New Manager

[Chris Benoit]

I stopped going whilst Bayliss was here (for a couple of months). As soon as he left I returned, yesterday was the first game I've missed since coming back. Ill support whoever gets the job but I, like a lot of others, do have preferences to who I'd like to see come in and what I'd like to see try to be done, not everyone agrees with my views but ill still be supporting the club. We will come good again eventually, we're a club that goes in cycles of success and struggles and right now I think we are well into a struggle but there is light at the end of the tunnel.

[barrowaberdeen]

I'm going but I can't say I am paying a hell of a lot of attention!

It's all about spending time with folk I know.

I can't get interested in the football I am watching.

[Reg]

Bit of a generalisation there Chris.

No two people are the same and have different reasons for their lack of interest.

Might be a bit of a generalisation but I think Chris's last sentence (even as a generalisation) is just about right!

Not in my case and not in the case of a long time supporter who spent part of yesterday afternoon visiting myself and another supporter I never envisaged staying away from games.

It might suit people's thought processes to put all those currently not attending in the same boat but it just isn't true and I hope the BOD don't share your view because if they do and they think it's purely down to putting a winning team out, they're about to continue making the same old mistakes.

[barrowaberdeen]

Curious to know Reg, up to you if you choose to answer fella of course .

If it's not Matt Henney or similar with a move back towards the town, what will bring you back?

[spirit of 1990]

Might be a bit of a generalisation but I think Chris's last sentence (even as a generalisation) is just about right!

Not in my case and not in the case of a long time supporter who spent part of yesterday afternoon visiting myself and another supporter I never envisaged staying away from games.

It might suit people's thought processes to put all those currently not attending in the same boat but it just isn't true and I hope the BOD don't share your view because if they do and they think it's purely down to putting a winning team out, they're about to continue making the same old mistakes.

I never said it suited my thought process, I said even as a generalisation it's about right - I'll stand by that view.

[barrowaberdeen]

I tell you what though Spirit, if the football doesn't improve then I am struggling to watch it- no question.

[Tunnocks]

I tell you what though Spirit, if the football doesn't improve then I am struggling to watch it- no question.

I fully agree, nearly two seasons worth of games with the direst football I can ever remember.

[spirit of 1990]

I tell you what though Spirit, if the football doesn't improve then I am struggling to watch it- no question.

One reason Steve I hope it's an experienced mamager who know's what he's doing at this level. It's serious when we're losing so many "die hard" fans & I'm not really knocking them or you for having that attitude but I can't see how bringing in anyone local(ish) is going to help just because they're local.

I know what some are saying about the bigger picture regarding this but at the moment there just isn't anyone around here who could turn this around, & If people & the Board think Edmo is going to be the answer then I'll be getting to the stage where I'm going to struggle going (although I still will...I'll just struggle)

[Reg]

Curious to know Reg, up to you if you choose to answer fella of course .

If it's not Matt Henney or similar with a move back towards the town, what will bring you back?

In the immediate future?

Nothing mate.

I spent the last 18 months not being remotely interested when I was inside the ground.

When I finally stopped going, I realised that I didn't actually miss it. I don't miss the bad football, the cold and I'm putting the money saved straight into my savings account. I'm saving £1k per year minimum so when I ask myself if I want to spend £1k per year watching a club that continually repeats the same mistakes and has no realistic chance of breaking the cycle, the answer is that I don't.

I'm a strong minded, opinionated and decisive bloke. When I see things being done continually in an indecisive manner, with mistakes being repeated time and again, I get frustrated.

I want nothing but success for the club. Sadly, I think the chances of the club having long term success are slim whilst under the current board with it's chronic lack of vision.

[Reg]

I tell you what though Spirit, if the football doesn't improve then I am struggling to watch it- no question.

One reason Steve I hope it's an experienced mamager who know's what he's doing at this level. It's serious when we're losing so many "die hard" fans & I'm not really knocking them or you for having that attitude but I can't see how bringing in anyone local(ish) is going to help just because they're local.

I know what some are saying about the bigger picture regarding this but at the moment there just isn't anyone around here who could turn this around, & If people & the Board think Edmo is going to be the answer then I'll be getting to the stage where I'm going to struggle going (although I still will...I'll just struggle)

I'm not fussed who the next manager is. I am fussed where he is based though.

The money that the job pays should be more than enough to expect a professional to relocate.

By all means, get Lowe or whoever but also, get him living close at hand and start the process of moving everything closer to home long term.

