Casson

[Bluebird_john]

Agreed Kieran.

People in Barrow are more interested about going into work on Monday talking about Man United because its popular. If the club wants attendances to be higher they need to find out why they are what they are they address the problems that are found. There are some people who just want to stay inside and drink.

After decent results and high league positions didn't increase crowds, the belief is now that attractive football will bring them all in. People want value for their money and standing in the cold, in abysmal surroundings, watching a poor side try and play nice football won't cut it.

What is attractive football though? Attacking in full leaving yourself open at the back? No point having higher attendances with 4-3 home losses.

Forget the attendances for the next 3 seasons. Get the kids in as soon as possible and watch it slowly grow each year. Make it cool to watch barrow from ages 6 - 16.

Yep.

[Soulboy]

Crucial time for our club. I don't know or understand some things going on at the moment. Does anyone on here really?
We need more support that's a given whether that be youngsters or pensioners.
Commercially we can improve a lot. More business in the area needs approaching and cultivating. We operate reactively but nor proactively. Providing a few drinks and fast grub every home game ?.... there is more to do than that .
Cheaper admission.
Incentives such as two for three tickets.
Drinks and food vouchers.
Free transport.
Marketing the brand.
Free kids with adult.
Advertising within bae glaxo etc
Just a few thoughts.
The Furness and outer localities can support better. The strategy needs tweaking.
The club is its fans......

[The Real Slim Azza]

Make it interesting and worth peoples time and itll work out.

Cant just expect people to turn up and complain when they dont

[glasgow_blue]

The main problem is that the club try something once, it doesn't seem to work so bin it, instead of trying to build on an idea and giving it time through better advertising, word of mouth etc

[geobarrovian]

I think the idea that the style of football attracts or detracts fans is a myth, this is the Vanarama National League, you play to your strengths, the majority of the football at this level is going to be played more direct, I would worry for any team trying to play nice, short possession based football at this level unless they were a far superior footballing team compared to other teams in the division.

We are just not a well supported team, the facilities haven't been enhanced in years, there's a lot of apathy in town towards the club, quite a lot of the Man Utd and Liverpool supporters follow these clubs as if their lives depend on it but would never give a toss about the football club in the town that they live in, also its a town where a lot of people a short of money, these and the never-ending list of other factors are the challenges that we face but I do not believe the style of football is a decisive factor in terms of attracting more fans to games.

[bigmac95]

I think the idea that the style of football attracts or detracts fans is a myth, this is the Vanarama National League, you play to your strengths, the majority of the football at this level is going to be played more direct, I would worry for any team trying to play nice, short possession based football at this level unless they were a far superior footballing team compared to other teams in the division.

We are just not a well supported team, the facilities haven't been enhanced in years, there's a lot of apathy in town towards the club, quite a lot of the Man Utd and Liverpool supporters follow these clubs as if their lives depend on it but would never give a toss about the football club in the town that they live in, also its a town where a lot of people a short of money, these and the never-ending list of other factors are the challenges that we face but I do not believe the style of football is a decisive factor in terms of attracting more fans to games.

Great post.

[boyliegladbach]

This'll probably go unnoticed, and I don't think any fan wants paul Casson to go, I think we all appreciate what he's done at barrow Afc.
But I think it's clear to see that something is not right, whether that be general day to day running of the club and the decisions being made or the whole cox leaving/Moore apoointment saga.
I appreciate boilers, lights, decorating of bars etc etc I know it all essential stufff that costs big money.
But it's the minor things that add to huge things that [SwearFilter] me and probably many others off.

Bar is awful, fans staying away in droves I know of at least 3 groups of regulars that don't go in anymore.
Merchandise, still crap but at least storys shown it can be done.
That [SwearFilter] washer and drier as you walk in!!! Tip pot. Find somehere else for them
I would say at least ten players at this club don't givee a shit, don't care about barrow, just hear for the cash.
Watched b/wood lose at barrow few weeks ago, after game saw their mangager and 2 players doing interviews on pitch, being accountable for thier performance to their paying public.
We have a captain who I've seen nothing from all season, on or off the pitch, it's an easy ride for them. Apart from ARH and nieskins that take time out to come in bar, who are the rest of them?, not saying I want to go for a brew with Adi yusefff or have a pint with Harry p but they could all show a bot of interest , kids like that sort of stuff,as do some adults.


The appointment of Moore, ,not moores fault and all respect for the man, but he's not the man(hope proves me wrong) bit looks like players have little faith in his(the owners) tactics,
Cason wants to see more passing, ide like to ask him and his son to name a team to get out if this league playing passing football.

Today was awful, the scorline flattered us, we were shit, but guess some sat in stand thought it was ok.

We can do better as a club, Sutton today with about 5 massive clubs within 30 miles showed us up off the pitch, family orientated, good busy bars , I gave about £5 to there under 10 girls team that kept going round the ground on some kind of fundraising ( I don't know what it was about but kept throwing quids in cos they had Sutton tracksuits ) but hey who needs kids running around!
Same as Maidstone season, a place that just had a good feeling about it.


The potential,barrow afc has is huge but we need the right person driving it.

[spirit of 1990]

I'd rather read a post like that all day than some shit about USA tax fiddles, selling the ground for a housing estate, phone not being answered or the latest by Pedro "a manager with a proven track record of failure"...! and any of the other rumours that do the rounds.

Solid, well thought out post Al.

[Lowtower]

Aye, good effort that boyliegladbach.

