Pink'Un reporting that Ashley Barnes deal done

[CanaryNath 30]

It’s a pretty easy to understand strategy……

he’s a battering ram and we don’t have one currently. 

[NorthCarolinaYellow 197]

1 minute ago, TheGunnShow said:

Burnley hardly lumped it up this season.

 

True! Yes. But is not Barnes a striker who feeds off of crosses and scraps? That's my hazy memory.

[Google Bot 3,255]

Just now, shefcanary said:

If Webber is asked the question I posed, then he maybe will reveal that he has plenty of signings lined up that meet the stated strategy.

But we're guided by the market and our ability to land targets based on financial constraints.  If you can secure an Ashley Barnes today - you're probably smart to do it than let the opportunity pass you by, surely? 

I can't see how this is construed as any signal of our strategy next season, other than we need more character and bite - which we already know.  If people are reading into this signing that we're going to play hoof ball and recruit 30+ year old brutes then they need to get a grip of things I feel.

[TheGunnShow 5,905]

Just now, NorthCarolinaYellow said:

 

True! Yes. But is not Barnes a striker who feeds off of crosses and scraps? That's my hazy memory.

We've got quite a few wingers. They just weren't best served trying to feed Pukki unless they were consistently pulling off cut-backs. Not to mention, Barnes can hold it up, which is also something we're lacking a bit of.

[ron obvious 1,495]

8 minutes ago, Google Bot said:

As the old adage goes, One swallow does not Summer make.  I should know as she's kissed it back into my throat before, lovely girl, little bit freaky though.

So I think people are really over-emphasising what is essentially a free transfer and we're paying a few mil in wages to bring a very experienced head, current championship winner and a bit of a ****ester which we've been lacking. 

Eeeuwwggghhh!

[ron obvious 1,495]

3 minutes ago, CanaryNath said:

It’s a pretty easy to understand strategy……

he’s a battering ram and we don’t have one currently. 

I think he's got a bit more about him than that. Hugill was your pretty basic battering ram, Barnes can be subtle as well. And nasty with it.

[CanaryNath 30]

3 minutes ago, ron obvious said:

I think he's got a bit more about him than that. Hugill was your pretty basic battering ram, Barnes can be subtle as well. And nasty with it.

Oh he’s a definite upgrade on Hugill, for sure. 

[Google Bot 3,255]

People knocking him and the club today will be kissing his **** when he's winding up the scum in a few months.

[Christoph Stiepermann 1,131]

I feel like a lot of people haven't watched much of Barnes and are jumping to conclusions about because of his 'character' and the fact he played for Burnley. He isn't a Hugill type target man striker really, I find it hard to describe exactly what he does or directly compare him to anyone because he does a bit of everything but he isn't a big, lumbering target man like some people are imagining. He's never had pace though and he doesn't run in behind like Pukki so I'm not worried about his age. i'm hoping he can have a good mental effect on the squad, show leadership on the field and contribute to our play, I'm not expecting him to score 20+ goals though and wouldn't be surprised to see him play more off the striker instead of leading the line. 

[Olano 100]

I have the same excitement for this signing as I had when we signed Johan Elmander

[KeiranShikari 1,402]

2 minutes ago, Christoph Stiepermann said:

I'm not expecting him to score 20+ goals though and wouldn't be surprised to see him play more off the striker instead of leading the line. 

This is a very good point. He's been the deeper striker for Burnley a lot this season and Sargent and especially Idah need to be leading the line.

[hogesar 9,607]

6 minutes ago, Olano said:

I have the same excitement for this signing as I had when we signed Johan Elmander

Why not Jordan Rhodes? He was a good signing for the squad and helped us towards promotion

[Indy 3,283]

Barnes can do more good off the pitch with the likes of Idah & Sargent which can only be positive. If he plays and can bring more to the team great, but we need experience to help the youngsters, Barnes is a seasoned pro at top level with a good attitude, we need to bring back that winning mentality!

