The thing that frustrates most

Is seeing teams who were worse off than us in terms of league position etc Luton Ipswich Coventry now either in the PL or challenging for promotion to the PL with several ex Reds players in their ranks because their boards have been brave and shown ambition when it was needed. We are where we are because of the way the last 3 regimes at Oakwell have run the club seeking to cash in on success at every opportunity not build on it. Other clubs have used our recruitment strategy much better than we have Luton being the best example. Until there is a change in strategy and mentality at the club right up to board level the best we can hope for is stagnation at L1 level the worst is decline to lower leagues. We may get lucky and still achieve promotion this year stranger things have happened but would anybody really look forward the a season in the championship without massive change at Oakwell in the Summer.

 

Our relegation to this division was tantamount to organised. No genuine business person could've been as negligent as Conway and Lee. An actual child could've ensured a team that finished 5th didn't finish with a record low points total for the club the following season

Since then, we've brought in two seemingly decent managers, some decent players alongside lower league prospects and they've done quite well, but bottled it when it mattered. 1 point from Cheltenham, Cambridge and Charlton recently being the prime example. Not sure what the solution is. Ask the likes of Connell, Cadden, Cole etc. to stop going missing in key games against relegation/lower mid table dross?

 

Have they though?

 

Yes, being bottom at Christmas and getting promoted. Odejayi not being able to finish his tea but scoring against Chelsea. Ref bottling his job, should have give us a penalty for Howard v Liverpool, but doesn't. Then we score. And that's just us!

 

I don’t question the boards intent. I just think they’ve made a lot of bad decisions. I don’t want to moan about the centre backs again but we’re clearly getting it badly wrong in that department compared to what we were doing a few seasons back.

You see Conor Chaplin absolutely smashing it at the top of the championship & we let him go for barely anything.

You see Jordan Clark playing well & scoring in the premier league. There were loads of us calling for us to sign him when he was on a free about to leave Accrington & we didn’t even speak to him.

Instead we’ve spent fortunes on players like Oulare & Leya Iseka that have damaged us financially for several seasons.

Just frustrating

 

But youre intertwining the old board, and the new mate. Yes, they should have kept Lopata maybe, in case Pines got injured, but I think a loan would do him good. We got another midfield in for cover, who's been fine. People wanted a striker but I really doubt we could have afforded one. Personally, I think this new board has done well - they nearly got it perfect last season.

 

You might well be right but I don’t really think of it been some kind of new project when James Cryne for example has been involved in recruitment all way through.

I just look at McCarthy, Lopata & McCart & I don’t see any outstanding attributes. How can we go from Lindsay, Pinnock, Helik, Anderson, Kitching etc to these.

 

Because under James's stewardship our team goes in 3/4 year cycles whereby we buy players who aren't ready, have an awful season, a mediocre one and a good one where they blossom and are sold.

 

Mental.

The club is losing money.

The board are losing money.

No one is making money from Barnsley FC other than the paid staff.

We run at a loss.

How is this difficult to understand?

 

Who’s the second seemingly decent manager? Duff and ????

 

I didn't say anyone was making money, I said the club was being badly run. If it wasn't it wouldn't lose money hand over fist. The board haven't used the money generated from successful recruitment in the past wisely, they've kept trying to repeat the trick of unearthing rough diamonds and polishing them up. But there are only so many of them and instead of opting for ones part polished but maybe a little more expensive, they've tried to buy more cheaper ones. that are turning out to be lumps of coal not diamonds. Like someone said in another post the club is in a constant 4 yearly cycle of buy struggle improve a bit have success sell and repeat, but each time the struggle is more severe the improvement not quite as much and the success ever more fleeting and harder to achieve. The club is on a steady downward drift and anybody who says it isn't is delusional.

 

From a personal point of view, the thing that I find most frustrating is not being well enough to attend our matches. I can understand the anger of folk (as did I two seasons ago with the antics of Lee, Conway, Schopp & Asbaghi), even if I disagree with them.

 

Any chance of you getting back to matches Lil? All the best to you and yours.

 

I wish you well; I thought you had started going again?

 

Thank you for your kind comments, old mate. Sadly, it appears not, at the moment. However, a plus point for me, I found I've lost 8lbs in the last six months.

 

Nope. I do travel the world a lot watching matches, though.

 

Been meeting knock off nidgel in the Thornley Arms I guess lol

 

I watch from Stockholm and Oakwell mostly. I do venture to Milan and Frankfurt occasionally so I might bump into you and buy you a pizza slice or currywurst.

All the best old pal

 

Taking a quick look at those 3 clubs ie Ipswich, Coventry & Luton.

Ipswich have spent 26 years in top flight, once European Champs and Fa cup winners, 2 semis and 4 league cup semis.

Coventry City 34 years in top flight and Fa Cup winners

Luton Town 17 years in top flight and league cup winners

I’m not sure you’ve picked the best clubs for comparison.

 

You don't see any outstanding qualities in DeGivegny, Earl, or Pines? This should be a very formidable centre defence next season if healthy. Everyone thought Andersen and Kitching were garbage at the start!