[Archived] Barnsley Away

[Mike Graham]

I picked up 2 tickets from The Circus (aka Bollewood) this morning to be told that ticket sales for the fixture had picked up (mine were numbered 4 and 4!!).

No manager, as yet, and no coaches apart from Golden Dollar Hendry. So who will be in charge: Shabby Sink; PNE Agspew; Dr Who or Hendry........God help us.

I expect the game will be taken up with the usual vitriol and fan turning on fan. What is this Club coming to? Never mind Barnsley away I cannot see our Rovers escaping administration. We are well and truly in the Kean.

I blame the Trust, and the Venkys. We are now rotten to the core with no sign of repair nor reprieve. Even if the Chicken goons were to sell no-one would step in unless it were a fire sale.

[broadsword]

• I think after what's just happened, it's got to be another loss. Possibly if would still have been a loss even if Berg had stayed.

God knows what's happening on the training ground right now. I guess if Hendry is in charge then it may be more a case of a training round down the pub.

[G Somerset Rover]

Spot on Bryan. You can just imagine the message now from our 'Braveheart':

'Right chaps its a little nippy out there today and Henning and Eric took the last of the cones and balls so off to the 'Head for a few ales it is. Can somebody spot me a few jars as I'm still fleecing anyone I can.'

[Ossydave]

Can we pay on the gate lads?

[roverandout]

couldnt give a rat's ass about the game, after what has happened couldnt give a toss whether we lose 1-0, 5-0 or 50-0

[m1st]

This is A W F U L!

If results go against us on Saturday, we could have only one club between us and the Relegation Zone. When we went into Division 3-as-was in the 1970s, people seemed to accept it more easily because we were much more of a community team in those days than we are now and we knew that the people in charge were doing their best to get us out of the mire into which we'd dropped.

Now it feels like we have a bunch of owners who either:

[charitable view] have bitten off more than they can chew, weren't aware of the ramifications of owning a Premier League team, thought they could run things as they ran other parts of their business interests and come from a culture where "losing face" when things go pear-shaped is intolerable; or

[less charitable view] didn't really give a toss about the best way to run their new toy and thought that if they ran it into the ground, they could probably recoup most, if not all, of their outlay.

Irrespective of whether or not you liked Big Sam's style of football, it was effective insofar as it, and his wheeling and dealing in the transfer market, kept us in the Premier League. For me, Venky's mistakes are two-fold and explain why I'm posting this, which might be more appropriate on one of the other threads, on here.

Sacking Sam, replacing him with someone who quickly proved to be out of his depth as a manager and then failing to be as ruthless with that "manager" as they've been with Henning Berg [and the reaction that provoked in us] was in a way less offensive as to what they did to the overall management of the club. Undermining John Williams by having the "team manager" [rather than the Chairman of the Board of the club] fly out to Pune once a month to report on developments was farcical and simply ridiculous. We've been a laughing-stock for almost as long as Venky's have owned the club; now their antics have people wondering if we're in freefall. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/20851674

While I've been drafting and re-drafting this, roverandout has come up with a far more succinct response which says it all. I hope that they make a satisfactory appointment to replace Berg [and I hope that the Norwegian members of this Board will let us know if he says anything in the Norwegian media about things] but at present we really do feel like we're floundering and while, like many more, I'm "Rovers till I die", it will be from a substantial distance until our owners come to terms which what it means to run an English professional team properly.

Oh, and btw, I can't see us winning on Saturday. If we're dead lucky, I think we'll get a draw.

[1864roverite]

Sadly another Rovers defeat looms and a place in the bottom 4 awaits.

Glad I am no longer wasting my money on watching the wanton destruction of my club.

[NH1875]

If a managerial announcement is made within the next 24 hours that I can physically stomach, I'll contemplate going to this game, but even with a manager in I think this game might have to be written off as we really are in such a mess that not even mourinho would be able to fashion something out of this side in 2-3 days.

[cn174]

Can we pay on the gate lads?

yes but it is a pound more.

[roverandout]

i wouldnt even pay a pound

[Oklahoma]

Couldn't care less about this game.

Actually, if v's sell us or we go into administration if we are relegated, I'm starting to think that is not a bad idea...

[ABBEY]

Got my kean feeling back . The venkys and shabby wingit can @#/? right off if they think I'm spending any extra to watch humiliation and the tortoureuose death of rovers.

[steven]

I'll be there and I've travelled from Sydney for the privilege. I need to see this with my own eyes.

[chor808]

I'll also be there after traveling from Canada to witness this.

[Martin]

What the hell, I'll play too..

I'll be attending from Dubai.

Also, does Shebby arrive on the coach with the players?

[davulsukur]

We are actually going to get rinsed by Barnsley.

[Mike Graham]

I wonder what team we will play? Will Robbo get a look in, and is Murphy fit? This game will be down to the players proving their worth; I am not Murphy's biggest fan but he is capable of leadership and this game is a vital 3 pointer where we need a true leader on the pitch. If Shebby is kept away, or if the players ignore him, we may see the players taking a lead and a welcome 3 points.

Whilst I am angry with everything Rovers I do want us to put in a decent performance and get 3 points to boost the players confidence.

[AggyBlue]

If Shebby is kept away,

You having a laugh, he'll be standing in as manager for this one.

I'll see you there.

[NH1875]

Does anyone remember the last time we got relegated and we got tonked 5-1 away at Barnsley? I was only about 10 but I remember sitting in the car listening to it on the radio while my mum went in the supermarket

[Mike Graham]

You having a laugh, he'll be standing in as manager for this one.

I'll see you there.

Good stuff Paul, I will be with my brother-in-law Leeds fan (with whom I am stoping with). I will give you a bell before the game.

[philipl]

Barnsley gave us a complete run around at Ewood.

I expect no difference at Oakwell

[Blue blood]

We've got tickets and are driving from family in Sheffield. Does anyone know any decent places to park?

Oh and with all the turmoil we'll easily loose this game.

[DE.]

We're still at 25s at most bookies to go down if people fancy a flutter to soften the impending relegation. After Barnsley embarrass us I think the odds may shorten considerably.

[RoyRover]

Who is going to be taking the team tomorrow? The kitman? The tea lady? That's about all who's left and they are just as qualified to do the job as Shebby or Hendry. I can honestly see Shebby stepping up to the plate tomorrow. We'll be more of a joke then and I didn't think that possible.

[bypass06]

A chance to redeem ourselves

http://www.rovers.co.uk/news/article/a-chance-to-redeem-ourselves-564332.aspx?