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Here We Go Again
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Dissatisfied customer writes...
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By:
Eric Hitchmo
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26/09/2011
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More On Swindon Town
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"Well, I did warn our Twitter followers this morning that this article would share much of the sentiment that has been prevalent on this site for much of its existence. The last two seasons have seen more than enough doom and gloom to go about, and I could probably trawl through the many bits of that very gloom to piece together some copy for my current state of mind regarding Barnet FC. A cut here, a paste there, change some of the names and dates involved and there you have it. Perhaps, most worryingly, this is more of an indictment of the stale feeling that envelops the club in this time than it is about my writing ability.
First and foremost I am probably not the best person to most aptly describe the football match on Saturday. The overriding sense of 'here we go again' was too much for me and a number of others who spent a fair proportion of the game safely tucked away under the stand, supping away at several beverages. As you will have most likely read elsewhere, we started brightly, but came unstuck to the most basic of attacks. Before we knew it, the half hour mark had barely arrived and we were 2-0 down with Swindon having barely offered anything in the final third. Just like Oxford didn't. Or Crewe. And so on.
There is only so much that I can tolerate. I can clearly hear the retorts of those who would describe me as cynical and fickle for giving up so easily. Perhaps so, but it would appear that these are the minority. I mean, just 178 people travelled to the County Ground. Four years ago we managed a turnout of 640. You might argue that the entrance fee of £25 for adults, and the fact it wasn't the FA Cup Third Round may have put a few off, but I can't imagine that many more would have bothered even if the price was £15. Or a tenner. People have voted resoundingly with their feet and simply do not attend away matches. There are so many old faces that I do not see anymore. Can you really blame them when they get so little in return?
You could argue that this is part and parcel of being a football supporter, and that you should be loyal and supportive in the face of such adversity. Get behind the team, don't boo the team, don't abuse your own players. It's all well and good to take this attitude, but loyalty is not an endless emotion found in a bottomless pit. People have different limits, different thresholds, there is only so much of this that can be served up before people cannot withstand it any longer. At this rate, it may only be Steve Percy who remains. If your loyalty remains unwavered, I commend your effort, I really do. I would also recommend a visit to your local hospital, maybe just for a check-up, but I still commend the bravery if you are still prepared to do this to yourself.
There is also a point to be made that these sorts of times only make the good times sweeter. To an extent, yes, and I know we all enjoyed the two months of euphoria that engulfed us at the back end of last season which culminated in us staying up. We all enjoyed that dangerous excitement of thinking we could get away with it, like the child who puts his hand in the Pick 'n Mix when all the adults' backs are turned, but let our judgment not be clouded by euphoria. Was it REALLY worth this sort of feeling just to stay up? Are you prepared to go along like this for the next five months with no guarantee that we will have such a survival again? I'm not so sure.
So with that in mind, how many of us are going to go to Shrewsbury and Hereford? We've already seen sub-100 away crowds this year, and I wouldn't be at all shocked if you can add on two more with those games coming up. The brave few that will travel are highly unlikely to be rewarded with anything if current form is anything to go by. We don't know our best team, and one of our brightest stars of last season, Sam Deering, continues to warm the bench. The defence needed a revamp, and it got it on Saturday, but to no avail as another four unanswered strikes were added to our goals against tally. Personnel seemed like the obvious issue to me as the season started. It remains untouched.
What are we meant to do from here though? It seems that whoever we appoint, it goes dreadfully wrong. Lawrie Sanchez is a man with pedigree and calibre, we were justified in getting a tad excited when he was appointed. However, it seems that even he can't find the right formula to crack the code of how to get Barnet FC away from the bottom of League Two. That said, for my money, Sanchez does not appear to have completely committed himself to Barnet and seems to have eyes elsewhere. Look no further than the very well publicised commentary regarding the Northern Ireland job. We appear to have our own gravitational pull that repeatedly wants to drag us to the Conference. Is it money? If it is, how have so many clubs come up from the Conference and done so much better than we have? These questions remain unanswered.
I have spent ten years watching Barnet and at the moment I feel dreadfully unsatisfied. There have been some outstanding times watching this club, made some great friends and obtained more than my fair share of the most priceless assets of all: memories. Right now though, it feels like I've been roped in to one of those 'Buy Now, Pay Later' schemes where everything looks so wonderful to begin with, but you end up spending more than you bargained for. That isn't to be taken too literally, it's not just about money. Throw in time, effort, and emotion into the equation and you're left with a gaping hole of dissatisfaction. When I picked up the metaphorical brochure of supporting Barnet FC, this was certainly not mentioned. Not even in the small print."
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