So What Would You Do Then?

Always being asked this, usually with abuse thrown in! So here goes.

Any sustainable plan to better the future prospects of our club must begin with securing increased attendances and wider funding.

1. Devise a fans' share scheme based upon 49% of the capital of the club; Mr Cryne retaining 51%, and thereby control. Proceeds to be invested, if possible - certainly not to be dissipated in the immediate transfer market. At least two 'fans' share scheme' reps on a new Board of five.
2. Devise an ongoing one/five/ten year plan which sets out the club's aims and the means they will use to get there.
3. Standardise admission charges on a straight £20 Adults, £10 Concessions. Simple, reasonable, straightforward. I'll be buggered if gates don't improve, simply on that straightforward measure.
4. Appoint Lee Clark as manager. A student of the game, well-connected, who lost 3 games in 55 with Huddersfield.

That's it. Simples!

 

Is that the same Lee Clark who had 1 of the biggest budgets in the entire football league and STILL couldn't achieve promotion?

Come on 'thereev' I thought you where a smart bloke?

 

I think any future share issue at BFC was well and truely killed off when we went into admin and everyone lost their shares........

 

It was all going so well until you actually got to point 1.

 

Lee Clarke? This just proves you're on a big wind up. We've got the best manager we could hope for already at the club yet you suggest we appoint Lee Clarke. Unbelievable.

 

Firstly I'll say why I don't agree, and then I'mm put my solution forward.

1. As seen with Wednesday, having a fan consortium running part of the club and having a say in matters has actually hindered them for the past 10-15 years. Wednesdayite was set up with good intentions, but in reality prevented numerous takeovers due to their insistence on retaining their board level power. I don't think it's a good idea.

2. I'm sure the club have this, I've heard KH refer to a 5 year plan in numerous interviews on player. But generally, it'd be nice to hear it.

3. Admission prices have to stay the same if we want to be competitive. Dropping them down will only compund our lack of competitiveness in the league. In all fairness to the club, Don told us last year how they had researched our transient fan base to see if they were affected by price-related offers - they weren't. Therefore (unfortunately for most on here) the club have had to adopt a policy of milking their core fan base.

4. Lee Clark has had a HUGE budget. He's done well, but I think Keith has done better.

My suggestions are:

1. Incentivise fans who can't afford season tickets (e.g. £300 in one go), to qualify for a discount on half-season tickets by attending X number of games. The same applies to discounts on next years season tickets - if you have X amount of ticket stubs then you will qualify for a discount on next years season ticket.

2. Arrange the ground so that singing fans are all sat together. For me, this will start by having at least half of the Ponty End as unreserved. If they do this I think the atmosphere will improve and create the old feel good factor that we used to have at Oakwell.

3. Tell us the 5 year plan.

4. Each season ticket should have 2 or 3 referral forms. Fans are given a finders fee for successfully recruiting new season ticket holders.

5. Cater for groups - e.g. Real Ale groups, motorbike groups, youth football teams etc. Take advantage of the fact that these groups already tour up and down the country looking for something to do. Attract them to the ground with local beer and discount tickets for buying en masse.

I think we really need to reinvent ourselves as the club that every fan (whoever you support) remembers from the 80's/90's. Good beer, reasonable ticket prices, good football and a laugh with your mates. If we can do that, I've got faith the Hillcroft can do the business on the pitch.

 

yes, indeed you are

 

I don't remember anything in the season ticket details posted out about getting money off for refering a new STH like we've had for this season. Has that idea been dropped after one season?

 

Keith Hill went head to head with Clark last year and on aggregate he came out with a victory of 4-2. Rochdale 3-0 Huddersfield, Huddersfield 2-1 Rochdale.

 

Agree with you especially about incentivising non ST holders, and your post is well balanced.

On the subject of the 5 year plan though, I suspect that is the same as the one year plan i.e. stay up, and there'd be hell on if the club actually acknowledged it. Hill's plan might well differ, but I don't think the club has any further ambition in the near to medium future.

You shouldn't have had to even dignify the Lee Clark suggestion with a response - pure baiting.

One area I'd like to see focussed upon is what to do with the thousands upon thousands of empty seats every week. There must be something the club can do to fill these, even if only for a couple of games a year, and even if it means giving them away to the disgust of the vocal minority. Anything to create some fresh interest. Polish fans day anyone?

 

What does two matches prove out of a 46 game season? It would be like us thinking we are better than Leeds United just because we did the double on them.

 

I've been thinking about this empty seats issue. What surprises me most is how empty the Ponty is these days with a sea of red seats at the front whereas the East Stand looks pretty full most games. If beer is the issue, what about those mobile beer sellers. They have them at the Oval where a seller has plastic cups and a backpack filled with beer with a tap on the end.

Anyway, filling the seats. Would a reverse auction work? Asigned just to the Ponty end and a "Fill The Ponty" campaign.

Start tickets at full price and day by day that gets nearer to the game, knock £1 off until it gets a to a base level of say £5 or £10. When they are gone they are gone.

You're limiting risk to just the available seats in the Ponty (we're not going to sell the ground out unless we get a Man U type cup tie or maybe Wednesday get promoted.) And the bigger games will sell at higher prices due to demand, the lower games at a lower rate.

Just a thought.

As for a strategic plan. They should have that, and never should they tell the fans. Stating objectives to fans is giving away a very big stick to be beaten with.

 

I fully agree with your comments about attracting foreign fans. South Yorkshire has a large immigrant population that are also football supporters. Not a single club in the region has made any targeted approach at securing themselves as the 2nd team of these football fans. Obviously, most of the Polish people will support Polish teams - but if you tell them they're welcome they could easily adopt Barnsley as their home from home team.

In the end, it's a large demographic group who are a huge opportunity for any ambitious football club.

 

Pound for pound manager and Keith Hill pisses all over Lee Clark.

 

One word - Go-cart track.

 

How about backing the Adam Hinchcliffe 'Hound 4 A Pound' campaign where dog owners can bring their pets into a specific part of the ground.