Bees Trust letter to the players

[meden_820]

Brilliant article on the Barnet Times website

THE Bees Trust (the Barnet FC suuporters' trust) have sent a letter of support to club captain Glen Southam and the rest of the first-team squad ahead of Saturday's match against Bury.

It follows the shock resignation of Martin Allen and appointment of Giuliano Grazioli as boss.

It reads...

Dear all Barnet FC players, What happened on Monday morning was a shock to us all. Many people involved with the club are, understandably, angry about the nature of Martin Allen’s departure. We’re sure that as players you were equally shocked, disappointed and let down. What now matters is you, the players, as well as the excellent backroom staff we have at the club, and the fans, who are all 100% behind you.

By his own admission, Allen did not make any drastic changes. The upturn in form that resulted from his arrival as manager was not down to radically new tactics, new formations, or a glut of new signings. What Allen did was simply give you – and us – the true belief that as a team, and as a club, collectively, we are more than good enough to stay in the Football League. It is that spirit that now needs to be continued for the next few weeks. Allen may have instilled it but now it needs to carry on. The last three weeks have demonstrated to everyone, and hopefully not least to you all as players, that you are good footballers, capable of playing excellent football and winning games against good teams. You have already proved that with hard work, commitment, and a bit of belief, you have more than enough quality to compete with any team in this division.

We showed immense courage to fight from behind to get a draw against Chesterfield, the best team in this league. We went up to Burton for a huge game and put four goals past them. We then hosted Crewe, who had scored eight goals the week before, and outplayed them to win the three points. That was not the manager; that was you. Allen may have livened things up, but the quality of football, the goals, the passes, the tackles, the grit and the determination – that was you. You have proved to everyone in the last few weeks that you have the quality and the ability to keep us up. That, together with the guts, the effort and the determination you have shown recently, mean there is every reason for us fans to have faith in our team.

And we do. Every single Barnet supporter is right behind you. We will be there at Bury, at Gillingham, at Accrington and at Underhill in between. We believe in your ability to keep the team up. Together as a club, we will fight down to the very last minute of the very last game to keep this club in the Football League. The manager, and past managers, may make/have made a small difference, but the overwhelming factor when it comes to winning games is you. You have shown you are more than up to it, and if you carry on displaying the spirit that you have shown in the last three weeks then, come May 5th, we are confident that we will be able to have a very big celebration.

Barnet FC is a fantastic football club. As supporters we all desperately want the club to remain in the Football League, and we know you feel the same. More importantly, though, we fully believe that you can do it – that we can do it. You should have that belief too.

The very best of luck for the remaining five games. We are all right behind you.

BeesTrust, on behalf of Barnet supporters

Pin this up in the dressing room, and lets all back this up with immense support from the terraces from now until the end. Come on you bees!

[b4life]

Excellent letter, whoever helped draft the letter has put in words what all of us are thinking and believing. The more we can get across to the players these kinds of messages, the more they will believe that we are all really 'in this together'.

[DerekRocholl]

Great letter - it is just missing the "PS to Steve Kabba - don't get injured and don't get sent off"

[markobee]

The letter is full of the right sentiments. But I don't think that many players would respond to a long sheet of paper pinned up in the dressing room (unless, as we've seen before, it's something like a press cutting, in which the opposite manager says that they are a load of rubbish).

What our players need now is for Graz (or Sumo, or any the management team) to tell them the message, right close up and personal, in a few simple words:- 'You've proved that you can compete with, and outplay, the very top teams in this division. You know that you can beat this lot. Get out there and do it. Press and tackle them hard for 90 minutes. Get the ball forward quickly and shoot on goal. Keep us in this division and you need never buy a drink in a Barnet pub again!' [Or similar/better incentive!, to be devised by Graz and/or TK]

COYB.