[Google Bot 3,255]

4 minutes ago, Indy said:

Barnes can do more good off the pitch with the likes of Idah & Sargent which can only be positive.

Yup, he's got a drivers license and Smyth's toys loyalty card.  Rock and roll baby!

[repman 633]

1 hour ago, NorthCarolinaYellow said:

Help me understand this move? He's ... well past his prime, probably will be on high wages, and doesn't fit in with Webber's longstanding approach of playing more technically-oriented football? If we want a bigger striker to lump the ball up to ... why not just play Sargent until he drops each match?

 

Overall ... I just worry that we don't have a cohesive setup/transfer strategy going into this crucial summer window. I fear we still have no identity.

Does Webber have a longstanding approach of playing more technical football? He's appointed 4 managers in his career and the odd one out is Farke, Wagner & Smith are both defence first managers. When you consider the seemingly lazy/easy nature of the Smith and Wagner appointments here it doesn't seem outside the realm of possibility that it was the same when he appointed Farke, appointing the Dortmund II coach had worked before so he simply did it again.

As to Barnes, we have 2 strikers 23 and under, they need the time now in their best position to prove their worth. As Pukki is off we only have them 2 as senior options in that position so we need to bring someone in. Spending money on a player to block Sargent and Idah will lead to another year of practically wasted development, signing a young one only adds another player you need to give minutes too. 

[By Hook or Ian crook 917]

1 hour ago, TheGunnShow said:

I bet Zlatan Ibrahimovic wishes he had 33 year old legs.

I wish I had 33 year old legs too 😂

[By Hook or Ian crook 917]

Some people need to give their head a wobble. Moaning about signing a first team regular for free from a side who’s just won our division. So what he’s 33 Giggs played till he was 40. Like it or not he’s an upgrade on Idah and Sargent. 

[Yobocop 1,094]

1 hour ago, hogesar said:

Why not Jordan Rhodes? He was a good signing for the squad and helped us towards promotion

Because that doesn’t fit the current narrative 

[The Bristol Nest 513]

6 hours ago, nutty nigel said:

Will you stop quoting my posts. Think of that poor guy in Bristol and his blood pressure...

🖕

[Jason Shackell’s Limp Tack 75]

6 hours ago, Terminally Yellow said:

He's 33. 34 this October.

44 of those 51 goals scored in the Premier League.

What ever way you dress this up, he's ancient by footballing standards. Isn't Quick, not prolific, but probably 'a great guy to have in the dressing room' and likes to get stuck in. Christ, let's all recalibrate expectations for next season. I'm prepared to admit that if he snuck in, later in the transfer window I'd be less vocal but all feels so desperate. Hell be on decent wedge too..

[nutty nigel 7,506]

20 minutes ago, The Bristol Nest said:

🖕

 

Edited May 11, 2023 by nutty nigel
💛⚽💚💪💪🏿

[Google Bot 3,255]

17 minutes ago, Jason Shackell’s Limp Tack said:

Christ, let's all recalibrate expectations for next season.

Based on one free transfer?

When we won the league in 20/21 Vrancic was 32, Tettey was 35, Krul was 33 - Ancient footballers, pfft. Barnes is capable of playing more games, and scoring more over a season than a 'young' Idah.

Edited May 11, 2023 by Google Bot

[Terminally Yellow 2,448]

11 hours ago, Jason Shackell’s Limp Tack said:

What ever way you dress this up, he's ancient by footballing standards. Isn't Quick, not prolific, but probably 'a great guy to have in the dressing room' and likes to get stuck in. Christ, let's all recalibrate expectations for next season. I'm prepared to admit that if he snuck in, later in the transfer window I'd be less vocal but all feels so desperate. Hell be on decent wedge too..

To call anyone ancient at 33 in any circumstance is just a strange choice of word. There are examples of players who take exceptional care of themselves and play to a high standard to a later age. We've seen one at this club in Dion Dublin. Another in Alex Tettey.

It's also not a sign of desperation to sign a 33 year old player. That's a strange thing to say too. When you look at what we lack in this squad and what he brings, it's a signing I think that makes sense. 

