Which was the better period at Oakwell 1976-1982 or 1994-2000

Teams, players, promotions, cup runs, atmospheres....the stats favour the latter period but what do people think about the teams and the football during these years?

This is an old un thats talked about with me and "mi faffer".

 

For me it would have to be the 1976 to 1982 period. We went from the bottom of the entire league in the old Fourth Division (and just a few weeks after being knocked out of the FA Cup by Marine), won promotion twice and came within a whisker of promotion to the top flight. Also, in my opinion, we saw the best footballing team and player (Ronnie Glavin) in my time of watching Barnsley.

 

its a difficult one, i agree with JLWBL about Glavin and the team but promotion to Prem,season in the Prem,play-off final at the old Wembley, I'd say 94-2000 gets it

 

What does a student know about BFC history?

I agree with you matey,although the promotion and premiership seasons were fantastic, the times from 76-82 were unbelievable, unless you were actually there then it is impossible to comprehend just how bloody good the team was at that time.

 

I know bugger all!!
I agree with your good self & Durkar about how fantastic that period of 1994-2000 was.

 

For me it just has to be the earlier period....from one stroke of genius (appointing Mr Clarke as Manager) we went on such a fantastic run over the years with football like we older ones hadn't EVER witnessed...we were 2/3 players short of a top division side which was broken up possibly with the advent of the 84/5 miners strike and its consequences for the club. Over 21,000 for a fourth division match ...unbelievable....how hungry were the barnsley public back then for a football team. There were so many other highlights as well

 

Take out the promotion and Prem season then it is most definatlely 76-82, the atmosphere was brilliant, we got large crowds and we were in the 4th division, we took thousands to most away games, the comaraderie was unique, people were there cause they wanted to be there, in the prem you got the feeling some were there just for the prem experience, not like that in the early 80,s , those 2 promotion nights v grimsby and Rotherham were unreal, the size of the crowds......and then the team, as everyone says the Glavin era was special......Alan Clarke really had a huge impact, he turned the club around...they were real glory days when we were there

 

I first went in 79. So 79-82 for me. Spoilt by a golden era we will probably never seen anything like again.

 

Got to be 76-82. (although maybe 78-84?)

Those giant killing cup wins added to the promotions.

15-18k fans for most league games. (where are they now?)

Oakwell bouncing with 36k fans crammed inside.

Never to be reapeated atmospheres unfortunately.

The premier season comes close and beating Man Ure in the FA cup but the match against City especially was something else.

 

A repeat maybe not. However our best chance since those halceon days maybe, just maybe, might happen with the current incumbent.

 

That team with the likes of Glavin, Banks, Evans, McCarthy, Parker and the rest was the best I've seen in the Reds shirt.

The appointment of Allan Clarke by Ernest Dennis was a master stroke. He used to park his car on a Saturday evening at his daughter's house, next door to my mum & dad's house, and I stuck a note under his windscreen wiper, telling him to get Billy Bremner down to Oakwell as manager. Maybe it made him think, who knows? And of course, soon after, we got Clarkie instead, a great appointment as it turned out. A fantastic time to be a Barnsley fan.

 

1978 - 82 were the best ever years as a barnsley fan

That team would have destroyed the one that got us in to the premiership

 

76-77 and 77-78 season would have been fun if this site had been around

They dunt wanna go up! Iley out! Booooooo!

Actually, it was pretty much like that down at Oakwell anyway. Not that I remember much about it, even though I did go a fair few times. I do, however, remember most of it from the 78-79 season onwards.

I'd be hard pressed to separate the two great sides in terms of football, so I'll make my decision based on the experience of going to watch football matches.

In the Clarke/Hunter era we watched football in dangerous, dilapidated grounds often getting p.iss wet through or crushed together in tiny pens peering at the pitch through metal fences. The atmosphere was vicious "You're going to get your ******* head kicked in" and extremely racist, while there was violence at almost every game. Looking back now it was a disgrace.

By 94, after many fans had been crushed, killed and burnt, football had started to get its act together. There were nice new stands and grounds popping up all over the place, the violence had mostly gone, as had the majority of the threatening and racist chants. Plus it was still very affordable. A much more enjoyable era to watch football and to top it all off we had a team to die for.

So, the Wilson era for me.

 

Re: 76-77 and 77-78 season would have been fun if this site had been around

The only time I've been beaten up at a match was in 1982 at Bolton. Also, being the slob I am, the all-seater stadia of today certainly has a great deal of appeal to me.
But I'll stick to my original choice.

 

If sky had been around the earlier team could have afforded to go into the then Division1. Comparisons are difficult because Football has changed with the influx of cash and foreign players but with better coaching and organisation the 90s team could have survived in the Premier League they won many games after 30 minutes in the old second division.

 

79-82 was the most amazing time to follow the Reds. The team were outstanding, the crowds huge (home and particularly away) and the atmosphere was electric. I used to love the "sway" in the Ponty, and often picked myself up after a goal celebration and find myself 20 yards away from my mates, it was carnage, but what a buzz.
When comparing the 2 periods, I also consider my own circumstances. I was a teenager when watching Glavin, and went to over 50 games in '80/81 and close to that the year after. By '94 I had moved away, settled down and had a mortgage, its not a straightforward comparison in your memory.

 

Must admit, I wasn't born until 1989 but...

76-82 must have been good if it was to beat the excitement of the 99/00 season. One of the highest conceeding teams in the league, and we still made the play-off final, by scoring 100ish goals.

I think that final summed up our season, 4-2, in most games 2 goals would be enough to win the game, however that season we had problems at the back

Since then we've drastically cut our budget after almost disolving, and therefore it is highly unlikely we'll ever have a team like we did that year ever again. I'm not one for making big money signings, however the big money players we had that year, Shipperley, Hignett, Dyer, Miller, provided unrivalled excitement.

Obviously I can't possibly chose which period was better for the fans, but 94-00 takes some beating.

 

Re: 76-77 and 77-78 season would have been fun if this site had been around

clearli da 1994 2 2000 era dat gave us da best tym of our lyf

 

Hard question mate

But I think on balance I'd have to go for the 79/82 period for several reasons.

1. 2 promotions in 3 years - (and almost 3 in 4, only missed out by a couple of points)
2. Ronnie Glavin
3. The gulf between 1st and 2nd divisions wasn't as big then and if we'd gone up in 81/2 I think we'd have stayed there a while
4. Standing on the Ponty
5. The defence was stronger (McCarthy/Evans was the best centre back pair we've had in my time although any pair including Paul Futcher was pretty good)
6. I' m wearing rose tinted spectacles
7. The 4-2 win at Millmoor, still one of the best games I've seen

Can't think of any more.