Make the right appointment

Well, where do you start? Without a doubt this has been the strangest of seasons for many reasons and now it’s finished, is it time to pinch myself to find out if it really happened?

It’s been weird, it’s been bizarre, it’s been downright awful but it’s also been redeemed slightly on the pitch over the last 13 games. If we go all the way back to October when the season began, or should I say a season in which the chairman failed to see coming whilst the rest of his fellow board members had their clubs signing players and were ready to go, Barnet were caught on the back foot, but why?

A gamble if you ask me and one that only paid off in February when the North and South divisions were declared null and void and the Bees were spared a relegation that would have been much deserved in my opinion for the lacklustre response to starting the season.

Peter Beadle was out of his depth, not only in managing a National League side but attracting a decent National League player to come to The Hive and some of that was down to the timing of the appointment, way too late. Whilst the early signs were ok and no better than ok, they soon showed when coming up against sides who had prepared properly in pre-season we were not good enough and it was no surprise to see results get worse and Beadle given his P45.

Would it have been any better had Tim Flowers been appointed in the summer if as rumoured he interviewed but Beadle was chosen instead? Now Flowers might only have managed Solihull at this level but that was one up on Beadle so you work out why the former came in and the latter finally arrived in December.

Money somehow found its way into the budget for nine more players over the course of Flowers reign, some on long contracts and a squad size of 36 players! How the hell do you keep that many players happy??? In most cases the arrivals were no better than the players already at the club, ‘minging’ goals and performances were the name of the game and a measly one win in thirteen games meant the club was actually in a worse position than when Beadle was sent on his merry way back to the South West.

Both managers working off of one song sheet when it came to formations proved ultimately their downfall and again no surprise to see the club mutually part ways with the former Blackburn Rovers keeper.

The appointment of Simon Bassey and Dave Anderson took a while to come, both Paul Fairclough and Gary Anderson having short spells where they got something and then nothing out of the players, the story of the season which wouldn’t be a bestseller.

Just before they arrived after months of hearing nothing from the top office, the pen was let loose and almost destroyed the supporting side of the club in one full statement whilst burying the news of the latest person to try out the manager’s chair.

Some will say TK won’t recover much face from that despite a retraction which is probably the best way of putting it a couple of days later, it wasn’t an apology.

Now Bassey and Anderson seemed to understand what needed to be done and how to do it. A free hit for them with no relegation and one eye on next season, almost a thirteen game pre-season with players playing for new contracts in a lot of cases.

A clean sheet in the very first game was unheard of, an organised display at Maidenhead, the first time we hadn’t conceded in a game since early December. That was followed up by a first win since January, another clean sheet and a come-from-behind win at Altrincham, unbeaten in four games the best run of the season coming in April, yes April!

Then running Sutton close in a 1-0 loss but finding out a week later how far we were behind when you play the form teams, Dagenham completely outplaying the Bees at The Hive. One win in four looked to have seen the players revert to pre-Bassey days, but then a flourish to finish the season, ending Torquay’s title hopes in a game the Bees should have won followed by consecutive 2-0 wins over Maidenhead and champions Sutton Utd to finish the season level on points with Kings Lynn and only two behind Woking.

A great stat on Twitter a few days ago, Barnet had 13 points from 28 games and four clean sheets before Bassey and Anderson arrived, from their 13 games the pair picked up 18 points and four clean sheets, just goes to show what a bit of organisation can do.

As someone else put it about their record, ‘You two have not only raised the Titanic but you’ve sailed off with the band still playing.’

Simple is the easiest way of putting it. Players knew their jobs and did them, and surprise, surprise, we got results with the same set of players as the other managers used. Three arrivals only in Sam Skeffington, Sam Beard and Adam Parkes were the difference, the rest were already here.

A change of position for someone like Themis Kefalas into a defensive midfielder was a revelation and worked, getting Ephron Mason-Clark on the ball and running at defenders is what he does and again simple but it’s been very effective.

Tomi Adeloye looked like another player who had a purpose the fitter he got, the only one who needed to continue what he was doing was Michael Petrasso. One of the stranger loan signings however it came about was most welcome given the Canadian Magician’s goals and general wing play.

Talking of loan signings, regardless of whether we were paying them all or not having six at any time, which we managed twice, when only five can get into the matchday squad is bloody absurd and just goes to show how silly things got despite including that lot we had 36 players as mentioned to choose from. Don’t get me started on the furlough, we’ve done that one to death.

Don’t expect the retained list to arrive too early either, there are conversations to be had this week, no bigger ones than with Bassey and Anderson along with Gary Anderson, I am led to believe that none of the three have contracts for next season which quite honestly is scandalous given what has taken place over managerial appointments since last July, have we really not learnt anything?

Bear in mind also the players will be back in pre-season training in around 35 days’ time, that’s very, very close and we still aren’t sorted in the main role ready to plan for the start, that really does beggar belief. Recruitment should have started weeks ago so in my mind we're already behind in preparation, doesn't bode well at all.

The budget and quality of signings this summer will comfortably dictate where this club will finish, scrimp and save again and you’ll be lucky to stay out of the bottom three again, sub 600 crowds will be the norm at The Hive.

There’s been a restoration of pride over the last 13 games, would be silly to throw it all away because of a lack of organisation repeating itself 12 months later.

Now call it coincidence but the chairman missing the only two games the supporters could attend since December? I don’t agree with those attacking his passion and love for the club, but that was an ideal opportunity to make himself available for comments both positive and negative, huge PR opportunity missed there.

It’s never been dull being a Barnet supporter but some things are starting to wear a little thin. I took three of my podcast recording mates with me on Saturday, they were in awe of the facilities and everything we have there, it’s about time we got it right on the pitch and sustained it too, the excuses are running a little thin………