Agents are also a problem at the club right now, actually, I can't believe that some of our players need agents - what has the world of football come to ?

[Jim]

I'd rather read a post like that all day than some shit about USA tax fiddles, selling the ground for a housing estate, phone not being answered or the latest by Pedro "a manager with a proven track record of failure"...! and any of the other rumours that do the rounds.

Solid, well thought out post Al.

Yes a good post, we need more of the thoughtful kind.

Just one point about Casson wanting nice football. I think he was responding to a lot of criticism on here from fans about 'hoofball'. Do we want him to respond to fans' concerns or not?

Regarding the appointment of Micky Moore, I think it was unwise to appoint an unproven manager to a situation where there has been a shock departure of a manager who has imposed his own ethos and style on a bunch of players, most of whom he recruited. The time to appoint an unproven manager is when there has been an orderly transition and the playing base is stable and the players are 'on board'. Having said that, it is also unfair to decide at this stage that Moore is unfit for the job. How can we tell? He has inherited a mess through no fault of his own, plus the loss of several regular players. We should give him time to show what he can do.

Above all, we must support the manager and the players and not let dissatisfaction with the way some things are done affect what is done on the pitch.

[barrowaberdeen]

That's a cracking post Al.

I think the issue is that Micky Moore spent a lot of what would have been initial goodwill and understanding in a spurious 'trial period' which by any measure was pretty patchy.

[Ste Story]

Aii very good post from Al, and lots to learn from how Sutton did things, seemed very pro-active and just had a nice feel to it as a place, and absolutely no reason why we can't do the basics right:

- Bar was busy, good selection of drinks, they had a food hatch in the bar just selling burgers, chips etc, which did a roaring trade and got people in the bar a bit earlier. Directors milling around the bar chatting to fans. Jamie Reid usually comes and has a chat with the fans briefly, but we should definitely see the directors trying to engage with the fans more, and put much much more effort into having the players interact with kids on match days. They also had a jukebox in there, probably makes a couple of quid and gave a much better atmosphere and a nicer place to be. I think the bar struggles because of its position. People will go to the game and wander down Holker St and go in the first gate they see. Like it or not, people are often just can't be arsed or don't even think about the bar because they're not passing, its not really accessible. After the game in particular the bar is just empty because people go out the other turnstiles and are away, there's nothing to persuade them to walk down to the other end and get them into the bar. Not really sure what the answer is, I think if a miracle does appear and the Crossbar end is redeveloped, a club shop and bar that you can easily access directly from the ground is a must, rather than having to go out of the ground, round the corner, through a reception, up some stairs, through a landing and into the bar. We briefly tried having entertainment in the bar after the game last season and tbh it was pretty good and had a few in. Don't know if jumping headfirst into having a band on their every week would work, but maybe once a month or something just put summat on and try and get people in after the game.

- As mentioned the girls team all going round the ground in their tracksuits, seemed plenty of kids about in general. I'm not sure what our current policy is on cheap kids tickets, but we should just simplify it to a blanket policy of if you're under 16 you get in for free. No need for bringing a parent or a ticket or anything, just turn up, through the turnstile and you're in.

- On the merchandise one, lots and lots of people wearing a wide range of yellowy gold merchandise, from polos to tracksuits to replicas (credit where it's due, this season i've seen more people wearing Barrow replicas than I think I ever have, but thats about it). Merchandise on sale in the ground itself as opposed to have to go out after the game and wait outside the club shop to see if it opens. There's much much more we can do on merchandise, you don't even have to make a profit on it really, sell it in big numbers so the town starts to see people out and about in BAFC jackets or hats or t-shirts, creates a buzz and gives people a bit more of an affinity and attachment to the club midweek when maybe it's been a few days since the last game and they otherwise wouldn't think of Barrow till the next.

Everything just seems very very flat and repetitive at the moment, there's no buzz or excitement or anything to look forward to or get invigorated by. The club need to communicate better, do the basics better, try and understand the fans and there wants and needs better and try and tie it all into running a football club. I don't agree that the board can be really blamed for the on-field activities or results and I didn't personally agree with the lively discussions and remonstrating after the game yesterday, but the board are getting flak for it because the discontent is there due to a million other mistakes they've made, opportunities they've missed or attitudes they've fostered.

[The Real Slim Azza]

Ive only being saying all of this for about 3 years!

[Adam29]

We need to get back to basics both on and off the pitch.
Right now we are as "professional" as a football club as we were under the previous regime only difference is we dont need to worry about a bill not being paid and being issued with winding up orders.

Club need to engage with its support alot more start building the bridges that at the minute have collapsed and floated down the river.

Both what ste and al said are absolutley spot on and that is what the club need to start being productive in.

As for on the pitch.
I know micky is trying to play the "casson brand" of football but quite frankly let's get real.
Its non league football. How many non league sides have you seen pass the ball around like Barcelona? Once again yesterday we scored from a lumped ball into the box, the majority of our wins last season came from us being big ugly bullies playing ugly football. Lets embrace that. Start winning games, get the supporters back behind the team and bring a positive feeling back into the club. Confidence both on and off the pitch at the minute is very low and needs to be bought back

[McMark]

Ive only being saying all of this for about 3 years!

Yep you have bud, but sometimes it's quite simply the way you say it and all the other add one's that means people just turn a blind eye.

Well said Al, honesty without brutality.

Micky Moore has got to be allowed to play his own brand of football, not some sort of half baked middle ground soccer. Otherwise it's not going to work out simple as!!