Whilst most social commentators on happenings at Oakwell have observed, media coverage on Barnsley FC is generally limited, to being non-existent in most cases. Then we suddenly hit the national radar on three fronts!
  1. Talk of a takeover begins to circulate in the press on Sunday leading to a statement from Don Rowing on local radio.
  2. SkySports claim that Keith Hill is in talks with Patrick Cryne over his future.
  3. Whilst they also claim that Flitcroft will definitely NOT be the new boss at Bury.
Am I being too cynical to wonder who these stories and PR leaks actually serve? I'm sure that most can be easily explained away, but my guess is that there will be continued speculation on a number of fronts this week.

The Reds were rewarded with many plaudits after Saturday's performance. Keith Hill should feel justified that his prudent recruitment policy and coaching methods are beginning to gain dividends, but I will come back to this point in just a moment.

Why any takeover speculation has sparked in to life beyond the Oakwell boardroom is surprising. With two separate entities rumoured so far; an Italian consortium and a Qatari group (also bidding for Leeds United, according to some). Is this all about strengthening these "interested parties" arms in other negotiations they're currently undertaking?

Any demands by Keith Hill to strengthen his contractual position and that of his coaching staff in the event of a takeover should be expected. His stock is rising sharply and should there be any uncertainty about his position, we could expect shortlists for vacancies in the Championship and above to feature the "HillCroft" duo regularly. Let's hope that the current Oakwell hierarchy manage this carefully and with reasonable transparency.

Even in the event of a takeover, the best run businesses thrive on keeping costs to a minimum whilst attempting to gain the greatest return on their investment. Surely, any party that wants to run Barnsley Football Club on any other terms, puts our future in potential jeopardy!

And on the last point, was it ever likely to happen? If and when "Flicker" moves on, many believe that he will do that in tandem with Keith Hill, onwards and upwards, along their career path.

Let's hope that the current squad and the management team are considered as valuable assets alongside the facilities and league status we enjoy. Especially if any of this speculation over new ownership comes to full fruition, I hope that any party treats them all equally with the respect they deserve and under proper stewardship.

In Keith Hill We Trust!

As always, we would be delighted to hear your comments below or give me a shout on Twitter via @OnThePontyEnd
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Ian Wilkinson

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derek said...

no hillcroft no sucess

Anonymous said...

Keith Hill has been a breath of fresh air, the ideal appointment for this club. Whatever happens takeover wise, the club should nail the current management team down with an improved contract.
Money spent on expensive players will often bring only fleeting rewards. Not so when invested in a strong management team. We've got one, let's do all in our power to keep it for as long as possible and let's see just how good a job they can do.

Anonymous said...

After a superb performance on Saturday, the speculation on Sunday was the perfect "bring me down to earth with a bump" job. It made me feel sick to my stomach. I am just tired of there being constant change and transition at Barnsley. You heard Keith say after the game "this is my Team now", with "much progress still to be made". If this buy out comes to fruitition, it will be a massive risk on the well being of the club (both on and off the field). In Hillcroft we trust; we can't let them go

Anonymous said...

The buy out talk I can see this de railing all the good work put down by Patrick and Hillcroft so far.
I'm not sure the Hillcroft phylosiphy would work with more money.
Even an injection of £10 million, how could this be put into the squad without upsetting all the current squad.As more expensive rough diamonds would expect more money etc, and this could spiral out of control and have a negative effect.
I think that if the take over takes place the stability still needs to be there.
The best thing that the interested parties could do once they have took over is looking at investing in the new West stand. Once they had done this, we would know there intensions are of the interest of the club not just themselves.

Anonymous said...

Excellent point, well said.