Floodlights

[blue nige]

I read comments like the popular side is ok.now. It isn't when it rains you get soaked if your at the front because the roof doesn't extend enough ,the wind blows right through and comes in from the gap where the turnstiles are and kids struggle to see over the wall the metal structure is starting to rust.
The stand needs to be cantilever and again is open at the ends to the elements
Holker street end needs knocking down and redeveloped
The cross bar end needs to be another stand.
You have to be insane to say it's anywhere near fit for purpose in 2017.
To be honest sentiment aside it's embarrassing and I think all in all to get it where it should be we may have to move.
Please Ian don't take this personal I just want a club and stadium that we as a community can be proud of!
Just give us something Mr Casson to look forward to I'm not demanding it now but show some plans timescale.
Our fans the players and yes even the away fans deserve much better
There feel better for that

[barrowfan]

Let's face it this season we've had some points that we didn't deserve. Saturdays game was absolutely dire and there will be people who will not be back at Holker Street this season.

I personally think that Barrow will finish just outside the play-off places which to me will be a blessing in disguise because they are not ready on or off the pitch to establish themselves in the Football League.

On the positive side if you'd have asked anybody last year where Barrow would be this year most would not have put them where they are now so let's just be thankful for what we've got.

Well done to everyone - players, management and those behind the scenes for what they have achieved this season, but the team and their style of play has got to improve dramatically to get anywhere at all at this level or above.

[Jonty]

Bloody hell, no one was saying this about our style of play when we beat Lincoln comfortably the other week. I've seen Barrow so called "footballing sides" battered over the years. Oh hang on a minute, didn't one of Paul Cox's teams do that to us more than once.

Stop being a bunch of cry arses over the way we play the game, yes it was poor on Sat but there are 3 or 4 new faces in the side getting to know their team mates. On another day we win it. That's the game.

[McMark]

Bloody hell, no one was saying this about our style of play when we beat Lincoln comfortably the other week. I've seen Barrow so called "footballing sides" battered over the years. Oh hang on a minute, didn't one of Paul Cox's teams do that to us more than once.

Stop being a bunch of cry arses over the way we play the game, yes it was poor on Sat but there are 3 or 4 new faces in the side getting to know their team mates. On another day we win it. That's the game.

Well said that man!!!

[glasgow_blue]

Back on thread, i see Sutton had to put in extra floodlights to meet tonight's requirements. Took them 2 weeks to install them. We still don't seem to have a basic plan after months and months. As a previous poster said, everything's just half arsed

[Steelworks End]

I personally think that Barrow will finish just outside the play-off places which to me will be a blessing in disguise because they are not ready on or off the pitch to establish themselves in the Football League.

My vision? We qualify for the play-offs but lose narrowly to FA Cup finalists Lincoln City at Wembley. And we win the FA Trophy the other of our two Wembley appearances this spring.

That would be a not entirely unsatisfactory end to the season!

[Steelworks End]

Back on thread, i see Sutton had to put in extra floodlights to meet tonight's requirements.

We didn't need the extra illumination; our floodlights must be better than theirs!

[spirit of 1990]

Please Ian don't take this personal

Haha, nothing to take personal there Nige. You want just the same as me, or 1200 others.

Got to admit to a little smile at -

I read comments like the popular side is ok.now. It isn't when it rains you get soaked if your at the front because the roof doesn't extend enough ,the wind blows right through and comes in from the gap where the turnstiles are and kids struggle to see over the wall the metal structure is starting to rust.The stand needs to be cantilever and again is open at the ends to the elements

We also get wet on the HSE, unfortunately we don't have the luxury of stepping back under a roof that doesn't extend far enough as we....well, don't have a roof. The wind doesn't blow through any gaps though, although it can come from anyone of three other angles, four if we're really unlucky. The kids on the HSE can see over our wall but the rain in their eyes does limit their view of the game. Our metal structure isn't rusting, basically because we don't have any metal to rust.
We do have one up on you pop siders though, we have our own version of a cantilever stand insomuch as we have an unrestricted view with no metal girders in our way
Come and give it a go sometime......you might enjoy it

[The Tomahawk Kid]

Not exactly a NEW ground is it? I think the fact that Morecambe are beginning to struggle - on and off the field - has a lot to do with it.
The 'feel good' factor has gone.

I'm glad you said 'Personally', Stephen, with regard to your favourite days watching The Bluebirds.

The likes of Marine, Frickley, and Emley don't - and didn't - exactly exite me or many others, to be honest. Holker Street was like a Morgue in those days!

Also, could you eblaborate and explain the 'family feel' of those days? And the 'enjoyment'.
I personally believe it was just a term adopted by the Keen dynasty - and it seemed to do more harm than good regarding attendance levels.
Banning orders being given out at a whim, installation of CCTV and No Smoking also being major factors which drove away fans and acted as a deterrent to attracting new fans .

With regard to your comment concerning our intended promotion to the Football League and you seeing it being a disaster. Really?
That comment has a whiff of defeatist mentality about it.
You don't want Barrow AFC to be a successful club?

Did you vote against Paul Casson taking over? You don't have to answer that.
It was just a thought...

