Cambridge United v Barrow match thread

[jeff1966]

11 Connor browns stay in that league. Probably finish 15th. We’ve a bunch of utter charlatans. Oh Mahoney is good, barks is good, Gordon works his chuds off, caravan has been brilliant for us, Jackson got 11 assists last year etc etc

We’ve been an absolute disgrace all season no idea no identity. I’d rather we kept Cameron and said we are Wimbledon n hoof it least then we’d of known.

Foleys been lobbed under the bus and it’s cost us him not being able to play because owners sh!t themselves

[ossickbluebird]

Well, that's us as good as down and I've got to be honest, in a perverse way, I'm glad.
The last 4 seasons have been tortureass and who really wants their club to struggle like that season on season.
This group of players do have some talent but are absolutely gutless.
Personally, I think we are a top ten National league "club" in our current state, a few improvements to the ground doesn't make us L2!
IF, and I think it's quite a big IF, the board stay, they should openly admit their mistakes, announce they have a 5-10 year plan to build the infrastructure of the club, try and get some local players at least in the squad, maybe create an academy or reserve team etc.
I think if the fans were told something along these lines they would really get behind it.

[WalneyOne]

Has there been a post match interview posted anywhere after today's showing?

Nope, very eerily silent on all fronts, scared to face the music I think....and the truth

Sam the Sham and the Fairies.....

[John_Bucks]

Nope, very eerily silent on all fronts, scared to face the music I think....and the truth

Sam the Sham and the Fairies.....

Very harsh on Foley who has been nothing but excellent since signing for us

[Bingo]

Well, that's us as good as down and I've got to be honest, in a perverse way, I'm glad.
The last 4 seasons have been tortureass and who really wants their club to struggle like that season on season.
This group of players do have some talent but are absolutely gutless.
Personally, I think we are a top ten National league "club" in our current state, a few improvements to the ground doesn't make us L2!
IF, and I think it's quite a big IF, the board stay, they should openly admit their mistakes, announce they have a 5-10 year plan to build the infrastructure of the club, try and get some local players at least in the squad, maybe create an academy or reserve team etc.
I think if the fans were told something along these lines they would really get behind it.

The stench of failure and relegation will not just disappear over night, the club have had their pants pulled down by a glorified football agent

We don’t have much to show from 6 years in the football
League the club haven’t really developed at all - but sick
Of saying it - I have no reason to ever step foot in Barrow again apart from the football so gutted to see this like it is.

[Gnasher66]

I love our club!

Sometimes when you love something unconditionally you get the p!ss taken out of you.

That’s what’s happened to us BAFC supporters this season.

From every angle.

I’m p!ssed………OFF!

[WalneyOne]

Sam the Sham and the Fairies.....

Very harsh on Foley who has been nothing but excellent since signing for us

As a player yes.
As a manager? Inept at best.

[HenneysKnee]

How many teams bounce right back?

Not many but teams do but it happens. Do you suggest we just don't try because its fairly rare? How many go back to back relegations, not many but it happens

Of course we should try! But you said so many teams bounce right back and that’s just not true

[Bombadel]

One thing Wild had, was this ability to motivate the players and get under their skin, to get a performance (Bradford/Stockport away) those comments from the Cambridge lot about “if we can’t beat these lot” would have been a perfect example to use, but rather than Foley having
His “shoulders back” he’s sadly looked more like that a pilot who’s landed in enemy territory and is waiting for his ordeal to be over.

Dino had that positive mental attitude, shame the players didn’t like his style though. We sadly signed a bunch of snowflakes.

[Scott5]

Very harsh on Foley who has been nothing but excellent since signing for us

As a player yes.
As a manager? Inept at best.

He’s never managed before was asked to take it on and did knowing it was a huge challenge mission impossible almost.
I don’t blame Foley at all I blame the people above who made the decision. Another bad one in a long line of them. Whoever thought Clemence had credentials after failing at gillingham, who then decided to keep Andy Whing when it was obvious he was out of his depth and only Rob Kelly temporarily revived us? Who then thought that after saying Whing lacked experience it was a good idea to appoint Paul Gallagher with none over Neil MacDonald, to sign a load of kids for a L2 relegation battle and then thinking they and the squad were good enough. Before panicking again getting rid and bringing in Dino Maamria only to do the same to him. To then end up with someone in charge with no experience in our position is astounding.
A long list of decisions not counting the ones on certain players which have contributed towards us being where we are. Naive if you’re kind, sheer incompetence really. What a farce it’s been and for probably 2/3 of our time in this league in reality.

I still maintain we can survive at this level with the right planning and management, it’s not a strong league but unfortunately mismanagement over a period of time has finally come to bite us.

[WalneyOne]

Sam followed every other manager this season.
Set the team up not to win, but to try not to lose and hope for the best.He had 9(?) games to give it a go and didn't.The fat lady was contacted for availability after the Fleetwood game.
Acting on instructions? Someone higher up pulling the strings?
All we know is this is the result.

[tictactoe]

Let’s not put a downer on Foley. Yes it hasn’t worked in management, it’s not just him but Worrall as well, but as a player he was outstanding. He had a thankless task imo trying to get anything out of the waste of spaces he was managing.

[32mile_cul-de-sac]

Eminent football journalist and knowledgeable guy on the lower leagues Gabriel Sutton posted his thoughts on us this season on twitter and he is pretty much bang on.

Enormous rethink needed at Holker Street this summer.
Because, bar a handful of exceptions, I think everyone connected with the footballing side at Barrow this season should be - and I hesitate to use this word because I appreciate it’s not pleasant - a little bit embarrassed.
I’ve watched them live enough times to know they haven’t built a team that represents Barrovians: in fact, these are the opposite.
Weak. Passive. They regularly lose not just 50/50s but 90/10s because they’re slow to react. They don’t look fit enough, yet more so mentally fragile.
Body language horrendous. Light jogging in high-stakes moments.
Fans who dig deep for season tickets - and deeper still to travel the country watching them in an economically challenged area - don’t deserve to watch their team roll out the red carpet for the opposition when they’re in the final third over and over again.


Stephen Clemence, Andy Whing, Neil McDonald, Dino Maamria and now Sam Foley have all struggled over the last two years, largely as a result of poor recruitment, on a lower midtable budget.
Time to look further up. For starters, I don’t think Iain Wood - though by no means the only culprit - being entrusted with a rebuild in the National League as Sporting Director can be tenable.

Hate to point fingers, but sometimes we have to call out what’s blatantly unacceptable.

That really does capture this season perfectly.

[tommy2thumbs]

Hopefully the awards night will be cancelled. That would be one slap in the face too many.

and the traditional "Lap of Appreciation"

[tommy2thumbs]

Also, gonna chuck this out there...
Josh Gordon - is he the Gav Knight for this generation?
Runs around like the duracell rabbit and chucks in the odd goal or two, but fans think he's brilliant because of the mileage?
Never seen Josh do a backflip after scoring though.