Oakwell bother?

[Branton Rover]

Judy seen a tweet from Guiseley FC stating that the friendly match next Tuesday against Barnsley has been cancelled at Barnsley’s request due to the fact they cannot raise a team - doesn’t sound too clever - I know they’ve just appointed a new manager he must be thinking what have I come to? Surely they’ll have some players still under contract which they could flesh out with trialists.

Interesting

[scawsby steve]

Judy seen a tweet from Guiseley FC stating that the friendly match next Tuesday against Barnsley has been cancelled at Barnsley’s request due to the fact they cannot raise a team - doesn’t sound too clever - I know they’ve just appointed a new manager he must be thinking what have I come to? Surely they’ll have some players still under contract which they could flesh out with trialists.

Interesting

Isn't it possible that Judy got her facts wrong?

Sorry, mate. I couldn't resist.

[Branton Rover]

Typo strikes again

[MachoMadness]

Imagine this is more because they want to play a different 11 in each half, but they don't have enough players to do it and don't want to do 3 games in the first week of preseason with a small squad.

Not ideal don't get me wrong but not exactly a disaster.

Seen they have a new manager now, from Tampa Bay! From Florida to Barnsley, f**king hell.

[Chris Black come back]

You’re not from New York City you’re from Rotherham.

[Glyn_Wigley]

T'Ed Lasso

[German Rover]

He is Scottish though and used to play for Sheffield United and Wolves.

[tyke1962]

A shameful decision and one I'm not prepared to defend what so ever .

Can't raise a team ?? , what a load of bullshyte , we've at least 30 professionals at the club even at this stage of pre season if you factor in the development teams .

That's a blatant lie .

How would we like it if one of the big PL clubs renegaded on a pre season friendly at the last minute ? , which if you spin this the other way is exactly how the Guiseley club would view this game and boost the finances which are hugely important for them .

Probably their biggest earner of the season given the hundreds of travelling tykes making the short trip as they did last Saturday at Worksop .

I don't know why we've let Guiseley down but I do know it's not because we can't raise a team .

We should compensate them , that's the right thing to do .

Pyss poor and our reputation once again taking a hit .

[Glyn_Wigley]

Barnsley should at least give their share of their next friendly's gate money to Guiseley. Barnsley doing this to them meant they couldn't raise funds playing someone else on that day.

[tyke1962]

Barnsley should at least give their share of their next friendly's gate money to Guiseley. Barnsley doing this to them meant they couldn't raise funds playing someone else on that day.

We did this two seasons ago when we were scheduled to play Watford at their gaff pre season .

Manchester City got on the phone and wanted to play us on their Training Complex , hard to imagine I know but bear with me .

We'd just finished fifth in the championship the previous season  with the best high press stats in the EFL .

Pep as part of his pre season preparations wanted his City squad to play against a credible high pressing team , or so he thought .

They offered us £100k to ditch the Watford game and we took the money .

It proved to be a massive waste of time on our part given this was the last pre season game before the league campaign began a week later .

I watched the game on City tv , we didn't so much as get a kick , absolutely nothing to be gained from the game as far as preparation for the new season was concerned .

We chased shadows for 90 minutes and were rinsed 6-1 , we actually got away with only 6 .

[RobTheRover]

A shameful decision and one I'm not prepared to defend what so ever .

Can't raise a team ?? , what a load of bullshyte , we've at least 30 professionals at the club even at this stage of pre season if you factor in the development teams .

That's a blatant lie .

How would we like it if one of the big PL clubs renegaded on a pre season friendly at the last minute ? , which if you spin this the other way is exactly how the Guiseley club would view this game and boost the finances which are hugely important for them .

Probably their biggest earner of the season given the hundreds of travelling tykes making the short trip as they did last Saturday at Worksop .

I don't know why we've let Guiseley down but I do know it's not because we can't raise a team .

We should compensate them , that's the right thing to do .

Pyss poor and our reputation once again taking a hit .

Well said Tyke. I'd heard it was cancelled after the players they had earmarked for the team took one look that horrendous new shirt and said "Not wearing that monstrosity"

[MachoMadness]

Sounds like there might be some bother after all!

https://www.efl.com/news/2023/july/efl-statement-barnsley-fc/

[silent majority]

Sounds like there might be some bother after all!

https://www.efl.com/news/2023/july/efl-statement-barnsley-fc/

I noticed yesterday that the EFL have changed the procedure for announcing changes in ownership and directorships. This all comes about because of this Barnsley issue I believe.

My understanding is that a a group of minority owners had been (allegedly) using proxy directors to get around the restrictions when a substantial shareholding is in place.

This is the EFL statement;

Barnsley Football Club has been charged with multiple breaches of EFL Regulations.

