What Is Going On At Oakwell?

Danny's usual column is replaced by a Chronicle staffer's piece with soundbites from DW. Those contain some crap about under-estimating Chester. Coming off a winless (and some would say spineless) three games against Chesterfield, Scunny and Donny it's difficult to see why we would have cause to under-estimate Chester. The promise of earlier in the season seems to have evaporated and our collection of over-earners looks a long way away from being a "team". The entertainment factor at Oakwell has dipped below the scale. This season's renewals were an act of faith by many ST holders. Does the club expect that to continue indefinitely when there is zero value for money? My own feeling is that we've put up with so much crap over the last eight years that the club feel confident we'll all do so indefinitely. It's one dangerous assumption, as far as I'm concerned. We have a serious leadership deficit at every level of our club.

 

Still cant believe people actually read the Chronicle.

 

Chill maaaaaaaaaan

 

You say this every season, Orsey.

"next season folk won't bother coming" etc etc.

But they do. Because it's what we do.

 

aye we follow like lambs to the slaughter
mind you i am getting sick to death of lamb chops

 

I know!

I dipped out from Keefy's first season in charge though. And I'm feeling that way again, at the mo.

Remember that one of Ken Dodd's where the shambling wreck of a husband/wife* looks at his/her* equally declining features and says "where has the passion gone?"

*delete as appropriate.

[This thread supports diversity, equal opportunity and the right to freedom of thought and expression, in accordance with Articles 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 of the European Convention on Human Rights]

 

I had a similar chat with Conan a few days ago and while I'm not saying its the right attitude to take, far from it, but the club know that most fans who are going this season will be back again next season. I do agree though that this season is becoming another very poor season and the time for excuses is over - the players need to take responsibility and start doing what they are paid very well (relatively) to do.

 

Your original post seems to hint at a conspiracy, a plan to keep producing dross because they can do. Because the customers will keep turning up whatever happens.

I'm sorry, but I don't do conspiracy theories. I am not even sure that incompetence comes close to an explanation either. What I am sure of is that we were relegated last season with a very poor team. I also note that in order to reduce our wages bill in order to comply with the regulations in this league, we had to sell/release our higher earners and better players. I also note that aside from a few players who were signed early in pre-season, most of our players came to us either late or on loan deals and that neither situation is ideal for planning purposes as it suggests that we missed out on many of our first choices. The up shot of all of this is that we have assembled a team which is badly balanced, which is weak in certain areas and which was ill prepared for the season ahead. I felt that the signs were there, even when we were winning, but now injuries and suspensions have taken their toll and a winning team has become a losing team, everyone can see the problems.

Danny is trying to turn around a team that has struggled for the previous eight seasons, a team that during that period has changed first team managers on average about once per season. A team that has become used to losing. In the last few weeks Danny has come under the same pressure as every one of his successors since his last reign. Can anyone blame him if he circles his wagons and prepares for the inevitable attacks. Now is the time for the fans to show some understanding of the problems he faces. To accept that he cannot do much about it in the short term. To get behind both Danny and the team.

 

I've enjoyed more matches than not this season, despite others telling me I haven't, or can't possibly have. The signing of young, hungry players in the Summer was a huge plus point in comparison to previous transfer windows. In fact, for me, the signing of more experienced players has produced the biggest disappointments. That's not to say they can't, or won't, produce the goods. However, one window is not enough to bring in the changes required. Currently, our form and results has been poor. Players are out of form (how very dare they?), or injured. It happens. It can also change back just as quickly.
I believe we're moving forward long term as a club, but accept others don't. Their interpretation of the current situation simply differs from mine. I back our manager 100%. If all that puts me in the minority, both on here or in the ground, so be it.

 

Well I must be wrong as well. I've not got the sense of foreboding I had last season and am quite enjoying seeing the lads from the Academy and the likes of Berry, Winnall, Hourihane etc develop as individuals and as a team. Even though they've (shock horror) not been 100 % perfect in every game.

But apparently it's just the same as last year, Wilson's 1000 games in charge have taught him nowt and he's signed crap players.

Anyway, You Reds etc.

 

I think we ought to be banished to Room 101.

 

Thought this was it ?

 

You can be Winston Smith, I'll be Julia.
Beware of the rats!

 

Agree with both of you. Last three games have been crap, but we only lost one of them. Before that, I saw a lot to enjoy, even when we lost. I've been to three away games so far this season and seen us win twice. I once went about seven years without seeing us win away from home. At times attending quite regularly. We've played 9 games away from Oakwell this season and got a result in 6 of them. You've now got to be really unlucky to only see us lose.

Nowt much to praise about the last few games, but it'll turn round again. Looking forward to the rest of the season: hopefully Jennings will recapture his form and fitness, Treacy will show us why he was playing in a team that won promotion to the Premier League and Lita will build on that performance against Donny. Couple of new additions in January and we might add a bit of consistency to the good performances.

 

Don't know when it became the case that your last game = your whole season.

 

Nor me. Last 8 games W3 D3 L2. Last 13 games W5 D4 L4. Last 22 games W8 D7 L7. After the two defeats in the first 4 games of the season, when half the players didn't even know each other, we've won more than we've lost, even after this 'terrible' run. Could do with at least a draw today like, and a better performance in our next home game, but things don't look that bleak to me. Definitely suffering from injuries and suspensions at the moment, which has highlighted how small the squad is. Hoping Jennings can plug the gap left by Williams, which will give Hourihane, Bailey and Berry an outlet when they're on the ball. Summat we've definitely missed.

 

To be fair, the Chester and Donny games felt like defeats and I think most on here referred to our cup tie as one of the worst performances we'd ever endured. So I can understand the feeling of doom from some. But your stats there serve to highlight just how average we are this season, as I expected.

I would have taken top ten, a playoff tilt perhaps and beating the Blunts/Rochdale home and away. We can still accomplish all that. Just a shame that this spell around xmas/new year when games come thick and fast has arrived whilst we're down to the bare bones.

A win today though and folk'll chill art for a bit.

 

I meant to say days, not games.

 

No getting away from it, we were gash against Chester. Just rubbish. Donny performance was... meh. Seen hundreds games like that. Apparently we were lucky to get a draw. I'm not sure that's right. They didn't create a chance after their goal, which in itself was quite lucky, the ball bouncing to a Donny striker after Ramage cleared it, then going through the legs of the defender who closed him down.

I reckon people think we were lucky because Turnbull made a few good saves first half, one of which was particularly spectacular. But a keeper is put in goal to stop shots. Thing is, we haven't been used to seeing it because for a couple of months every shot the opposition had on target went in. I think Turnbulll went 5 home games without making a save, while we were peppering the opposition's goal but coming away with draws and defeats. I'm not trying to argue we put in a good performance against Donny, or that we deserved to win either, but I can't say they deserved any more out of the game when they stopped attacking us after they scored the equaliser. The Donny game would have been quickly forgotten had we dispensed with Chester, but we were that bad last Sunday people started harking back to the game previous.