Stuart Deacons

@BFCinderesearch I admire the Connor interview, but it’s a lose lose tactic. Fans don’t want to hear that they can’t compete at the top of the table. As you say it’s not attendances or even how big your stadium is. It’s the owners money. Very dangerous for all clubs to be that reliant.

Relating to the now infamous “Connor Interview” … I would also like to say that Connor is not the first manager to make a statement of this nature #BarnsleyFC #MyLoveMyTarn

@BenKnapmanEFL Both those clubs have mid table budgets and are probably over-achieving. But a mid-table budget in L1 is serious money compared to previous seasons.

Imagine as a supporter having no belief your team can do anything or even be a top 6 side. Football is about believing and dreaming about amazing things. Budget wise I don’t get this too? Stevenage? Lincoln? You’re telling me you can’t compete with that? 🤷‍♂️

@PTAlanSwann Very kind Alan. Was a good game to watch with Posh fans making a hell of a noise.

The staff also excellent where we were. Very impressive set up shame about the trial by traffic jam to the location.

@TheGodfatherUk Without investment from owners, most clubs in L1 will struggle to challenge at the top. Unwise to probably say it how it is, but managers are being asked to compete with unrealistic demands from every fan base

Pretty conflicted on this. 1 hand he's giving fans a reality check (which Barnsley folk don't like in general - ask Keith hill) Other hand to say we may not be up there next season doesn't give you a incentive to renew early and makes you seriously question the ambition

Every team plays the same in the EPL. Short kicks from GK to defender. Long throws. Can’t help but laugh when they fuck up like in the #NEWSUN game

@_callumfowler I just think fans see other clubs around them spending serious money and the want it for there club. Nobody really cares who spends it, just as long as they do it. Otherwise they want new owners in.

I reckon half the EFL don’t like their owners. I’ve never known it be this bad and the amount of people falling out of love with the game

@NicholasEvans_ @stansmith1970 @GTM992 @KieranMaguire Fans want their clubs to compete when they see others around them doing it. It’s the biggest problem in the game. Spending is out of control at every level, including non-league.

@stansmith1970 @StuartdDeacons @GTM992 @KieranMaguire Hereford FC is fan owned (in a roundabout way) and the call from fans to allow external 'investment' is growing very loud. This is despite Hereford United going pop in 2014. Fan pressure is definitely contributory .

Oxford United publish 24/25 accounts, when the club finished 17th in the Championship. The bonkers nature of football finance is that the club is being evicted from the current stadium, and the £10m spent to date on finding/building a new one is not allowed for PSR purposes. 🔑figures ⚽️Revenue £19m ⬆️125% (due to promotion and get £6.50 in broadcast money in Championship for every £1 in League One) ⚽️Wages £21.7m ⬆️92% ⚽️Wages 114% of revenue ⬇️19% ⚽️Underlying loss £16.0m ⬆️33% ⚽️Stadium development costs written off £2.6m ⚽️Player sale profits £0.1m ⬇️86% ⚽️Pre tax losses £17.5m ⬆️10% ⚽️Total losses over the years £66.9m 😲 ⚽️ Player purchases £5.9m ⚽️Player sales £0.6m ⚽️Borrowings £58.9m

@KieranMaguire @KentWomble There is no real fairytale in clubs like Oxford, Charlton and Millwall to name a few. All average sized clubs that have had to borrow and spend well over 100% of revenue on wages. Wage caps are needed desperately along with the IFR tracking financials live to stop this.

@GTM992 @KieranMaguire £7m is more than enough. It’s more than enough for all L1 clubs and Champ tbh. But the pressure from fans for their clubs to spend money and bring in new players is an issue also. Fans need protecting from themselves, let alone clubs.

