Players leaving

Most people including myself are resigned to players leaving this summer.

However given the shambolic performance of a board of directors at the club in the last season, should we be resigned?

isn’t this their time to step up? Just like all the supporters stepped up during the pandemic to keep the club going. This is their time now, to rectify the wrongs of last season. Players included.

If we can keep this squad together with a few additions and get rid of some poor signings, then we would have a good shot at an immediate return.

 

Tomorrow’s policy statement is all important. I am hoping and expecting for change in the club’s current way of doing things. The question for me is to what degree? Will it just be tinkering or will they come up with a significant package of investment that will afford an half decent coach a team that could get us straight back up

 

Whilst I wholly agree with the sentiment, the practicalities are considerably less clear cut.

Firstly; we’re skint, and whilst I might be happy with a small amount of further investment from the owners, I really don’t want us to be like every other club and end up massively in debt to fund what is essentially gambling*.

Secondly; some of our ‘assets’ aren’t the golden opportunities we’d like to think they are. I’m a massive fan of Cauley, but let’s be honest, his heart is no longer in it. I’m not sure how much ‘new broom’ you’d need at Oakwell to turn that round, but my guess is we’re probably better off getting something for him whilst there’s still a chance. I hope he goes somewhere decent and his form returns.

Likewise; Helik is building an international career and languishing in the 3rd tier isn’t gonna help him much, that probably applies to Styles too.

Collins probably has itchy feet too, and Walton is more than good enough to be first team keeper.

Other than that; I think we can build on the best of the rest. But just as important as getting new players in will be getting rid of some of the wage liabilities that are a hangover from last summer.

*investment in a football club isn’t investment; it’s straight up gambling, the outcome of any outlay being dependent upon sporting results. The only way to guarantee success is to literally load the table (as per Man City)

 

Unless the owners of the club, who haven’t changed, decide to stump up roughly the original purchase price they paid for ownership, the club needs to raise roughly £6-£8m just to get through the next season.

The only options beyond that are player sales or debt. It’s highly unlikely that, beyond owner loans, the club could raise commercial debt given the inability to service future debt repayments so that leaves player sales.

Possibly the most worrying factor at this point is the collapse in the transfer market. Even a player like Carvalho a teenager playing for the Championship winners with 10 goals and 8 assists only goes for an initial £5m gives an idea that the current crop at Oakwell are going to be hard pressed to raise the required funds.

Expect lots of sales of anything saleable. The payroll needs to be slashed by a further £6m too which goes hand in glove with the player sales.

The club can reset but the damage done over the last few years will take time to redress unless the owners wish to risk their own capital

Spectemur Agendo

 

It needs more than emotion to get us to where we need to be. I think things will get tougher before they get better. First off we need half and half scarfs for the papa johns trophy first round ;-)

 

I fully expect Styles and Helik to leave. Both have aspirations of making an international career for themselves which might stall whilst playing 3rd tier football. Helik in particular will want to be at the World Cup.

Morris would walk into more than half of the teams in the championship, so I firmly belive he'll go.

We need to move players on if we're going to progress. And sadly, that means one or two of our key players.

 

All speculation. They need to sell season tickets. Unless they put their hands in their pockets that isn't going to happen in the numbers they'd like.

 

They have got to try and win the fans back again, and earn their trust and support again. And they aren't going to do that by continually refusing to spend owt.
And it all starts with the new coach/manager, that appointment really could be the start of us 'getting better' and hoping to be competitive again.

 

I reckon anybody of known quality will leave - so Collins, Helik, Morris, Callum Styles and probably Callum Brittain (worth a punt by Blackburn in my opinion). Perhaps Anderson too (I'm not a big fan of his, but someone might pay reasonable money).

This leaves me pretty pessimistic about next season. We might be grateful of a mid-table finish. It feels a bit like when we came down with Danny at the helm and anyone on a decent wage went. Except I've no confidence we are going to bring in the likes of Scowen, Winnall and Hourihane.

 

And the New coach must know this and be excepting. Work within these parameters, throwing is all into the job.

Bet I know what was on the questionnaire..

 

Fnarr .. fnarr ..

 

i dont get the questionnaire from the club. Surely a job description is enough. Anyone applying, by definition will be agreeing to the role laid out. After all imagine a questionnaire for players before signing,

 

Are you prepared to tow your bo llo cks week after week for nothing until eventually you're that deflated you just can't be arsed?

 

It’s a naive world view that people actually think about whether they’re a good fit before applying for a job.

Was there even a job advert? I don’t know how football mgr posts are filled, but I don’t think Guardian jobs carries adverts.

For context; I recently sifted some applications for work, of the 30 I read, it was obvious 3 had actually read the advert.
My job is currently being advertised, 48 applications likewise yielded 4 applicants who’d understood the advert well enough to reach interview.

every time I’m involved in the process, I find it incredulous that someone would Waste half an hour of their time which leads to hours of other peoples time wasted just to ensure a fair and equitable process was followed to sift them out.

 

I once failed an interview for a job at Rotherham Hospital. The first question was can you name our trust core values and what they mean to you as a person? I replied I only read the job description. It was the shortest job interview I'd ever attended as after I couldn't answer that question the interviewer wouldn't ask me anymore questions and left it to her colleague. (She got the tit on which to this day I still find unprofessional).

The irony was I'd gone through the job spec with a fine tooth comb and written 4 questions to ask them about the role. It didn't get that far though. Their loss.

 

Asking about Core Values as part of a job interview is a way to prioritise internal candidates. When they score the applications it's an automatic extra couple of marks for current employees, should they want to give the job to them.

 

Probably psychometric questions.
Designed to work out if you’re a good fit in terms of thought process and attitude.
If set up correctly that can be quite accurate for the company advertising.

 

I thought as much. It just felt like a set up.

 

I usually ask when offered an interview the number of internal applicants. Not that the info helps much, because if no one is applying internally, what do they know about the job that makes them not want it!

 

I went for a pharmacy technicians job at Sheffield Children's Hospital. They contacted me to let me know I was the best outside candidate and asked if I would like to be kept on file. They gave the job to an at risk internal candidate from another department. The role came up three times in the next six months. I didn't re-apply for it though on that footing.