So what now?

[Jonty]

there is lots of dead wood to be pruned from the current squad who’s contracts expire so it should be able to be done financially

We also have players on contract who haven’t exactly set the world alight. Will they be offered up for transfer? Recruitment has to be better in the next close season.

[cottingham bluebird]

Holker Street is a shi* hole and always has been. Been supporting the club since 1968 but have never had any affection for it or attachment to it. Knock it down - sell the land (if possible) - and move to a decent stadium more in tune with the 21st century. Holker Street is basically an archaic slum an embarassment and considered a joke by visiting fans.

I think if you spoke to some away fans they quite like our old fashioned ground

[bluessupporter]

I think if you spoke to some away fans they quite like our old fashioned ground

Unless they are in the away stand in the corner at the HS end, with a limited view due to the stanchions!

[mall]

I wouldn't say embarrassment no. Give the board a chance-As John Bucks says, its a work in progress.
Don't forget that some people from away actually like to see these old grounds from the past.

In which part have I criticised the board?, why don't people read what people write instead of diving in !

'I Know' - your not criticising the Board. I was meaning that its only the Board who can do anything about it.

[Methuselah]

Why do people keep criticising our ground?Ok it hasn,t got all the bells and whistles of other grounds,but our club owns it with no debt to anyone.I would rather we gradually improve it as the finances become available.Would you rather be like Carlisle,massively in debt?
I have been going to Holker St since the early 1960s and the ground now is a world away from where it was.Ok we need another stand at the Steelworks end,but in time it will come if the team keeps performing on the pitch.
Holker st is our ground with a load of history attached to it and I for one would hate to go to some soulless arena owned by somebody else over which we had no control.
Every time I go to Holker st it,s like walking
through your own front door,you see familiar faces,you are close to the pitch unlike some other grounds where you are so far away you can,t even see what is happening.
Not that long ago we were owned by a gangster from Liverpool who transferred his debt to the club and very nearly brought the Bluebirds story to an end,so be careful what you wish for.
Once a Bluebird always a Bluebird.

[Peaceful Grecian]

If you ask the fans of the (many) teams that moved from their more central, smaller grounds to out-of-town identikit stadiums about their thoughts on the move, I think a majority would say that, with hindsight, it was the wrong decision for their club.

Huish Park is soulless, right on the outskirts of Yeovil, and it's necessary for any fans to drive there. Forest Green are moving down that road, looking to build a super-sustainable stadium that can only be reached by car (instead of buying a parcel of land in nearby Stroud). Oxford fans seem to abhor the Kassam Stadium, and because of a bad ex-owner and the costs and difficulties of building anything in Oxford, they'll move to a stadium 5 miles from the city. I lived in Coventry for a stretch, and I met very few older fans that didn't regret their move to their new stadium – a long way out from the centre and ultimately not owned by them.

For better or for worse, Holker Street has two things that St James Park has, two things that can't be bought – history and a soul. The site is small and hemmed-in (again mirroring SJP), but let's be honest, neither of our clubs have ever needed anything much bigger than small. The current requirement to get 1,000 extra seats in while maintaining an overall capacity north of 5,000 may lead to a bit of a sub-par development, but hopefully after that the club can take things slowly, replace the oldest parts first and bring the ground into the 21st century. Holker Street has historically been a dump, but it could become a gem over time.

And hopefully you don't follow our lead and bankrupt yourself and fall out of the football league in the business.

[barrowaberdeen]

Agree with the last two posts.

Anyone who thinks that sharing with the rugby at a ground like say...Colchester's would be good, well I just don't understand.

Do what we can afford. Keep and improve the strides we've made with more cover, disabled access, better views for more away fans, back to 4 sides, more for families and keep the HSE as good as it has been (which is miles better atmosphere wise with lots of room for improvement)

And then remember these dates:

Barrow vs Gainsborough Trinity. National League North.
3:00pm, Saturday 7th December 2013.

Attendance: Attendance 529.

Barrow 0 Gainsborough Trinity 6

Barrow vs Forest Green, EFL 2
3.00pm Good Friday 2022
Attendance 3098

Barrow 4 Forest Green 0

What now? Build on it!

[spirit of 1990]

If you ask the fans of the (many) teams that moved from their more central, smaller grounds to out-of-town identikit stadiums about their thoughts on the move, I think a majority would say that, with hindsight, it was the wrong decision for their club.