The charges relate to the Club:

1. failing to provide the League with correct and/or complete information regarding the beneficial
ownership of shares in the Club despite a request for such information being made by the
League;

2. failing to provide the League with the necessary notifications regarding the ownership position
at the Club;

3. failing to publish accurate information on the Club’s website concerning the ultimate owners of
the Significant Interest in the Club;

4. allowing individuals to acquire a position of Control without prior clearance from the EFL; and

5. failing to act towards the League with the utmost good faith.

Paul Conway and Chien Lee have also been charged with causing the Club to be in breach of EFL
Regulations.

The Club, Mr Conway and Mr Lee have 14 days to respond to the charges.

[Alan Southstand]

I believe it’s the Club that’s initiated this. So, fair play to them.

[silent majority]

I believe it’s the Club that’s initiated this. So, fair play to them.

So they say. But how long have they known about this? And bringing it to the EFL's attention is surely an attempt at mitigation rather than waiting to be found out? As the EFL said they asked questions but didn't get the answers so they are completely differing statements.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

I believe it’s the Club that’s initiated this. So, fair play to them.

So they say. But how long have they known about this? And bringing it to the EFL's attention is surely an attempt at mitigation rather than waiting to be found out? As the EFL said they asked questions but didn't get the answers so they are completely differing statements.

Maybe these issues were hidden by the previous ownership and only came to light sometime after their departure. Gathering evidence of financial irregularities may have taken sometime before the current ownership were in a position to present a case.

[silent majority]

I believe it’s the Club that’s initiated this. So, fair play to them.

So they say. But how long have they known about this? And bringing it to the EFL's attention is surely an attempt at mitigation rather than waiting to be found out? As the EFL said they asked questions but didn't get the answers so they are completely differing statements.

Maybe these issues were hidden by the previous ownership and only came to light sometime after their departure. Gathering evidence of financial irregularities may have taken sometime before the current ownership were in a position to present a case.

They're still there. Its just the % of ownership that's changed. Using proxy directors (allegedly) to hide what's been going off.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

I believe it’s the Club that’s initiated this. So, fair play to them.

So they say. But how long have they known about this? And bringing it to the EFL's attention is surely an attempt at mitigation rather than waiting to be found out? As the EFL said they asked questions but didn't get the answers so they are completely differing statements.

Maybe these issues were hidden by the previous ownership and only came to light sometime after their departure. Gathering evidence of financial irregularities may have taken sometime before the current ownership were in a position to present a case.

They're still there. Its just the % of ownership that's changed. Using proxy directors (allegedly) to hide what's been going off.

Woa. That's a biggie then. It was these two articles I read some time back painting a rosier picture.

https://www.barnsleyfc.co.uk/news/2022/may/club-statement-new-board-of-directors/

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/sport/football/barnsley-fc-i-am-not-an-owner-more-of-a-custodian-neerav-parekh-3777935

[MachoMadness]

I believe it’s the Club that’s initiated this. So, fair play to them.

So they say. But how long have they known about this? And bringing it to the EFL's attention is surely an attempt at mitigation rather than waiting to be found out? As the EFL said they asked questions but didn't get the answers so they are completely differing statements.

Maybe these issues were hidden by the previous ownership and only came to light sometime after their departure. Gathering evidence of financial irregularities may have taken sometime before the current ownership were in a position to present a case.

They're still there. Its just the % of ownership that's changed. Using proxy directors (allegedly) to hide what's been going off.

Possibly a daft question but what's the reason why Barnsley would want to do this? What benefit have they gained from it? Is it an effort to circumvent FFP rules or something else?

[In the box]

I believe it’s the Club that’s initiated this. So, fair play to them.

“FairPlay”? It sounds like it’s a loop hole in the rules and it will be difficult to reverse this and prohibit the involvement of new owners who may or may not have past any due diligence test !!

[tyke1962]

First of all let me say the ownership - shareholding at Oakwell is pretty complex .

Unfortunately you'll have to bear with me whilst I give you the background first in relation to today's allegations .

 In late 2017 80% of the club was sold to a consortium due to Patrick Cryne having a terminal illness .

Chinese American Chien Lee headed the consortium and was the majority shareholder with the other members taking smaller stakes such as current chairman Neerav Parekh , Pacific Media Group headed by Paul Conway and  Grace Hung and Baseball MoneyBall man Billy Beane with 20% still remaining within the Cryne Family .

Beane after 18 months sold his 6% I believe  it was to Neerav Parekh obviously increasing his stake .

Things pretty much went on those lines for three years until following the departure of CEO Dane Murphy to Nottingham Forest Paul Conway became acting CEO during the highly important summer window .

This is prior to the catastrophic championship campaign that saw us finish rock bottom 2021/22 .

