[BFC SITE] OPEN LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN REGARDING BARNSLEY FC WOMEN'S TEAM

Neerav wants some lovin'. Cryne said something similar a few years back comparing his wad of cash to Sheepshanks at Ipswich. Pull on the heart strings.

 

That’s the point I was making. Neerav talks as if it’s a surprise to him, or as if he’s telling us something we don’t know.

 

If its true that DKD is on owt nearly 10k a week then he certainly isnt shy putting a lot of money in. I dont think he was lying about him believing they have a squad that could be capable of finishing top 3/4.

Sormaz explained the decision not to sign a striker by saying there wasn’t anyone available who could realistically score 10+ goals in a season. That’s understandable if you're looking at it purely from a numbers perspective—thinking, we need X amount of goals to push for promotion. Ideally, they would’ve brought someone in, and then with Phillips and DKD contributing, we’d have had a solid chance.

But the major oversight was obvious. They knew going into the season—just like anyone who’s properly watched Humphrys—that we were going to play with one striker. And the only option was Watters, who isn’t reliable in terms of confidence, fitness, or physical presence.

Anyone with a basic understanding of football would know that in League One, you sometimes need to go direct—back to front—quickly. Even if the striker isn’t a prolific goalscorer, he needs to hold the ball up, occupy defenders, and bring the attacking midfielders into play.

Instead, we had Humphrys, who clearly didn’t know how to play that role, got frustrated, and ended up looking like he wasn’t trying. We’re tied first for long balls played per game in League One, but we don’t have a single player capable of holding the ball up. So if teams pressed us even half-decently, they had nothing to lose—we had no out-ball, no pace to get up the pitch, and slow midfielders trying to win second balls. As a result, we conceded more goals in the second half than any other team in the league.

Is this a lack of quality from our attacking players? No. It’s a problem with style and lack of adaptability in the squad. Russell would show moments of class one week and get called lazy the next—it wasn’t about effort, it was about structure.

The defensive issues? That’s a bigger fix—they're slow, error-prone, and not good enough. But it’s not like Neerav didn’t spend in January. We brought in players, but they were mostly wingers or lightweight forwards. January is about quick fixes—and that should have been possible. Instead, we signed players who didn’t suit our style or solve any of our problems. If the decision not to spend was purely financial, fair enough. But that doesn’t seem to be the case. They simply percieved the situation as well results arent good and he isnt playing the style we want so get rid, which is exactly what happened last season.

The only hope going into next season is if Conor has more control. Sormaz has shown he doesn’t know how to build a functioning team that can play for 90 minutes. He sets the philosophy, and he’s failed at it. Hopefully, now he steps back and lets someone who understands football take charge. If not, and he keeps dictating the style, then we’re in trouble.

Its not just about spending, its about understanding the basics.
PS sorry for ranting when its not related to the topic

 

No apology needed you made a really good point. Excellent post.

 

I think Neerav was getting his explanations in early as was/is expecting a backlash when we sell some players and don’t spend loads on transfers.

 

Really difficult to say whether it’s the right decision without knowing the actual financial implications and it’s clear the rules set by the FA have played a big part. It’s a real shame as the women’s team have been a positive over the past couple of years and it’s turned into a bit of a bad news story.

 

My question would be, how can the other Barnsley women's team seem to be ok without the backing of a men's football team, yet the one backed by a men's L1 team cannot be sustainable?

Have we been paying ridiculous wages at that level ?

 

If DKD is on anywhere near 10k a week then we have the wrong owners.

 

Have to wonder if there have been some changes in general too for Women’s football.
Blackburn opting to drop down two leagues.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c98pr4z8420o

 

Have the trust got really angry about this yet and wrote a reciprocal nice letter?

Serious note though, has their been any fans forums / community responses.

 

If you think Sormaz sets the philosophy I can see why you think he as failed. However, I dont think he sets it. I think it is agreed amongst the footballing people and once approved by the board its implementation across the club is then managed via Sormaz.

 

According to the chairman we had Identified 3 strikers who turned us down fo various reasons.One was location,one was due to his wife been pregnant and not wanting to move and the other was a player who changed his mind.So we were active without getting one over the line.Doesn't excuse bringing somebody in to fill the squad though we could have kept Marsh instead.

 

Good point. Surely a big decision like this won't have been made without talking to the fab group when they have monthly meetings and this big decision has taken months of negotiations to come to a decision.