Message from Matt Bailey

If they don't back down though, and give him another chance, what do we think Matt will do next ?.

 

That’s a very good point. Unfortunately Matt has a habit of going nuclear before playing the mental health card or other excuses after the event. If you were being really cynical you could say it would (in his own head at least) give him free reign to behave how he likes.

 

Why would you be ‘really cynical’ and just make crap up? If I was being really cynical I could say that you think saying someone is ‘playing the mental health card’ means (in your head at least) you’ve got free rein to insinuate anything you like.

 

Bang out of order accusing someone of "playing the mental health card"

 

Ridiculous and weird comments there from S74, as usual!.

 

When I worked on Oakwell 1575, and then Barnsley World, which I think was 5 or 6 seasons, I don't think I ever received a penny from the club, not even expenses. When Andy Firth took over 1575, we were told we would be paid, however it never happened, he went bankrupt and I was owed from memory about a grand and never got it. That was when we were broadcast on Barnsley World as well; which I appreciate probably have the level of subscribers and therefore income that iFollow has since brought in. But we as commentators weren't looked after by the club then, so it hardly surprises me.

Point I'm making is that Matt used to do it for free for many, many years. Now I don't know how it's evolved since 2008, (when I was unceremoniously booted out for doing absolutely nothing wrong), but I can't imagine that anything Matt was paid was something to penny pinch over. He may now be in a position in life where he needed to be paid for it (which I think is fair as it's very time consuming!), perhaps as he was doing it when he could have been working/earning elsewhere, but previously he did it for nowt, as did we all for a long time.

I have met a lot of passionate Barnsley fans over the years, but none more so than Matt, he lives and breathes the Reds, and whilst very straight talking (my kind of person!), he was always very professional in his job, as well as being very good at it. Some of the club commentators I've heard elsewhere are hopeless.

The club as a whole is a huge mess in my opinion, and there is decision after decision that rankles with supporters but also does the dirty on people that have been heavily involved within the club for so many years. Look at Keith the photographer, now there is Matt, and there have been others too. Yet certain people get appointed to unadvertised roles because they're related to members of the board...

Hope sense can be found but imagine it's unlikely the way the club is now.

 

Who was it you criticised that got you sacked? Was it the keeper?

Also didn't realise that 1575 was a private company, always assumed it was just part of the club

 

Simon Davey didn't like me because I asked straight questions in press conferences/post match interviews, and he felt I should ask easy questions as we were 'the club's station' - although 1575 wasn't directly part of the club as far as I understood.

Was a pre-season game I think v Wigan, Kyle Letheren let a pathetic goal in, and I described how bad it was by saying 'a Sunday league goalkeeper would have been expected to save that'. A few days later, I got a call saying he wanted me out as I had called Letheren a Sunday League goalkeeper, which I didn't - that's entirely different. Apparently his daughter was listening to the commentary and told him! No-one at the club had the spine to stand up for me - Rob Knowles (media) and Firth both hung me out to dry, and that was that.

 

Ah that's it. I remembered it being about a goalkeeper but couldn't remember the exact story. Tje Les said about my opinion of Rob Knowles the better

 

I know exactly what I said, can still remember the whole thing now. I wasn't brilliant at the job, but felt I did okay and was getting better and better with interviewing etc. Joined at 21 and stopped at 25, so I was still learning the ropes really. But I was never unprofessional and didn't deserve that. Same as losing your temper once isn't worthy of being let go either - as Matt intimates though, sometimes people want rid of you and then find a 'final straw' to do it, that in itself isn't justifiable.

 

The people up top sometimes don't have a clue do they.

 

Correct. My articulation there is piss poor. Apologies.