My theory is

[Donny Exile in York]

Our near neighbours and bitter rivals Rotherham of a similar size to us really but seem to spend a bit due to an ambitious chairman and are on for their 3rd promotion from league one in say 7 years... so why does their owner Stewart take the risk and push the boat out? That's the problem, clearly there are those of a similar ilk recruiting more or speculating more and providing hope for fans with their ambition... why not us the same? Cant tell me they have more resources on the board and dont get much better gates and bloody shouldn't given the size of both towns!

Rotherham have managed to overcome the adversity of dropping out of the championship and turn it into a league one positive .

They far from spend loads of money , their record transfer fee paid is 500k and they lost Ajayi to WBA and Vaulks to Cardiff for a few million last summer .

The thing is they've spent 4 of the last 6 seasons in the championship so they have a bit of pull with recruitment .

They are ahead of you but nowt you can't bridge with patience , besides they haven't won the league yet by any means .

Know what your saying tyke in terms of 4 of 6 seasons in the championship but it isant so long ago we were in the championship for 5 of 6 seasons and we should have the same if not better resources than Rotherhsm, a suburb of Sheffield. But you say they sold Ajayi, and the midfielder Vaulks you mention but we sold Marquis and removed some very high earners in Rowe and Marquis from our budget. Why therefore do and can Rotherham splash £500k on Ladapo and we bring in some loans? Doesn't seem right really if we have a 5 year plan, seeking a top 6 finish and want to get to the championship..  and that's the problem.. there is a benchmark and for me Rotherham shouldn't be able to out resource us year in year out.. granted they have an ambitious Chairman who is a fan, akin to John Ryan was for us.. but that's the mirror, the gauge, that shows what true ambition at our level is and those that have alot of rhetoric but apparently cant get deals over the line... Rotherham seem to be able to recruit players for a promotion push.. we should be able to match them..

[tyke1962]

Our near neighbours and bitter rivals Rotherham of a similar size to us really but seem to spend a bit due to an ambitious chairman and are on for their 3rd promotion from league one in say 7 years... so why does their owner Stewart take the risk and push the boat out? That's the problem, clearly there are those of a similar ilk recruiting more or speculating more and providing hope for fans with their ambition... why not us the same? Cant tell me they have more resources on the board and dont get much better gates and bloody shouldn't given the size of both towns!

Rotherham have managed to overcome the adversity of dropping out of the championship and turn it into a league one positive .

They far from spend loads of money , their record transfer fee paid is 500k and they lost Ajayi to WBA and Vaulks to Cardiff for a few million last summer .

The thing is they've spent 4 of the last 6 seasons in the championship so they have a bit of pull with recruitment .

They are ahead of you but nowt you can't bridge with patience , besides they haven't won the league yet by any means .

Know what your saying tyke in terms of 4 of 6 seasons in the championship but it isant so long ago we were in the championship for 5 of 6 seasons and we should have the same if not better resources than Rotherhsm, a suburb of Sheffield. But you say they sold Ajayi, and the midfielder Vaulks you mention but we sold Marquis and removed some very high earners in Rowe and Marquis from our budget. Why therefore do and can Rotherham splash £500k on Ladapo and we bring in some loans? Doesn't seem right really if we have a 5 year plan, seeking a top 6 finish and want to get to the championship..  and that's the problem.. there is a benchmark and for me Rotherham shouldn't be able to out resource us year in year out.. granted they have an ambitious Chairman who is a fan, akin to John Ryan was for us.. but that's the mirror, the gauge, that shows what true ambition at our level is and those that have alot of rhetoric but apparently cant get deals over the line... Rotherham seem to be able to recruit players for a promotion push.. we should be able to match them..

I know it's difficult to accept  Exile because I know they are your bitter rivals .

I said on another thread that Rovers lost a lot of ground when after relegation from the championship you then fell in to league two .

I know it was for the one season but it was harmful and meant you had to start all over again from scratch and build the brand back up at league one level .

I seem to remember you dropping out of the championship and came straight back under Brian Flynn which kind of emphasises my point about managing the drop from the championship .

Rotherham have shown so far they are managing that process well .

I don't actually believe they have anymore ambition than Rovers , Tony Stewart spent zilch in the championship last season and most of their fans were calling him everything from a pig to a dog for not investing as a championship club .

It's helped them put themselves in a significantly good place as a league one club though .

I certainly wouldn't have them down to be a club to aspire to because there's nothing in the model that suggests they can sustain championship football which is what we both aspire to , I certainly do for what it's worth .

Paul Warne is also a significant factor at Rotherham and the whole thing could go tyts up when eventually he gets a bigger opportunity which I think he will .

Paper thin at Rotherham in my opinion .

I haven't the answers to satisfy the Rovers faithful other than a very desirable manager who given time can turn the Rovers brand back towards it was under Ryan and SOD .

As hard as that is I'd be prepared to give Big Daz the time he needs , it's possibly the best offer on the table right now as frustrating as it is .

[Donny Exile in York]

Good post Tyke and concur with alot of what your saying.. but let's get one thing straight... I said match them, not aspire to be them.. that would sit very badly deep down in my stomach... but as I say a very good post Tyke, and likewise your team whilst i would accept a slightly bigger club, ground, fan base, Barnsley are too one that finds the bounce from Championship to League one and back very attractive.. the gap is widening between the two divisions more and more but as has been proved in the past, for example ourselves under Sean O Driscoll it is possible for a small club to reach the championship and stay there for a good few seasons with the right team and structure, ambition and purposeful calculated speculation..