If we go on to sign another five or six over 30s out of contract players then I understand the anger. But this is one player in a transfer window in which we're being told to expect wholesale changes.

Edited May 12, 2023 by Terminally Yellow

[Channon’s Windmill 326]

If he is here for a role similar to Jordan Rhodes, excellent, fits the bill and will add some much needed grit to the squad. If he is a direct replacement to Pukki that’s another story. 

[Bomber 48]

8 hours ago, Terminally Yellow said:

*sighs*

A post full of utter **** that shows just how ignorant the poster is.

Just a quick glance at Ashley Barnes statistics from this season shows he's played 39 times this season. In a team that won the league. On what basis are you questioning his fitness? He scored in the last game of the season, FFS.

2nd - the "self sustaining" model is based on spending what you bring in. It isn't reliant on selling players. You know what does bring in money than selling any player ever will? Being in the ****ing Premier League. For that you need players who can win promotion. And oh look - this guy just played 39 times for a side that ran away with the league this year.

3rd - EVEN IF YOU WANT TO MAKE MONEY SELLING PLAYERS YOU HAVE TO DEVELOP THEM FIRST. It's not just about bringing in young players and selling them on. They've got to actually do well to get the interest in them to make people buy them. That needs good facilities (check). A good head coach (umm...). Good coaching (err...). And a team of players that will help develop the players you have got. Barnes has done it all, from Premier League to multiple championship promotions and that experience will be invaluable to players like Sargent and Idah, not to mention the rest of our very young squad. A facet which becomes even more important given Hanley's injury.

Vincent Kompany says it best.

So you can **** right off, demanding 20 goals "with no bedding in time". It's not Ashley Barnes' fault you can't see beyond the end of your ****ing nose and what he might bring to a squad desperately in need of leadership, character and a change of mentality.

This would be a very tidy signing, with a lot of understandable reasons behind it.

Hear Hear - great post

[PockthorpePete 331]

1 hour ago, Jason Shackell’s Limp Tack said:

What ever way you dress this up, he's ancient by footballing standards. Isn't Quick, not prolific, but probably 'a great guy to have in the dressing room' and likes to get stuck in. Christ, let's all recalibrate expectations for next season. I'm prepared to admit that if he snuck in, later in the transfer window I'd be less vocal but all feels so desperate. Hell be on decent wedge too..

The desperation is you, and your, scrabbling around to find something to slag the club off with. It would be desperate if he was signed on the last day or so, having sat round all summer with no one else wanting him.

The Championship is not about finesse for most of the time. It is about having a useful lump like Holt to get 'stuck in'. For some reason, the club thought the hopeless Hugill was that player. He was not. He was someone with the speed of an arthritic snail, and the mobility of Stephen Hawking during a power cut. His wage will be what an out of contract 33 year old can command in the Championship, heavily weighted toward win and promotion bonuses.

Martin Peters signed age 32 and Mick Channon signed age 34 - utter failures the pair of them 😉

Edited May 11, 2023 by PockthorpePete

[Google Bot 3,255]

6 minutes ago, PockthorpePete said:

The Championship is not about finesse for most of the time. It is about having a useful lump like Holt to get 'stuck in'. For some reason, the club thought the hopeless Hugill was that player. He was not.

I was good friends with the father of one of the younger players when Holt was here, and he said that a real healthy rivalry between the younger players and older really spurred that team on.  And it was Holty that was putting the oar in and giving it a stir, but it was in everything they did.

Barnes will bring that similar spice, and it's not just forwards that benefit as I'm sure he'll be giving AO etc. something to think about in training sessions too.

Edited May 11, 2023 by Google Bot

[Terminally Yellow 2,448]

If we need any more confirmation of Ashley Barnes....

Edited May 11, 2023 by Terminally Yellow

[PockthorpePete 331]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ob627fdYy30

 

boooo

[Satriales 624]

8 minutes ago, PockthorpePete said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ob627fdYy30

 

boooo

Five decent finishes, to be fair.