Were we really expecting better?

Pre-season blind optimism aside, was anyone really expecting us to do well this season?

We have the same manager, same first XI, and a smaller, weaker squad. What was there to suggest we wouldn't be battling relegation again?

My fear is that we are a small, unfashionable club, with limited resources. What can we realistically do to turn things around?

First on my list would be a proper left-back. If we're still in the bottom 3 after 10 games, I'm afraid my patience with Davey will be all used up.

 

After the talk of sticking to simple 442, I was hoping we would look more solid and the players would look like they knew what they were doing. It's not working that way, the entire midfield looked lost last night.

 

My expectations of Simon are so low that I can't be disappointed

We were just having a good laugh about it last night - no point getting angry about it

Completely disagree with the third line of your post btw

 

You disagree that we are small, unfashionable, with limited resources?

I didn't think that was particularly controversial.

 

Yep, 85% on here were before the pigs match ......

....... I wasn't

 

RE: You disagree that we are small, unfashionable, with limited resources?

It's just an excuse trotted out to justify failure and it's not true.

I've said this a million times before on here but half of the clubs in this division are no bigger than us and plenty more have spent less on transfer fees

 

I wouldn't mind our league position if

we actually showed some spirit. If we were beaten by obviously and clearly better teams.

Coventry were crap. The difference between the two teams was desire, spirit and imagination. (and the ref, but that's a constant)


If I had seen anything different. Anything from the teanm which showed a response to Patrick's challenge that Simon Davey has to convince the fans of his ability.

where was there anything compelling the fans that anything has changed.


Bogdanovic's goals against Man City and Lincoln, along with OJ's pre season scoring had given me the worst thing....blind hope.

I failed to acknowledge the fact that Man City still scored a simple tap in at the back post showed we are fundamentally flawed in defence still.

My patience has already gone, because nothing has been done at the club to change the weaknesses or the spirit in the team from last season

10 games is another 7 too many for me.

We all agree the players have the potential. It is the motivation and tactics that are at fault.

 

RE: You disagree that we are small, unfashionable, with limited resources?

I dont think you can say that half the clubs in this division are not bigger than us when the clearly are. Yeah, we are in the same division and it shouldn;t be used as an excuse not to compete - but we are one of the smallest clubs in this division.

We had the 4th worst average attendance in the division last year for starters.

Not many clubs have spent less than us in the 4 years we have been in the championship. You can not base it on transfer fees alone, you have to look at the wages and the quality that attracts. Spending 1m on 5 foreigners and paying 10 bob a week doesnt mean its better than spending nothing on a bosman and 10k a week.

 

RE: You disagree that we are small, unfashionable, with limited resources?

Last time I'm doing this but these clubs are no bigger than Barnsley

Scnuthorpe
Peterborough
Plymouth
Preston
Doncaster Rovers
Watford
Blackpool
Swansea
Crystal Palace

I don't even think Cardiff are any bigger than us they are just on the crest of a wave

If we were doing well we would be getting bigger crowds than all those teams (as well as QPR but as they are filfthy stinking rich they don't count)

 

Too many people bought into the garbage churned out of oakwell. We beat **** teams in pre-season, you just cant say otherwise. Odejaye only scored goals against the **** teams, he has played 6 games against actually football league clubs and has scored none, nor has he looked like scoring. </p>

All that ******** about the rest of the players saying how good he is, last night when he missed that header late on steel punched the floor and hassell bent over with his head in his hands because they know he is **** and yet there he is leading the line. He put himself about a bit and won a few headers, trouble is he hasn't the foggiest where that balls going once it has left his head and once again showed that he just can't put the ball in the net.</p>

</p>

 

RE: You disagree that we are small, unfashionable, with limited resources?

Thats not half the teams in this division and I personally don't agree with half your list.

 

100% correct - I can't believe two things .....

1) that everybody thought our pre-season successes (apart from the Man City draw) against a load of ***** teams meant that we were on form and going to have a good season; and
2) that everybody thought that Kayode Odejayi had suddenly turned into Fernando fecking Torres and would get a bag full of goals this season

 

Who are bigger on that list?

Palace and maybe Watford.

 

RE: You disagree that we are small, unfashionable, with limited resources?

Including us there are twelve teams on that list

Which ones are definitely bigger than us?

 

RE: You disagree that we are small, unfashionable, with limited resources?

You can't base the size of a club on 'if we did well we'd have more fans than them all' If thats the basis of the size of a club then half the football league would be a bigger club than Barnsley.

I base the size of a club based on recent history, including fan base, location, league positions and realistic potential. Only the clubs that came up finished below us on the list plus Plymouth.

On your list I'd suggest only Scnthorpe, Blackpool and Watford have similar or less potential than us - even though Watford have better players and Blackpool finished higher than us.

You mentioned Cardiff so I'll use them as the example. I dont know how you can suggest we'd get more fans than them if we did well. Their game against Scnthorpe - hardly the biggest draw for the part time fans - was watched by over 22,000 fans. Our ground holds slightly over 23,000 of which we section 2,000 away seats off - so at capacity we wouldn't have as many fans if we were in the premiership.

Im not having a go at Barnsley, and I wouldnt want to support anyone else. But I do accept that Historically we've been a mid range team, in a town with a population of 250,000 that has been hit by the credit crunch. We've massively struggled financially in recent history, spent time in a lower division and struggled for 3 years at this level and look like doing so again. We dont have the turnover other clubs have and although have a rich owner he rightly wants us to break even - so we can not compete on the transfer front with a lot of clubs in this division.

 

Cardiff got 22,000 cos it was their first .......

........ match at the new ground!

 

They ONLY got 22,000 because if was Scunny.

600 away fans. They have sold a record number of season tickets and restricted access to certain parts of the ground for that game.

It'll be full when they play the Newcastle's and Swansea's and will have more home fans per game than last season regardless of new ground or not.

 

Hence...

"on the crest of a wave".

 

RE: Hence...

and still a bigger club than barnsley (considerably) before they were on it.

 

RE: You disagree that we are small, unfashionable, with limited resources?

So you think Donny (9,400 last night), Plymouth and Swansea (4th dvision club for most of the last 20 years) are bigger clubs than us?

That's about right for the think small attitude on here