The old school on Grove Street

Yes of course, I'd forgotten that...

 

Agree about stand. Doesn't need to be a two tier structure. We have a lower tier that needs no adjustments. Just rebuild the existing upper tier to the required specification, the full length of the pitch with a roof that now covers the lower tier. I'd also cover the VW corner and introduce safe standing. Might slightly improve capacity to 25 thousand and a way cheaper, tidier option.

 

Whenever I see pictures from above it highlights the extensive training facilities the club has got and the car parking.

Not many other clubs can match that.

 

Tesco Club Card.

 

Wonder if we've put planning permission in for a big brick *hithouse striker, maybe that's the delay

 

That's the most sensible post you've made in the last 3 years!!!

 

P.S you could also still open the lower tier on match days with free bin liners for the staunchest supporters to tie in with health and safety. As no construction work would take place on match days.

Until full closure necessary whilst adding the roof.

 

Not sure any other clubs can match it, even the top PL clubs have training facilities miles from the ground and little or no matchday parking.

 

I agree. Upgrade the West Stand we'd be right up there.

One thing I'd like is an upholstered members bar with bouncers in each of the home areas. Just adds value.

 

Funny thing is, most coaches think it hurts us on matchday. Because the players are at the club using the same facilities and changing rooms day in, day out. They reckon it has a negative mental effect.

It’s why Flitcroft had them training elsewhere for a spell, it’s why Morais had them meet at a hotel in Dodworth for pre-match, then the coach took them to Oakwell and I guess it’s part of the reason Clarke has them turning up in suits for home games. To try and make home matchdays unique to the daily routine. Psychology innit.

Based on the above and poor results by all three at Oakwell, I’d suggest it’s nonsense.

 

I'd have them taking part of atmosphere until warm up. Then win, lose or draw interacting afterwards. Sounds bonkers but you don't seem to get the same vitriol in person. Providing it's policed properly I think it could be good.

We need another social club.

 

Yeah would take a lot of earth moving to have a concourse below pitch level like the East, all pointless as we won’t develop it any time soon.

 

Quite.

 

Why would we need one? The old changing rooms and offices are below the upper part of the West stand and could easily be developed into a concourse. At the northern end of the West stand there is already an underground bit with the loco nameplate (my avatar) above the stairs leading down.

 

And light pollution from the floodlights when we play mid-week.

 

The lower tier isn't fit for purpose. I, as an average height man, sat in it the other year and couldn't fit my legs in it because it wasn't done correctly so there is no leg room and I couldn't see all of the pitch because the touchline towards the away end was obscured by the dugouts. There are already approximately 200 seats in the lower tier that the safety certificate doesn't allow the club to use because the view is so bad.

When it needs doing it has to be a 2 tier stand, anything else is taking us back massively. Logically youd do the lower tier to the road level with the back row being a very accessible wheelchair/disabled friendly row. And then do the upper tier complete with executive boxes to significantly increase our corporate revenue.

The east lower has 18 rows, the west lower has 15. If space is currently an issue in the west lower then you'd want to lose a couple of those rows in order to gain the necessary leg room to make the stand fit for purpose so that means a 13 row lower tier which would actually lower the capacity.
The upper tier of the west stand currently has 12 rows and the east again has 18 so if you went for a 18 row upper tier then you'd end up with a capacity roughly the same as what it SHOULD be now if the west was actually fit for purpose and all allowed to open except you'd have modern facilities, a significantly lower maintenance bill and hugely increased commercial and hospitality revenue.

If you just bodge an upper tier onto what's already there you may as well not bother because the lower tier is completely unfit for purpose as it currently is.

 

I guess it depends where our ambition lies. When we started our ground Improvements under JD home attendances were dire.

We all moan about the atmosphere but the biggest factor is the poorly designed acoustics. Even filling the corners In as was originally intended would help but from an acoustic point of view until the West Stand is Improved and linked up we will always struggle for noise.

It feels to me we are just returning to where we are where when I started watching. It seems far more likely that we will leave the division through relegation rather than promotion. Basically back to where we were when I started.

the modern Barnsley was built because the owners had a vision of what the club could be not what it was and they showed ambition by appointing Clarke and the rest is history. We have lost that ambition and drive. Yes football has changed but ambition hasn’t.

In summation I’d agree we have no vision or ambition so won’t do anything just let the ground slowly fall into disrepair just like the team.

managed decline on and off the pitch.