[bpoolrover]

We may as well become a fan owned club and be sustainable at a lower level. Don’t understand what they’re there for If they don’t want to spend.

Why buy into a football club?

I watch both rovers and the dons and put my money into the clubs. Both lack an identity at the minute and ambition.

They put £2million in every year to take our budget from a lower half League One team to a top 6 League One team. Are people really this blind?

in the past maybe yes, no way are we top 6 budget this year

[tyke1962]

Good post Tyke and concur with alot of what your saying.. but let's get one thing straight... I said match them, not aspire to be them.. that would sit very badly deep down in my stomach... but as I say a very good post Tyke, and likewise your team whilst i would accept a slightly bigger club, ground, fan base, Barnsley are too one that finds the bounce from Championship to League one and back very attractive.. the gap is widening between the two divisions more and more but as has been proved in the past, for example ourselves under Sean O Driscoll it is possible for a small club to reach the championship and stay there for a good few seasons with the right team and structure, ambition and purposeful calculated speculation..

SOD had a pleasing style of play , an identity you might say .

As this game progresses we see the merits of an identity , Liverpool and City have one , Arsenal and Man Utd don't , it's significant .

Ryan was a charismatic character who raised the profile of your club and took it to a level you hadn't seen for many a decade .

It's a bit of a different place today which isn't to say it can't be repeated .

The starting point is Big Daz who isn't AN Other from who knows where , he's a connection to the club and is very high profile in my opinion .

The thing about League One are that the percentages between success and missing out are small , this isn't PL territory where Everton are trying to bridge the gap between mid table and Champions League football .

You could quite easily have got promoted last season through the play offs even though with all due respect you weren't the third best team in league one , but that's the play offs for you .

Take those penalties again 24 hours later and you win and change the whole narrative .

The percentages are really that small .

We've had some tough times in league one in the past when we lost control of the finances but managed to turn it around through two successful play off campaigns , both were earned on the final league fixture of the season .

Small margins yet again .

The club is set up at this moment in time to be highly successful at league one level but as yet it hasn't equated to the championship .

If we can somehow survive this season we may be on to something .

It's those fine margins again I'm afraid .

[Barmby Rover]

You're hundred percent right. It's also definitely the reason we sold Whiteman in the summer to Hull.

Come the summer....

[Donny Exile in York]

It is the fine margins and agree an identity and culture / team or club spirit goes along way or can be the X factor.. and in DM I think we have a real asset but he does need time and some resources and hopefully he will get the players in sooner rather than later that he wants and appease us impatient fans.. tactically and coaching wise he is doing very well so far.. but our squad is imbalanced so hope we have some joy in the transfer market soon.. one thing I will pick you up on though.. on our day we weren't just the third best team in league one last year.. you might recall how we should have won at Oakwell.. Kane and Wilks aligned with Coppinger, Whiteman, and a strong defence were a match for the best in the division and should have beaten Charlton but fair play to Luton and yourselves, worthy promoted clubs..

[Pancho Regan]

You want to be grateful you have owners who bridge the financial gaps in the yearly accounts .

We have owners worth a collective £9bn who have yet to part with one penny in two years .

Yes, the visionary Barnsley strategy isn’t working too well is it Tyke?

See you next season!
But sadly, probably in League 1

[tyke1962]

It is the fine margins and agree an identity and culture / team or club spirit goes along way or can be the X factor.. and in DM I think we have a real asset but he does need time and some resources and hopefully he will get the players in sooner rather than later that he wants and appease us impatient fans.. tactically and coaching wise he is doing very well so far.. but our squad is imbalanced so hope we have some joy in the transfer market soon.. one thing I will pick you up on though.. on our day we weren't just the third best team in league one last year.. you might recall how we should have won at Oakwell.. Kane and Wilks aligned with Coppinger, Whiteman, and a strong defence were a match for the best in the division and should have beaten Charlton but fair play to Luton and yourselves, worthy promoted clubs..

You were the only team we saw last season who had the ability to pass through our high press which was our game under Stendel .

The set piece which pegged you back that day was your nemesis throughout the season .

But it's about the 46 games isn't it as you've acknowledged .

[tyke1962]

You want to be grateful you have owners who bridge the financial gaps in the yearly accounts .

We have owners worth a collective £9bn who have yet to part with one penny in two years .

Yes, the visionary Barnsley strategy isn’t working too well is it Tyke?

See you next season!
But sadly, probably in League 1

It's not over till its over , we are far from dead and buried .

Difficult .....absolutely .

[SydneyRover]

Surely we can write an algorithm for how the club should be run and commentary don't you think?

a = game commentary
b = player commentary
c = DR position in league
d = injuries
e = weather
f =  manager
g =  board
h =  budget
i = transfer window
j = previous manager
k = manager before that
l = vsc


Something like if the previous manger leaves just before the start of the season then if ........
 

[drfchound]

You want to be grateful you have owners who bridge the financial gaps in the yearly accounts .

We have owners worth a collective £9bn who have yet to part with one penny in two years .

So Barnsley didn’t buy any players in the summer then?

As I have said before, it is easy for you Tyke to come on here and be the so called voice of reason because our club is not important to you.
However you are quick to have a pop at the owners of your club (because your club is important to you).

[Donny Exile in York]

Or should we all stop all form of comment and close the forum down then..

[i_ateallthepies]

My,my...what's the collective noun for a bunch of halfwits?

A Thicket?

[Al4475]

Very good Mr pies - very good!