The Barrow Social

[Adam29]

Now - bank holiday Monday yesterday so they operate under skeleton staff at the station so nobody was in to record.

Episode 37 of The Barrow Social is out now on BBC Sounds

Join myself, Freya & Ian as we discuss the fall out from the news which broke on Friday of the departure of Pete Wild & we take a look towards the summer recruitment

You can also hear my interview with Wyll Stanway who I spoke to last Friday on the sport show

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0j0pq5s

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[Methuselah]

Thanks Adam I will give it a listen.

[pjdaly]

I'd love you to get in touch with Tony Field, I believe he is still around and lives in the USA. My Barrow hero of the sixties. Stayed a short time but scored that goal against Brentford in 67. He had quite a career after us eventually playing with Pele in the states in the late seventies I believe.

You're right, Andy, it would be great to get the chance to hear from Tony Field. Finding a contact for him would however be the big puzzler. I believe you are right when saying he still lives Stateside. Keith Eddy might have had a contact for him as both these former Barrow players played together for New York Cosmos in the same team as Pele! Sadly though, after doing that great interview with Radio Cumbria a couple of years ago Keith died just a few months later so that possible contact is lost. Field was only a lad of 20 when he scored that famous goal against Brentford and will be 78 in July. Although Field was beset by injuries the following season when we went up into the old 3rd Division it seems like another of our club's calamitous mistakes to have let him go once he came through those injuries.

There's only a few of the Barrow squad from the promotion of 1967 who are still alive. To the best of my knowledge (which may well be wrong) Malcolm Edwards still lives in his native Wrexham and Roy McCarthy still lives in his native Barnsley! I'm not sure where Mick Hartland and Ron McGarry live now though I've a sneaking suspicion that Hartland possibly lives in Majorca???

And finally there's the great George Smith. We do know that one of our posters on this forum, Nigel Bamford, managed to make contact with Smith before our game at Middlesborough back in January 2009. He was living round Hartlepool way, another back in his native territory! But although it's hard to believe that match is more than 15 years ago now and I think the contact was achieved because George was still running a football academy in the NE at that time. But, as I say, more than 15 years have passed and one has to think George will have retired as he won't be far off 80 now.

[Methuselah]

Another good listen.Sounded like Will Stanway could be a good prospect for there future and hopefully will learn a lot off Paul Farman.I tended to agree with Freya about needing to get our new Head coach through the door ASAP,hopefully someone who has a good background on up and coming players and would be a good working partner for Ian Wood.I like most other people was shocked that Pete Wild,but can understand the boards decision after having given Pete Wild the players he requested to get us into the play offs we yet again we fell short.Hopefully we will now move forward,but we should not forget how Pete Wild has managed to improve this club in.many ways.

[Main Stand SeasonTct]

Another good listen.Sounded like Will Stanway could be a good prospect for there future and hopefully will learn a lot off Paul Farman.I tended to agree with Freya about needing to get our new Head coach through the door ASAP,hopefully someone who has a good background on up and coming players and would be a good working partner for Ian Wood.I like most other people was shocked that Pete Wild,but can understand the boards decision after having given Pete Wild the players he requested to get us into the play offs we yet again we fell short.Hopefully we will now move forward,but we should not forget how Pete Wild has managed to improve this club in.many ways.

If you think Wild went for footballing reasons that's your right. Personally I think it's naive thinking. When a manager departs for football reasons the number two and other coaches go too. Not in this case. I doubt the board will ever tell us the real reason but I don't think him speaking to other clubs without the boards permission is to far wide of the mark. He was caught out before the Mansfield game and he knew it hence is interview after the game stating his case why he should carry on.

[behind the goals]

Another good listen.Sounded like Will Stanway could be a good prospect for there future and hopefully will learn a lot off Paul Farman.I tended to agree with Freya about needing to get our new Head coach through the door ASAP,hopefully someone who has a good background on up and coming players and would be a good working partner for Ian Wood.I like most other people was shocked that Pete Wild,but can understand the boards decision after having given Pete Wild the players he requested to get us into the play offs we yet again we fell short.Hopefully we will now move forward,but we should not forget how Pete Wild has managed to improve this club in.many ways.

If you think Wild went for footballing reasons that's your right. Personally I think it's naive thinking. When a manager departs for football reasons the number two and other coaches go too. Not in this case. I doubt the board will ever tell us the real reason but I don't think him speaking to other clubs without the boards permission is to far wide of the mark. He was caught out before the Mansfield game and he knew it hence is interview after the game stating his case why he should carry on.

Spot on 100% some wouldn`t have a bad word said against Saint Pete.

[Bombadel]

If you think Wild went for footballing reasons that's your right. Personally I think it's naive thinking. When a manager departs for football reasons the number two and other coaches go too. Not in this case. I doubt the board will ever tell us the real reason but I don't think him speaking to other clubs without the boards permission is to far wide of the mark. He was caught out before the Mansfield game and he knew it hence is interview after the game stating his case why he should carry on.

