Me & Barnsley FC

I know most of you lot think I'm just a moaning tw*t but i'm not really.

When my dad first started taking me to matches it was the only thing I was bothered about, I used to live waiting for Saturday to come around for the next game, a win would mean I was on a high for the rest of the week whereas a loss would leave me in a manic depression for most of the weekend. Come the next match, however, all was forgotton and was as optomistic as ever.

Since my dad stopped going the games however it has been a lot different, the incompetant managers and useless players we have seen come and go have made watching BFC more of a chore than a hobby, and now I go not because I want to but because I feel I have to.

Another £280 thrown Barnsley's way earlier this month for my new season ticket plus hundreds more for the away day outings.

In previous seasons I couldn't wait for the new season. New shirt coming out, fixtures released, open day, friendlies, first game of the season.

Now I just can't be arsed and wouldn't mind going shopping on August 5th or whenever it is. Maybe the continuous lies of previous BFC owners has taken some of the shine away from a one proud honest club?

Maybe this was the case before and I was too young and naive to see it, whatever it is supporting Barnsley int the same.

 

When did you start going to mathes ?

 

prob at high school

like most people. thats when we started algebraff

 

94, i think my first match was in 93 though, FA Cup Replay

 

It's nothing to do with lies

<span style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif">If we were in the premiership the owners could lie all they wanted and despite a few grumbles no one would care. What we want to see is a decent team that wins games. For the past few years we haven't had that. I've been watching since the late 70s and during the majority of that time we've been on the up. Promotion from the 4th division was soon followed by promotion from the third. We then consolidated to become a mid table second division outfit who occasionally flirted with promotion and relegation. Then came Danny Wilson and suddenly our expectations went in to overdrive. We got 1000s of new fans and life at Barnsley was great: a season in the premiership, huge crowds, massive transfer fees, a trip to Wembley and some genuinely fantastic players. For many, that's all they've ever seen. And to give credit where it's due, the attendances have kept up pretty well. They're much higher now than they were in the late 80s and early to mid 90s when we were in a division above. But history shows Barnsley are not a glamour team. We've spent the majority of time in the second tier of English football, but we've also spent huge periods in the bottom 2 divisions.</font></span></p>

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<span style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif">Some people decide that they're not interested watching a struggling team playing in the third or fourth division. Nowt wrong with that, watching every Barnsley game doesn't make you a better person. But the reason for this is because they don't like watching **** football. It's nowt to do with players earning too much or dodgy owners or players supposedly not trying. Nobody cared how much Glavin was paid despite his wages being massively disproportionate to the majority in the division. Nobody cared how much Ashley Ward or Craig Hignett was being paid. Nobody cares what the owners say or do if we're winning games. And the current crop of players try to win football matches as much as the best players we've ever had did. Trouble is, they're jus not as good because we can't afford good players.</font></span></p>

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<span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: " ar-sa?="" mso-bidi-language:="" en-us;="" mso-fareast-language:="" en-gb;="" mso-ansi-language:="" roman?;="" new="" ?times="" mso-bidi-font-family:="" times=""><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif">We can make excuses that we're no longer interested because there's something rotten in Denmark, but the truth of it is that we're not interested because our team isn't as good as we'd like it to be and we'd rather do something else than watch us lose.</font></span></p>

 

Good stuff as per

Where's pages 2 and 3?

 

Lies damn lies and statistics

not a single on of those in there jay

Bang on

Thing is what about those of us numpties that will be there this evening cos the summer means withdrawal symptoms?

 

the current crop of players try to win football matches as much as the best players we've ever had

I disagree. Stephen Mcphail does not try to win football matches as much as Redfearn did. :S

 

RE: the current crop of players try to win football matches as much as the best players we've ever

Disagree, he just doesn't look like he wants to win as much. The problem with players who are perceived as being more talented is that most fans want them to fly into tackles etc when they just have a different way of playing.

 

RE: the current crop of players try to win football matches as much as the best players we've ever

But you've just compared the most committed player from one era to the least committed player from the current era.</p>

Is Robbie Williams more committed than Barnard?</p>

Does Kay look more committed than Hristov?</p>

Tonge more committed than Bosancic?</p>

Say what you like about Vaughan, but his will to win is there. What about Shuker, he gives as much to the cause as anyone from the glory years. For every McPhail we've got now there was a Fjortoft when we were good. For every Redfearn there's a Jacob Burns. Same commitment, they're just not as good.</p>

 

well said

However, win, lose or draw, I'm happy when I walk away from that ground knowing the players gave everything they had. This unfortunately hasn't happened in recent years. Take Hull City away last season. Normally I'd have been pissed off with them for losing to Hull but I stood there at the end and clapped them off because they all tried. I sincerely hope that continues under Ritchie this season.

I few years ago when were "playing like Brazil" I used to get pissed off with reports of our matches when we always used to get called 'battling Barnsley' and were never given credit for our football. Now I want to see those words in every report I read.

I started watching us under Mel Machin when 3,000 used to go and I was standing at the front of the Ponty End. Wilson and Dennis took us to heaven on and off the pitch and then Dennis and Spackman sent us to hell.

It'll take time but I believe this club is dragging itself off the floor again and I see no reason why we can't get back and stay in division 1 where, in my opinion, we belong.

 

RE: the current crop of players try to win football matches as much as the best players we've ever

Now come on, Bosancic was a legend and he did try IMO.

 

bosancic was great

Excellent player. But full blooded commitment wasn't his forte.</p>

 

3,000 under Machin?

That must have been a mickey Mouse Cup match. At our lowest ebb under Machin we still averaged around 6,000

 

RE: 3,000 under Machin?

v Grimsby, we lost 2-0 (Dobbin notched) there was about 3,400 in the ground. Neil Redfearn was roundly abused that day for being 'crap'.

 

|n Wilson's first season as manager

There were a couple of games with less than 4,000 in. Even in the promotion season I believe we got less than 6,000 in a couple of games.

 

Lowest crowd in promotion season was

7,523 - for the second game of the season. Lowest crowd under Machin was 3,659 but the average was 6509. Worst averageae in last 20 years was 5860 in 1986/87 season

 

Lowest crowd under Wilson was 5440

but under Anderson it was 3659

 

RE: Lowest crowd in promotion season was

If I can pedant for a moment.

v Oxford 15.10.96 att. 6,337

 

Jay's post

is spot on. I started in the late 70's and this is the first period of sustained decline. With you it must be up like a rocket and down like the stick !!!! I also wonder what the fck I'm doing at the well watching dross when the delights of Meadowhell beckon !!! Keep yer pecker up mate !!