Keith Hill has every right to have a go. I’m fed up of the negative atmosphere in Oakwell and the I’d come if it was cheaper crew. Look at other clubs, Middlesbrough for example, which is a small industrial town of minimum wage jobs. They regularly get around 17,000 fans through the turnstiles. Barnsley has a population close to 240,000 and the support its gets from the town is shocking. I read a comment along the lines of if it was cheaper I’d go every week but not for one off cat B games as I want to go to all games and not just 1 every so often. So get a season ticket then. They are affordable and you could pay in instalments. The club will go nowhere with the attitude of Barnsley people. My good mate is a Man U fan. Goes to every game, has a season ticket, goes away in Europe and is on less money as a uni graduate than most people in Barnsley maybe. He has to buy 3 cards costing about £40 each which are various fan cards to get tickets for different competitions. He goes because he wants to, and he gets by living on his own in the City Centre here. Just wish Barnsley as a town backed there club more. Rant over…..
Perhaps he makes an extra effort because there is a good chance he will get value for money. Boro have also got a better recent pedigree than us.
There is only one man that can change the atmosphere at Oakwell and it aint Don Rowing. Also those who think Hill is the Real Deal aren`t making any atmosphere either to say he is what they want in a manager. Do they really believe in him?
You're not comparing like for like though - Population of Barnsley is 75,000. The Metropolitan borough is 240,000 but that includes places like Penistone, Royston, Goldthorpe, Hoyland etc which have deedar/scum strongholds. If you're comparing like for like then you have to include Teeside in Middlesborough which then has a population of 480,000 - twice as big. Add to that fact there must be 40 teams within a 40-mile radius of Barnsley as opposed to about three for Middlesborugh and I don't think our support is that bad. A survey done a few years back showed Barnsley as one of the top 10 supported teams in terms of % of population. Comparing us to Man united is just ******. I've supported Barnsley 40 years and in that time we have won absolutely nothing, zilch, diddly squat. (PS i don't count winning a play-off as a winning anything - we finished 6th)
So Hoyland isn’t in Barnsley? I’m from Wombwell which I consider to be in Barnsley. The Borough of Barnsley for me is the town. Going by that example London is one of the most densely populated cities in the country with a population of around 10,000 for the city of London. Middlesbrough is not nearly as big as Sheffield and bigger than Leicester and similar places. The population of Middlesbrough is 142,400. You can’t include places like Stockton and Redcar in the population of Boro as there different towns. Not comparing us to Man Utd, just saying the money argument for not going is ******. As if you want to go week in week out. Buy a season ticket and stop moaning about prices.
I'd say it is easier to justify finding teh coin to watch Man U cos there is a hugh chance you might actually enjoy it!
But Middlesbrough aren't competing with Redcar United and Shotton Town for fans are they. Like Leicester they are effectively a one county club and as the de facto PL club in that area people will always gravitate to them. If your mate is Barnsley born and bred tell him he is part of the problem. Anyone can follow Man United up and down the country.
I originate from wombwell and thats 5 miles from barnsley,,the same distance as stockton from middlesboro,so i cant see the difference there.redcar is then only about 8 or 9 miles from middlesboro..and there are no other teams near them.....they are also very terrirorial up there too,proud of where they are from,ie,teeside,weirside and tyneside,and in the main they support the team thats local to them......if the majority from 'dearneside' supported barnsley we'd be in a much better position than we are now..
Its a bit different if you follow Man U with all due respect. I'd wager if we had a famous successful club people would find the coin. Its always the same at Oakwell and ive been following em 32 years. If the team start to get success on the pitch and look like they are heading places then the fans will come. If it carrys on like it has the last 4-5 seasons then be ready for more of the same support. Success breeds support at oakwell, just that!
