about Speedie.

We need to sell players when they reach their peak value - not have a last minute "fire sale" as we did with Brian Howard. We should have got good money for Darren Barnard also.

On a side issue, we also developed a bad habit of "paying up" contracts for players that were surplus to requirements. That seems to have been largely remedied (with one very recent exception).

You mentioned

above. I'd be mortified if we got nothing for each of those. I'd expect money fror Nathan Doyle too.

Stephen

 

Even in the past, when clubs held the upper hand,

Barnsley rarely seemed to get decent fees when transferring players, probably due to financial issues. It always seemed to be necessary to sell our better players in order to avoid running up big debts. Footballers (or their representatives) these days appear to hold all the cards when negotiating contracts and this has become a big problem for clubs like Barnsley, as the McIndoe & Hammill situations prove.
We can all be wise after the event, but I'd suggest very few could honestly claim last summer that they knew the likes of Vaz Te & Davies would become the success they have and, therefore, warrant longer contracts at higher rates.

 

Re: Sorry, but it isn't different to the past in my opinion

You forgot Tina Tyke !!

 

Bar Man Utd, Chelsea and Man City we're all selling clubs

And some of the continental clubs make offers that even these three can't refuse.

Even if we get in the Premiership and stay there we'll still be a selling club. The bigger clubs in the Premiership will buy our better players. That's how football works, your better players get sold, which funds your club and allows them to buy some other club's better players and so on.

That's how it's always been and that's how it always will be. Just enjoy the good players while you've got them and don't become a miserable b'stard bairning on if they're not perfect.