Huish Park is soulless, right on the outskirts of Yeovil, and it's necessary for any fans to drive there. Forest Green are moving down that road, looking to build a super-sustainable stadium that can only be reached by car (instead of buying a parcel of land in nearby Stroud). Oxford fans seem to abhor the Kassam Stadium, and because of a bad ex-owner and the costs and difficulties of building anything in Oxford, they'll move to a stadium 5 miles from the city. I lived in Coventry for a stretch, and I met very few older fans that didn't regret their move to their new stadium – a long way out from the centre and ultimately not owned by them.

For better or for worse, Holker Street has two things that St James Park has, two things that can't be bought – history and a soul. The site is small and hemmed-in (again mirroring SJP), but let's be honest, neither of our clubs have ever needed anything much bigger than small. The current requirement to get 1,000 extra seats in while maintaining an overall capacity north of 5,000 may lead to a bit of a sub-par development, but hopefully after that the club can take things slowly, replace the oldest parts first and bring the ground into the 21st century. Holker Street has historically been a dump, but it could become a gem over time.

And hopefully you don't follow our lead and bankrupt yourself and fall out of the football league in the business.

Lots of sense there.

The atmosphere has improved massively under the HSE roof and it really isn’t as bad as some make out. The fanzone has been a big success, the attendances have improved steadily despite terrible football and an awful season of results.

We must be doing something right - off the field. Still things to be improved upon though.

[Peaceful Grecian]

Keep and improve the strides we've made with more cover, disabled access, better views for more away fans, back to 4 sides, more for families and keep the HSE as good as it has been (which is miles better atmosphere wise with lots of room for improvement)

The atmosphere has improved massively under the HSE roof and it really isn’t as bad as some make out. Yea fanzone has been a big success, the attendances have improved steadily despite terrible football and an awful season of results.

We must be doing something right - off the field. Still things to be improved upon though.

Just to build on these posts, all the above things are (imperfectly) interlinked. A better atmosphere will help convince more fans to come and to come back again and again. More paying fans ought to mean a higher playing budget to improve things on the pitch (it's easier to sell tickets when you're winning) and more to spend on infrastructure, and should also make it easier to secure a loan on favourable terms for stadium improvements. Finally, better facilities at Holker Street will also make home fans and away fans more likely to attend, with things like the Fan Zone also ensuring that supporters spending more money at the ground.

[Steeley]

People like to compare us to Accy which is fair, they’ve done a great job and we should look to replicate it, but they are many football league years ahead at the moment so it will take time, we’ve clung on in there in 2 dreadful seasons and that’s all that matters. Onwards and upwards

[Sea Dog Sam]

Why do people keep criticising our ground?Ok it hasn,t got all the bells and whistles of other grounds,but our club owns it with no debt to anyone.I would rather we gradually improve it as the finances become available.Would you rather be like Carlisle,massively in debt?
I have been going to Holker St since the early 1960s and the ground now is a world away from where it was.Ok we need another stand at the Steelworks end,but in time it will come if the team keeps performing on the pitch.
Holker st is our ground with a load of history attached to it and I for one would hate to go to some soulless arena owned by somebody else over which we had no control.
Every time I go to Holker st it,s like walking
through your own front door,you see familiar faces,you are close to the pitch unlike some other grounds where you are so far away you can,t even see what is happening.
Not that long ago we were owned by a gangster from Liverpool who transferred his debt to the club and very nearly brought the Bluebirds story to an end,so be careful what you wish for.
Once a Bluebird always a Bluebird.

The gangster from Liverpool also built the Main Stand - the most attractive feature of Holker Street
Once a Zigger always a Zigger

[Sea Dog Sam]

I think if you spoke to some away fans they quite like our old fashioned ground

Unless they are in the away stand in the corner at the HS end, with a limited view due to the stanchions!

...or carrying white sticks, wearing shades and totally inebriated!

[Methuselah]

Right Sea Dog Sam I feel I have to take issue with what you said about the gangster from Liverpool when you said at least he gave us the main stand.What you probably don t know is that he contracted a local Barrow firm.to do all the steelwork and then never paid them.The result was that firm was declared bankrupt and a lot of local people lost their jobs and the same guy nearly caused us to be driven out of existence as a club and if wasn,t for people such as Brian Keen stepping in we wouldn,t have a football club.





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