I never have and never will say that a team made up purely of locals will get the club competing sustainably in the top level on NL football (or higher) but on the flip of the same coin, I absolutely believe that there have been plenty of young local players in the last 20+ years that haven't been given an opportunity to reach their full potential because of the club's insistence on importing a team year on year.

If the club is ever to move forward without a sugar daddy (which nobody wants) there has to be a seismic change. It really is as simple as that for me.

[HenneysKnee]

Great post Reg, fully agree with every word. There has been plenty of locals who could play at Conference North level but either haven't come through or have had to go elsewhere to join a proper youth system

[John Very Little]

There is nothing to stop locals going to other localish clubs and such as Penrith, Kendal, Lancaster, Bamber Bridge, AFC Fylde etc and working their way up the ladder but how many have done this? However I do think it was wrong for Bayliss not to get Jackson at the start of the season but other than that how many other locals are good enough for Conf North or even Conf Prem level?

I doubt we'll have enough locals good enough for this level of football to make up the majority of a team to warrant us training here? I agree we need to try and get more young players coming through and we may get a few that are good enough but not say 11 or 12 players which is what we'd need to make it worthwhile to warrant us training here?

I do wonder whether advancing the youth system set up will put off some potentially good candidates for the managers job? TBH I'm a bit disappointed that the board never had a vision of what happened once Doc's players get to 18 years old as TK's comments about this show they've given no thought to that yet?

[Reg]

I doubt we'll have enough locals good enough for this level of football to make up the majority of a team to warrant us training here?

Look for players in North Lancashire, West Yorkshire, Cumbria and train somewhere like Kendal.

You don't have to move lock stock and barrel overnight.

I understand that change in any walk of life worries people but if you're changing from something that clearly doesn't work, I think the pro's outweigh the cons.

Worst case scenario(which I don't think would happen)is we drop one more level for a short time. Is that really much less appetising than this level?

Most of us were brought up on playing the likes of Marine, Chorley, Goole, South Liverpool, Horwich, Runcorn etc.. It didn't put us off and I think we actually enjoyed being a bigger fish in a smaller pond most of the time.

I'm resigned to the fact that I'm very unlikely to get my wish but I have yet to read a compelling argument against my ideals, which might suggest that they're not far off the mark.

[SKIPPER]

Reg,I support your ideals 100% but unfortunately they are opposed by the blinkered instant-success brigade. There are several strands to this whole locals debate.
Firstly we have four (?) loanees who I strongly suspect train with their parent clubs. What therefore is the difference between that and local lads training locally without travelling to East Lancs ?
The basic requirements of any footballer are two legs and a brain. Mix in skill,fitness,dedication,loyalty,and a good coach and you are not far from the finished article. So can someone explain what it is in the genes of young lads from the Furness area that makes them any different to a Scouser or a Manc.I could name 20-30 lads over the years who would have comfortably held their own at this level.
And what defines a 'local'. I don't advocate anyone who lives within spitting distance of HS.We have no competition for players within a 30-40 mile radius. Surely that gives us a very broad scope. Lets get scouts out looking for players rather than wait for them to come to us. The egg-chasers have done it for years with varying degrees of success.Can't we share training facilities with someone like Kendal or Lancaster ?
I wouldn't even opt for a totally 'local' side. That is a far-flung pipedream and something we never had even in the darkest days. I remember Peter Kane shipping in a load of players from Scotland in our first non-league season all of whom were found jobs in the yard. That option is obviously no longer open to us but I'm sure if people got their heads together solutions could be found.A backbone of 3-4 experienced and dedicated players to complement would be ideal.
This is the opportunity to draw a line in the sand and move forward. Unfortunately I don't think we have the BOD to do it.
As a final note if you are still depressed click on the Stockport link below.Our problems multiplied by as much as you like !

[Ste Story]

Don't make excuses just say you are not coming back unless we get some success.

To be honest as fans we need to get away from the idea of this being a big taboo! While we on here as Barrow football fans are the sort who do support the club through thick and thin, we need to get away from the mantra that the vast majority of the week-in-week-out fans will just turn up and pay their money simply because it's Barrow Soccer. Fact is I stood there on Saturday myself and asked a few around me the same question "Is what we're doing now, what we're feeling and witnessing worth £13" and the answer was a resounding no. Now if someone like me is feeling that, you can imagine how some of the newer/less attached fans feel. Disregarding them on the basis of them being glory hunters/fair weather fans just massively misses the point IMO and is akin to burying our heads in the sand. You can either complain that people won't come unless their being entertained, or you can look at how to improve things both on and off the pitch until they are...