Northern echo running a story that Preston looking to sign him for 65k in January.

If we can stick a sell on clause in there that wouldn't be the worst business we've ever done.

Hopefully will allow us to bring in a proper striker!

65K....... isn’t that what a Premiership player pays to have his hair ‘styled’ ....?

A pittance compared to what he'd be worth after a full season in the first team. Hope it's not true but if we're so skint we can't afford to play him in case of injury I suppose we have to take what we can.

Last January’s desperate fire sale springs to mind sadly

That fire sale somehowhelped us to bring worse players in than what we already had. Last years team is like a brazil compared to this shambles.

Last years fire sale had nothing to do with the team or the long term position of the club which backs up your point 100%

We can easily haggle that 65k down.

That pay day loan from the Toblerone hoarding titty bar owner put us in a great position to do just that last Jan.

What is 65k to Preston for a 17 year old, 150 minimum

I'm not sure whether we are in a strong position to haggle with him being on a YTS contract.

True, sign a new contract Bort

considering the fees we received for Amond, Carson et al, 65k is a decent amount (if we actually get it).

Any beer glasses for sale on ebay recently?

This is reminding me of Brexit a bit, if things all go horribly wrong you will all be blamed for talking the club down and not being loyal/supportive enough (patriotic in the case of Brexit)

If he signed a contract we might have to pay him some money.

Just scaremongering from the paper.. show me proof

Sick of selling our homemade talent.

You made him in your house?

Bucked his mam

That explains it then ! why the club have wrapped him up in cotton wool since he played 2 games on the bounce, played okay in both, scored in one of them. They don't want him injured so Preston can sign him.

Simpson also been told by club not to play too well for the Youth team, in case it increases his value and scares Preston off.

That sounds... ominous.

So its either put up or shut up time, or buy a season ticket for next season next month.

Usually my glass is half full, but it seems to have sprung a leak...

Speaking of sleeping giants, I see Barnsley are the latest unlikely beneficiaries of foreign wealth. Back in the 70s I remember going to the Oakwell ground to see them play Pools in the Fourth Division, when one stand was built into the side of a slag heap and the place was only slightly less depressing than the Shay in Halifax.

Sliding doors again.

Barnsley have also been in the Premier League not too long ago. I'd guess they've gone up and down the leagues more times than most.

The relevant bit from Wiki:

The long, hard road to the top (1960–1995)
Throughout the sixties and seventies Barnsley were only a shadow of the team they had once been, and this is remembered as the most disappointing period in the clubs history. They now hovered around the Third and Fourth Division, unable to even break into the top two flights of English football. The club saw a resurgence in the late seventies, though, managing to get themselves from Division Four back up to Division Two within two years. Two of the players who contributed to this success were future Sheffield United manager Neil Warnock and future Republic of Ireland international manager Mick McCarthy. Most importantly, though, was the arrival of player/manager Allan Clarke from the hugely successful Leeds United team of the seventies, who rebuilt and completely turned the team around. He was joined on the squad by his Leeds teammate Norman Hunter, who also spent a few years as manager of the club.

The eighties and early nineties saw the club establish themselves as a very strong Division Two side, as they had been in their early history, eventually reaching a position to once again start challenging for a place in the top tier for the very first time.

Did that lovely lady hole Chopra score against us for them and then go inexplicably mental in his celebrations?
I say inexplicably but his reaction may have been influenced somehow. Is it snowing again?

Only problem is if you ask for that money now then your screwed in the summer when you need the money then.

Sounds like we're screwed either way.

Pams put her money in for as long as she can and if she wants out its hard to blame her, she didnt want to own the club, she's give it a go, i said last week i wonder if there will be a point when she thinks.... can i get a return on this investment or is it time to just walk away n cut me losses? Sounds like that times coming very soon.

Agree entirely. It was said tongue in cheek about the ST's , but what I was really alluding too, was when people do something like that it would tell me, they were trying to gather as much money as they could before cutting and running.

I think it does look bleak. If she wants to recoup her losses she cant afford to have Harrison in charge too much longer, because crowds will only fall further. However if he does go., we will probably give the job to Bates, who would then I think get us relegated and revenue streams would be hit again and we would be even nearer to deaths door. This to me at the moment sounds a reasonable projection of how things may turn out.

Probably a good thing we have a home game this saturday, might be time for a deliah smith style lets-be-having-you/where-are-you rallying cry to the fans beforehand.

I was at a game at Oakwell in the late seventies when Clarke was player manager. It was a night match and Roy Hogan got sent off. Hogan was kicking lumps out of Clarkey, who made a meal of one of Roy's specials. I think Barnsley won 1-0.

Would of been this one Derwent.

http://inthemadcrowd.co.uk/UI/Match.aspx?oid=2786

My first visit there was 6 mths later in 1st round of the cup.

Yes that's the one. I was sat amongst them in the main stand and they all blamed me for Hogan's tackling. I said you've never seen me tackle, I'm worse than him. They all laughed and shook my hand at the end. Clarkey ended up living in Scunthorpe and was employed by my very good friend, Jonny Hunt (R I P) as a rep. When Clarkey wrote his book, he sent me a copy with the inscription. To Frank, Hartlepool are still shite, best wishes, Alan. Or words to that effect.

Allan Clarke was my favourite player as a kid, skinny as a chip, not an ounce of muscle on him , yet hard as nails and could dish it out as well, as could all of that Leeds team. Barnsley have never really looked back since those days.

Seem to remember that game was day before Good Friday, dont know why it was played on Thursday evening instead of the Bank Holiday. Although Oakwell has improved beyond all recognition , that stand you were probably in still stands today I believe, amazed it escaped the chop after the Bradford fire etc.

Talking of Barnsley, one of my rare away appearances was at this match....

http://www.inthemadcrowd.co.uk/UI/Match.aspx?oid=2819

A first round fa cup trouncing, accompanied by Chris, played in a ground with a five figure crowd, and zero atmosphere apart from the roar as each of the 5 goals went in. Seem to remember 2 coaches loads came back in one as all the windows had been put out in the other one.

That was my first time at Barnsley. I was on one of the coaches that got bricked, freezing coming back, I actually got hit with a brick before I got on the coach. As we came out, the bricks were raining down on us, I went around the back of the coach to escape it , only to see a father showing his son how to throw bricks, the boy did good, one hit me on the shoulder , they have a history of brick throwing in South Yorkshire , seen it at Sheff U before with Sunderland.

I seem to remember it been a raucous atmosphere. 12500 crowd, about 250 poolies. Anyway I won the football card on the bus, about £12.50 , a huge amount for a lad of 14, think I spent it on 3 burgers at the match and a Chinese when I got home, well there were wasn't much else to spend it on in those days.

I met my missus in Barnsley. It explains much.

I met my missus in Barnsley. It explains much.