Spot on 100% some wouldn`t have a bad word said against Saint Pete.

Agreed, he’s got that confidence and charisma with the fist bumps and things, but a lot goes on behind the scenes which we don’t see or know about (will be interesting if Adam gets that interview with the chairman on Friday) end of the day the board are and always will be fans, and it’s them who have pumped a huge amount of money into the club whilst having kids to look after. Personally don’t think Temple and Taylor (TnT?) would be a bad appointment. Taylor has been at the club probably longer than anyone now, and temps has that coaching experience.

[barrowaberdeen]

To be honest, they will agree on the line they take with us and that will be the 'truth'. No doubt we will be treated to a bravura Paul Hornby bi-annual interview. However, I do agree this doesn't sound like football to me. That statement is very, very careful. At the end of the day though, it's mostly their money props the whole thing up-and there certainly isn't any profit in it! I also wonder whether the future amount of EFL money being in dispute concentrated minds.

A minor irritation here is the utter predictability of how the news started flying around cronies. I don't think we should be taking any lectures re 'leaks' off the main players from the board this year, put it that way.

Ian Wood has always been the key appointment for the board I reckon, so I hope they leave him to get on with it now. One change in the whole dynamic will be that won't fly under the radar next season. Interesting times as ever.

[MisterPleasant]

Interesting discussion, of course. They did highlight the complete lack of appreciation in the departure statement from the board for the work Pete Wild did. Whatever the pros and cons the fact is we've had 2 good seasons, the club is in a far better shape and a far more attractive proposition. Why not recognise and acknowledge that? The conclusion I would draw is that they are pretty hacked off about something in particular. I agree about the apparent 'golf club' whispers. That stinks.

I did think there might have been a little more discussion about the move from manager to head coach: it is touched on but what it means; was Wild at odds in his relationship with the DoF after the initial honeymoon; is Wood's role becoming more central?

[Adam29]

Episode 38 of The Barrow Social is out now on BBC Sounds

This week myself, Christopher & Ian (and a little bit from Freya)
Discuss the appointment of the new head coach Stephen Clemence and the interview with the Barrow chairman Paul Hornby

Don’t forget to like and subscribe and share around and we will catch you next week

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0j1vyft

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[MisterPleasant]

Now then, chaps, you don't have to be "very" old to remember us in the third division Mature, maybe. But, yes, a pre-season tour of Scotland would do for me.

[Adam29]

Episode 39 of The Barrow Social is out now on BBC Sounds

Myself, Christopher & Ian are joined by former Barrow player and manager Kenny Lowe taking a look back at his memories from his two spells at the club.

Grab some tissues because it has a very emotional ending.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0j38bc8

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[Main Stand SeasonTct]

What a fantastic listen the Kenny Lowe special is. For me the most skilful player ive ever seen wear the Barrow shirt. Once described as the Glenn Hoddle of non league football .

[pjdaly]

Great podcast. Kenny Lowe was a freak. I remember what was possibly his first appearance for us in late 1987 and he performed some little miracle in the penalty area at the Crossbar End leaving me dumbfounded and confused (not that that's unusual for me). I thought to myself, there's got to be some mistake here . . . what's this lad doing at this level? And he continued to make me think that throughout all the time he played for Barrow. In fact I still do not understand why he spent so much of his career in non-league football. With his ability, his entire career should have been in the FL, and at a good level. He should never have been in non-league and should never have played for Barrow because he was several leagues higher in terms of quality but, that said, I am so glad we did have him play for us! But, as I say, I still do not understand what he was doing at lower levels for so much of his playing career.

Then as a manager, we have to be grateful that he played such an important role in managing us from 1999 when we were in such dire straits as a club.

I found it interesting that on several occasions during that podcast he makes self-deprecating remarks about his own lack of running. Maybe I was blinded by his pure ability but I have to say I was never unhappy with his work-rate on the pitch, and that's something I'm normally quick to pick up on if one of our players is coasting. I particularly remember one moment at Holker Street when Barrow were up front on attack and we were caught out by a quick break from the opposition. As they swept downfield one player sprinted back and managed to catch the runner with an immaculate sliding tackle to stop what would have been a clear run on goal. That one player was Kenny Lowe.

Amazing to hear how choked up he got at the end and it's fantastic to hear how much the club clearly still means to him. Yeah, we owe a great deal to Kenny Lowe.

[Suffolk Blue]

Neither should we forget his time as manager. That horrible season when we started several weeks late at Guiseley. He pulled the team together at a very delicate and vulnerable time in our history. And later went on to win the A League in Os I believe as a manager.

We sometimes don’t sing his praises enough simply because he was so good we tend to choose lesser mortals as legends. But during my lifetime probably the most skilful player ever to wear the shirt. And as a play maker, in that key role, at that level, at that time, utterly unique.

If they’d have built a statue of three bluebirds legends and plonked it outside the ground at HS, Kenny IMO would have been up there alongside Cowps. The third would be a toss up between Kenny Gordon and Paul Jones.
Ends