Splits in the board began to emerge between on one side Chien Lee , Paul Conway and  PMG and on the other Neerav Parekh and the Cryne Family .

As a consequence Chien Lee , Paul Conway and Grace Hung were sacked from the board although they still held significant shares in the club and it also emerged that Paul Conway wasn't actually a shareholder at all but merely a representative of a group of four American investors who he failed to tell anybody about .

I believe this to be the crux of the matter and our falling foul of the EFL .

Clearly the present board want rid of Chien Lee , Paul Conway and PMG altogether and their shareholding taken off them by any means possible , presumably they won't sell the shares they still hold to anybody currently on the board .

By any means possible seems to be to contact the EFL present them with the evidence of Conway's wrong doing .

Why this wasn't done 10 months ago when this came to light I don't know or at the time when Lee , Conway and Hung were removed from the board , again I don't know .

Seems to me what we have here is a full blown civil war playing out with the EFL acting as judge and jury .

To tell the truth I wish the whole lot of em would pyss off because we've had nowt but bother with the whole bloody lot of em in varying degrees .

Nobody is coming out of this too well in my opinion and of course we have a new season upon us with a new HC , players to recruit and the actual business of playing football .

Totally bewildered by the whole sorry spectacle to be honest .

[Alan Southstand]

Thanks for the comments,Tyke, and it sheds a bit of light on the saga. As with all these ownership issues, it’s the supporters who probably suffers the most.

Best of luck this next season - it sounds like you’re going to need it.

[tyke1962]

Thanks for the comments,Tyke, and it sheds a bit of light on the saga. As with all these ownership issues, it’s the supporters who probably suffers the most.

Best of luck this next season - it sounds like you’re going to need it.

Thanks Alan and yes indeed we are going to need it .

Just sick of all the drama to be honest which we've endured since this lot came to the club in 2017 .

When this lot took over we were debt free , in the championship and £8m in the bank through tremendous player sales although that did eventually catch up with us with the replacements getting us relegated .

Today we have significant financial problems and entering in to a second successive league one campaign .

Their collective record speaks for itself .

[Grumps]

Tyke you have missed the bit about the EFL asking numerous questions of the club regarding its structure and being met with a wall of silence.

[Alan Southstand]

Just what is going on at Barnsley? Seems like there’s a bit of an exodus and nothing coming in the other way. Will they have a team this season?

[Albert Trousers]

Just what is going on at Barnsley? Seems like there’s a bit of an exodus and nothing coming in the other way. Will they have a team this season?

I'm more concerned with Grumps profile pic, almost threw my Double McSausage & egg back up.

[roversdude]

Grumps is a Miller though lol

[tyke1962]

Just what is going on at Barnsley? Seems like there’s a bit of an exodus and nothing coming in the other way. Will they have a team this season?

To be honest Alan most summer windows are like this over here , if we have a bad season we sack the HC , if we do well he moves on to bigger things .

Anyone with only 12 months left on their current deal is generally sold , Mads Andersen and Brad Collins were in that territory and I expect Jordan Williams to be sold this window too who also only has 12 months left on his deal .

Callum Styles has a £2m release clause in his deal and if that's triggered then he'll be away too .

We should be completing the deals for Max Watters and Andy Dallas over the weekend , a couple of European centre backs are also close to completion and a right wing back from Forest Green and we've replaced Brad Collins with a lad from Middlesbrough whose come in on a 12 month loan .

We should be there or there abouts come the big KO , hopefully !! .

Obviously the EFL investigation is a major concern behind the scenes , hopefully any wrong doing will only be a fine and a suspended points deduction which is what Birmingham City got for similar offences .

I'm sceptical about the new HC I have to say , straight from the second tier of US football worries me , I'd have preferred someone with some success within the EFL similar to Michael Duff before he came in here .

Very risky appointment in my opinion but I said the same when Danny Wilson got the job in 1994 and that didn't turn out too bad so what do I know .

[ForsolongaRover]

The EFL will no doubt get some answers in due course, but the legal processes open to them currently rarely seem to lead to much effective action after the inevitable appeals and arbitration. We might have hoped that Legislation based on the Fan-led Review could have enabled investigation and action that would have provided some hope that questionable business manoeuvring of this type would not remain opaque. It is the fans’ money that ultimately funds the riches of these owners and the prospect of controlling it all remains a distant hope, especially under the current administration.

Even when penalties are successfully imposed, it is the fans who suffer the emotional pain of points deductions. Until the law is tough enough to keep the undesirable owners away from the clubs, this will go on. Is it going to be in the Labour Election Manifesto I wonder?

[tyke1962]

Maybe a bit of interest to Rovers fans .

Max Watters just signed permanently from Cardiff City , got him on a free too .

Altogether now

" Rovers Reject  , Rovers Reject Hello " .