Universe Megadome is was opened I think in 2010 - hardly 'old' and they have been struggling for several seasons for crowds.
I did say personally because it is simply my opinion - thats when i enjoyed watching Barrow the most (and I am talking many years ago pre Keens etc)
By the sound of it Holker Street still seems like a morgue now - just with more people in it.
CCTV, Banning Orders, No smoking etc - I agree that wont help but as you progress up the leagues you will encounter more and more rules like that which will spoil the atmosphere even more I think

As for the football league, yes I do beleive it could be a disaster without significant changes and investment (not in the ground or playing staff but in the set up of the running operation of the club and the model on which it is financed) - I think Paul has pumped a significant amount into the club but my concern would be how much more would he need to put in to make it survive in the League.
I will be perfectly honest and say that the day we got promoted at Burton after the magnificent run under D&D I said the same thing, promotion at that stage would probably be a financial disaster, and I beleive I wasnt far wrong, the Sunderland, Wembley and Middlesboro days were great but masked the underlying difficulties that the club faced even at that level.
Defeatist - you can say that if you want - I prefer to see it as realism - I dont expect anyone to agree with my thoughts and dont say them to attract support or criticise others
I have always wanted Barrow AFC to be a succesful club - I guess I might just judge 'sucess' in a different way to others.For example this is the most successful season in non league football in many ways - (playoff places in league, 3rd round of FA Cup, beating a league side in FA Cup, Quarter finals of F ATrophy, Longest unbeaten run in many years) and yet the general mood seems to be one of disappointment, frustration and times even anger.
Did I vote against Paul Casson? - No I didnt, I didnt vote because I wasnt a member - but why that matters I am not sure?

A good reply.

As I stated at the beginning of my post, I was glad you said 'personally'.
Both yourself, myself and all other members will have their own opinions on Barrow AFC. I totally understand that.

The reason why I asked if you'd voted is because I know there were some who voted against Paul Casson taking over and that for me - personally speaking - indicates a defeatist mentality. Notwithstanding what happened with regard to Steve Vaughn, I still can't understand why those members didn't want our present Chairman running our club. However, in the present light - in relation to the promised ground improvements/new stadium - I am now beginning to have some reservations myself...

[Stephen Leonard]

TTK
The takeover by Paul Casson 'had' to happen to help the club survive. If anything Paul probably got carried away and suggested lots of things that he might like to do but without at that stage full Knowledge of how difficult some might be.
The irony is that I don't think he needed to promise or suggest a lot of the things he did to get the votes for the takeover - I think simple financial stability guarantees would have have been sufficient.

As I said on the stage at the Agm/Egm about the vote it needed 'a leap of faith' for some people to vote to give up the membership model for that of a single owner. I beleive it was the correct decision then and has proved to be over the last few years.

Does it mean all is rosy? Far from it - I no longer go to matches for various reasons but I now have a perspective of the club from outside the 'bubble' that regular fans live in. Truth is there is apathy towards the club from most of the town and that is one reason why I think the 'build it and they will come ' philosophy will not work and hence why I think promotion to Football League might be a disaster in the long run.

As I said people seem frustrated and disappointed despite this being one of the most successful seasons in the last 50 years.

[The Real Slim Azza]

The ground is a dump.Not having a go at PC .
But it's years of neglect.Previous Board members have alot to answer for

Vaughn has a lot to answer for.

Everyone else had/has nothing but the best for Barrow AFC at heart. Mistakes can and will be made but this is all moaning for moanings sake. Fill your glass half full, it's fun.

Not sticking up for him but , lets not forget that stand Vaughan built for us. Fair enough, in retrospect he was the worst person in the history of the club. He still built us that stand though.

[olbarrafancumbak]

Them floodlights are doing more rocking than little Richie in this wind...

[The Real Slim Azza]

Does it mean all is rosy? Far from it - I no longer go to matches for various reasons but I now have a perspective of the club from outside the 'bubble' that regular fans live in. Truth is there is apathy towards the club from most of the town and that is one reason why I think the 'build it and they will come ' philosophy will not work and hence why I think promotion to Football League might be a disaster in the long run.

As I said people seem frustrated and disappointed despite this being one of the most successful seasons in the last 50 years.

I agree here, its a point I try to gently remind people of on here every so often.

There isn't much point having a very good side on a big payroll now if it means we can't afford the clubs future.

When we went up last time we were totally caught out. Those fantastic seasons of football were a massive struggle on and off the pitch which lead us to the state we got in. We had some FA Cup runs and a trip to Wembley which helped the clubs running for a few more seasons.

Has the club changed that much off the pitch since then though? I don't think so, not in the way it should have. If it hasn't then we should be considering our future and what sort of state we will be in should we leap frog this league with the same infrastructure we had when we battled the lower ranks of the Conf National.

Back then we relied heavily on gate receipts for us to survive. Now we are bankrolled (yes we are bankrolled) and the crowds are the same as they were then. How long can Cassons money last without any real investment into other sources of income whilst crowds remain the same.

Like has been mentioned many times. A winning side isn't bringing the fans back in droves like the club and most of the fans thought . So what next to ensure we have a team to support in 5 years?

[olbarrafancumbak]

unfortunately, fans wont just land up on the back of one good season.. it will take time!! However, as said before by so many the ground is in dire need of something?? spectator comfort is a big big thing along with having a decent tem to watch.. imo, it goes hand in hand and until facilities improve I doubt the crowds will increase by more than a few hundred! FFS, I just wish more people would jump on board and get behind something that is local an on the door step!

[DaveP]

what our owner really needs is for a few other wealthy people to get on board on the basis of the progress on the field to enable further development off the field.

come on you local wealthy investors get on board