So the populace want results and lower admittance fees

There is a general agreement that the style of football under Hill is not the problem for poor attendances.

What's needed to bring folk into Oakwell are results and lower ticket prices. Does this mean the crowds would spike if Barnsley were to be relegated to League One? Better win ratio and lower prices? Is Barnsley's problem that they're in the wrong division? Is the struggle of Championship football killing the club because this generation of fans simply can't handle losing?

Oddly though, I can't remember there being a spare seat in Oakwell during the Premiership season were the win ratio was poor and the ticket price relatively high.

So the only solution is to get promoted. In this age of Premier League financial bias, the only way is the Premier League way. Let's do a Pompey.

 

That's exactly the way it is, when SOD was manager of Donkey Rovers he said the league was too big for them, and they needed to go down to get the crowds back and the winning football matches like the fans had got used to. within a few weeks he got the sack, but i think he was spot on. and theirs no doubt in my mind that if we went down and started winning games and where in the play offs in mid November we would get bigger home crowds then we are now, people only want to watch a winning team that's why Man Utd & Man City are on TV more then Eastenders.

 

Heard both sides of the argument yesterday.

In the morning, I was speaking you my young lasses football coach, who said he looked into taking his daughter to the match yesterday. But he said with the tickets and likely a pie at half time he'd be looking at £50. Which he couldn't justify.

I told him about the members club discount thing, which he'd never heard of and also what value a season ticket was. Especially as under 12's are free.

Then on the other hand, leaving the ground yesterday, I overheard 2 different blokes. One saying to someone he'd bumped into that it was his first match he'd been to this season and his last. And another telling his mate that he's done paying to watch that shower of **** and he's not coming back.

 

BM, I would have to take issue with you.

The style that Keefy WANTS to play is not a problem. The fact that his squad are incapable of playing that way IS. It came off against Brum - which incidentally is the finest display I've ever seen by a BFC team - but it increasingly looks like we caught out a naive opposition manager that day. We've floundered in four home games since that Birmingham game.

The Prem season was sold out in ST's, so results were academic once the season started. Fact is, there was novelty value, and folks understandably wanted to see the big clubs playing on Oakwell. On just a few occasions, that led to some memorable performances and results. And season ticket prices did not rise from the promotion season to the Prem season.

I think what folk really want to see is passion, allied to a little bit of genuine talent. If the fans are convinced the players are genuinely putting out, they'll forgive a lot. Danny's team showed that a squad with a blend of youth, experience and foreign 'bargains' can go a long way if they play with passion - and all for less than £1M. Blackpool recently demonstrated this can still be done, but it takes someone with real guile and craft at the helm.

Okay, it's good to aspire to play the right way, but let's face it, BFC are not Barcelona and Keefy is no Pep Guardiola. We need to go back to the basics. The takeover can't come soon enough - it's the only opportunity we have to go back to the drawing board.

 

What's 1997 got to do with anything?

 

when your talking about big crowds and winning football matches at oakwell 96/97 and 97/98 seasons will always be brought into it due to the fact that's the last time we had it good

 

What was our average crowd for the 96 promotion season? 11.356, we aren't all that far away from it now.

 

I`ve said that times many coming art of Oakwell, along with loads more, but the silly get that I am will still be trudging up Grove Street half an hour before kick off on matchdays.

Lemmings are us or Paddy Cryne `s definition of madness quote is suitable.

 

Come to think of it

Is the Championship the least rewarding league in the world from a financial point of view?

We all know it doesn't have the crowds, tv money etc. that the Premier League has yet still requires clubs to spend big to compete with ex-Premier League clubs (with their parachute payments and bolstered squads) and Premier League wannabe clubs. Big spending for little gain. What do we have to show for our six seasons in the Championship?

Are there any other leagues around the globe (maybe in any sport) that are as financially tough on its competitors? Obviously the Spanish and Italian second tiers will have similar problems but I don't imagine they'll be to quite the same scale if anywhere near. The modern era Championship could well be the least lucrative enterprise (excluding the lucky few who gain promotion) in the entire world. I bet the Football League and FA don't put that on their marketing blurb.

PS - If you're reading this as a potential investor in BFC, please ignore the above. Nothing to see here.