The conflicting traits of barnsley people, defeatism versus never say die

There's just something about Barnsley people.

A trait that irrespective of what all facts or history may tell them, will be defied.

That can create an indomitable spirit. Never beaten, never outdone, effort, endeavour, battle. That despite all things pointing to defeat, or an expected negative outcome.... victory will be grasped, at any cost, through sheer force of spirit. It's deeply etched into our DNA. We will not be beaten.

I don't think there are clubs or people like ours for that incredible spirit.

The flipside though, the caveat. We will not be beaten.... unless its by ourselves.

A blind bitter bloody minded belief can become poisonous. It can become destructive. That despite all evidence to the contrary, that without a looking glass into the future, nothing will go right, everything is wrong, doom gloom, end of the world and a pit of despair empty of any hope is what exists.

It's a sweeping brush, and not everyone is one extreme of each of end of that spectrum.

But some sadly are. That the next negative is eagerly hoped for, the fulfilling of the self fulfilling. Its been there generations. My grandad was as bitter as anyone. even when we got promoted to the premiership, he was keen to state we'd come straight back down. He was right, but why not enjoy the good times? They are fleeting.

We may have lost some of our best players in years, and yes, thats a bit **** isn't it? But the sad reality is players have the power nowadays. Look at Payet at West Ham. We could've held on, just maybe, but do we know what would've happened? And if players really want to go... then that's what they'll do.

Could it be the money has more value in its future use, than being lost by not selling those wantaway players? I don't know the answer, nobody does.

Just like players choose what they want to do, so do fans. we choose whether to believe, we choose whether to criticise, we choose whether to be bitter and we choose whether to encourage. As fans, we choose whether we want to be beaten. whether we want to be bitter or indomitable.

This is the best season we've had in many a season.

You choose whether to enjoy it.

I'm enjoying it.

 

Wow, I have many times thought about posting about the traits of Barnsley people on here and never been able to put into words what I wanted to say! but boy have you hit the nail on the head.

 

So are my children and I because I've dragged them to watch crap over the past few years with the promise that things will get better and if you stick with something, show a bit of character and fight on you can get rewarded. Their reward so far has been to go to Wembley twice among their peers and belong among these people on merit having put up with the dross they've been subjected to. The story is not over because a few players have left that we didn't realistically have the power to keep and I base this on my experiences of going week in week out over the past 40 odd years. I've no doubt that we'll see both sides of the coin again but so what we're on the up.

 

correct and hecky is trying to point all this out that we will rebuild and go again. I was as disappointed as any to lose the players we did when the playoffs looked there for the taking. But... it wasnt to be but we staill have the dream alive - we just need to work harder to achieve it now.

 

This season will be remembered as the season we could have made it to the premier league if we had not sold our best players and just added the odd 1 or 2.
That's IF we don't make it.
I'm like Danny's Granddad a grumpy owd bugger comes with age

 

There's a huge difference between being "disappointed" and "defeatist".

 

it wont be unless you choose it to be. il remember it as the season we competed in the 5th best league in the world, beating some"massive" teams and doing our very best with what we had at the time. for some the glass is empty let alone half empty

 

I'm sitting next to you from now on...

 

Has anyone else noticed people's attitudes to the greater or lesser success of the football club, aligned to their individual political persuasions? There is definitely a pattern..

 

no guarantees we would win the playoff even if we sneaked in.

 

My dad was a bit of a defeatist. He watched the Reds from 1936 till he died in 2004, one of the last games he went to was the Wembley final against Ipswich in 2000. When we walked back to the car after Clint Marcelle had just put us in the Prem, he was saying the usual; we'll be down next year. Of course he was right on that occasion but not always. There was one season in Clarkie's second spell when we were bottom at Christmas and he kept saying we were going down, we only lost 4 games to the end of the season.

 

I am really optimistic about the Reds future but can't stand and don't believe ANY politician. Don't know what that means to you

 

We're doing great, and the last 13 months have been fantastic. The thing is I think supporting a team like Barnsley is great. Because we often go through bad spells, it makes the good times even better. I'd choose supporting us over any big team. I always think it must feel less special winning a trophy if you do it often, if you're Celtic for example

 

Dead right. Think about Arsenal fans. Top four in the Prem for many years, second last year and some FA cups along the way and a lot of them are calling for Wenger to go. When you're at that level it's Prem title or winning Champions League to be satisfied. Imagine how many reds fans would be moaning about Hecky if we were in that situation. Being a Barnsley fan is brilliant. Winning the JPT and then the playoff final was amazing and so is being where we are in the Championship. COYR

 

No Pompey in years to come you'll remember it as a missed opportunity to get into the Prem, we have been here before competing in the 5th best league in the world beating some massive teams doing our very best with what we had at the time, remember 2000, and that season will be remembered as the missed penalty that could have taken us up to the prem. but that's grumpy owd me.

 

I had a bout of serious defeatism once at Oakwell. There was no way I was missing the second half for a chuffin cup of tea and a kitkat....

 

i can assure you i won't mate!

 

On the flip side

I remember my dad during the 1970s strikes walking for miles along an old abandoned railway line with a shopping bag and a screwdriver collecting small bits of coal left there by steam trains 20/30 years before, just to keep the fire burning in our house. He never complained, stayed loyal to the NUM and never contemplated defeat. Thankfully he retired in 1980 (at 60) as the oldest man on the face at Highgate Pit and didn't have to face defeat at the hands of Thatcher in 1984/5. I still have his NUM tie, badge and the miniature Davey lamp they gave him when he retired.

Also, despite his apparent defeatism with regard to the Reds, he still went every saturday/tuesday and features on a newspaper picture with a dozen other random fans on the old north terrace back in the 70s.