@KieranMaguire Nothing against Oxford. But there’s talk of an enforced £7m salary cap at Wednesday, whilst a club with Oxford’s infrastructure are allowed to continue spending £22m on wages. The lack of governance to protect clubs like Oxford from the extortion of modern football is staggering

Let's give Bob a load of Plough Lane love. Wimbledon Legend💛💙 #BatsfordBoy

@AdrianPym It’s so easy to lose confidence and lose games in a run of 3/4. Our excellent run last month has given us a buffer thankfully.

@StuartdDeacons Worried we going on one of those awful runs we have, only 8 points from the bottom 4 .. could see us going down in the last day 🥹 ps I’ve always been a pessimist

Still scratching my head. To be so dominant in the 1st to then collapse in the 2nd makes no sense. Yes Orient changed shape, but we lost so my individual battles and fell apart. That is not like us and have to put it down to a one off. Great away support though #afcw

@mike_overill Peterborough can be hit or miss. Team selection massive on Saturday to get a result. Think we need one more win, and maybe a draw to be safe.

@StuartdDeacons I’m not saying we are done or anything but back to back tires drop offs is a tad worrying. Not excited for Saturday but hopefully the week off after will do us good.

@mike_overill Our squad depth was always going to be a problem. Wouldn’t say they are burned out. Stevenage best defensive home record. Orient has forward who got his 3rd hatrick this season. It happens. But I agree can’t keep happening for rest of the season

@StuartdDeacons 2 different performances but the theme is “players were off it” have they burnt out?

@mike_overill Is it really though? Stevenage was decided on a penalty against a team in playoffs. Last night first time we have conceded 4 at home all season.

@StuartdDeacons 2 one offs in a row is a slight concern

@Tommy_Cockles @JackOsbFootball @WealdstoneFC It just shows how some people think a football game with influencers is more important than the real grass roots game.

@WealdstoneFC Quite staggering the number of people on here unable to grasp the fact that he’s under contract and paid by Wealdstone football club to play for them and not in some glorified 6 a side kick about. He should be in Newcastle preparing to play for his employer tomorrow evening.

We are aware that Sak Hassan, under contract with Wealdstone FC, appeared in this evening’s Baller League. The club was not approached for permission for Sak to participate, nor were we made aware of his involvement in advance. We will now be following up with both the Baller League and the player directly. No further comment will be made until those discussions have taken place.

NEW BLOG After the Chelsea surrounding referee respecting the ball incident, I couldn’t help but express my view on the respect, or lack of it shown to referees at every level 🔗 …arspodcastviewoffootball.blogspot.com/2026/03/whos-p… #pgmol #afcw #afcwimbledon #referee #epl

@larssivertsen @JacquiOatley Continues to show the lack of respect to the referee. Rosenior moaning about a penalty that wasn’t and inability to call out his players for surrounding the referee.

I have always enjoyed the PL's ability to throw up bizarre plot lines, but a manager wanting to speak to the PGMOL about why his own players formed a huddle around the referee is a whole new level of absurdity.

@rkhargreaves @AlexJPMiller If the club can afford more, maybe the administrators could pay the non-football creditors more than 25p in the pound. 🤷🏼‍♂️

@StuartdDeacons @AlexJPMiller Not more and more, only within our means, and we can afford more than £7m

🚨Update on Sheffield Wednesday sanctions heading into 2026/27 ❌EFL's 15-point stance 🗣️'Killer' recruitment caps to be discussed ⚽️Statement from EFL chief 🖊️Letter received by Arise 🤷‍♂️Where it could all leave takeover All in here👇 thestar.co.uk/sport/football… #SWFC🦉

@rkhargreaves @AlexJPMiller You nearly went bust!!! And you’re now asking for the club to be allowed to spend more and more. We are on different levels. We own our ground with no mortgage on it 😉🤣

@StuartdDeacons @AlexJPMiller Tho I generally agree with your point on players being too expensive, that's just the way it is. Wednesday and Wimbledon are on different levels. A wage cap would make sense for all clubs, but it should be set far higher. £7m is half of Cardiff/Luton/Huddersfield wage costs.