Since getting promoted in 2006

If the owner is not prepared to put money into the club, and I do not criticise him for that decision, then our m.o. has to be the one that saw the appointment of Keith Hill. That is, recruit from lower leagues and from the academy. Improve the players and sell them on to fund the payroll. Build gradually on a sustainable business model. Hope that the fans stay with us throughout the period of reconstruction and explain to the disgruntled fans why the plan is necessary and why the fans should stay with the club if they want to have a club in the future.

The biggest problem with this plan is the poor return from the club's investment in the academy. I support the principle of training players from a young age, but I do not support the apparent absence of accountability that lets the poor performance of the academy continue unchallenged.

The second problem is that following the Bosman ruling, it has become harder to retain players until it is right for the club to sell. As a result, players are being sold at the wrong time for the club, either because the player has negotiated a transfer fee when he signed the contract or because the player is approaching the end of his contract and will leave for nothing if he is not sold.

Football has become a game for the wealthy, and poor clubs such as Barnsley are simply becoming irrelevant.

 

Agree with all of that.

 

At least I did give him my full backing firstly when appointed on an interim basis and secondly, when he was appointed full time last Summer. Flitcroft altered everything than he'd done so well last season, after bringing in such a feel good factor to the club. I gave the bloke a chance.
You haven't even been prepared to give Wilson your backing at all since the day he was appointed.

 

That's wrong, agreed he wasn't my choice, but I want him to do well of course, I am just concerned nothing much has changed, no feel good factor or optimism for what lies ahead.

 

Perhaps the fault lies with me. I'm in a grumpy mood. The constant battle against relegation against clubs who think nothing of persistently running up debts signing & paying players they simply can't afford. My optimism this morning not as strong as previously. My bad back. You mentioned on another thread you were considering doing something different. Please don't do your gardening as poorly as I have, it's that which brought about my bad back! I've used you, unfairly, to vent my anger & frustration alately and I've been wrong to do so. I apologise.
You're entitled to voice your views and opinions on here. Whether I agree with them is totally irrelevant.

 

I hope you are amazed because he is the right man to sort us out (IMO).

 

It's what this board is all about, opinions its not about trying to please everyone it's just how we feel at a given snapshot in time. Personally after 38 years of giving so much time and thought to this club maybe it's time to spend time following other interests as I find it more depressing that at any other point in those 38 years. Enjoyed the Fourth Division days much more when it was a level playing field.

Best of luck with the back, had a trapped nerve a couple of months ago and I have full sympathy for you.

 

I'm glad I've finished with the wrestling now! There's no way I could even climb through the ropes at the moment!

 

Since promotion every season in the Championship has been a struggle, and you have to ask - is this down to the amount of money sloshing around our league, or our lack of management stability? I would say it’s the latter.

When Viv left us for Middlesbrough and Danny took over, it took both time and patience to craft that promotion winning side. Time is the one thing no manager has had since those days. I am not advocating sticking with a failing manager, but Danny wants his teams to play good football, and he has achieved this wherever he has gone.

DW has done a good job to press, stabilising the team and getting some wins under our belt. (I wouldn’t like to think where we would be if Flicker had been left in charge).:frown:

It has always been a challenge for Barnsley to compete, but now we have to stop chopping and changing. No new manager next season, even if we do go down. Let’s stick with DW and get a decent side and look to progress over several seasons.

 

Last time we went to Port Vale a Barnsley fan accused us of being Port Vale supporters. Now me and TM, I can sort of understand, a bit, not really, but a bit, but you've got a thicker accent than Tommy Tyke (the one in the programme not the pseudo), you sound like Ian McMillan on steroids. He wasn't having it though, "You don't ******* sarnd like yer frum Barnsley." Aye, alreight mate.

 

Was that when we were having a pint in their social club ?

Ian MacMillan out with Alexander Armstrong and Will Self.

We lost 3-2, Sam Togwell scored twice for them.

 

Yup.

When we drew level: "There's only one team going to win this."

Aye, them.

 

Unbelievably we got promoted that year.

 

Amazing really because we weren't very good. In car on way home from Port Vale: "Tell you one thing for certain, we're not going up."

 

Nick Colgan threw one in that day IIRC.

 

Yeah, I think he did. Neil Austin had a real stinker though. I walked up to him as he was sprinting away and overtook him.

 

It's ingrained in us.

Tell you one thing for certain, we're going down.

 

Thats the spirit...we all know the way to Crewe and Walsall..

 

Swine of a car park at Walsall....