Some thirteen years later, Mark McGhee still hasn’t cheered up like we told him to. He’s been quoted talking about one of his transfer targets favouring a move to Barnsley and couldn’t resist another little swipe at our club.
Speaking to the Sports Argus paper in Birmingham in 1997 of Premier League bound Barnsley, Mark Said: ‘I would guarantee that most of the Premiership clubs would like it to be Barnsley. They might fancy the prospect that Barnsley would be annihilated next season and thrown to the sharks. They probably think they would go straight back down,’ sparking the inevitable chorus of cheer up Mark McGhee at our final home game of the season in which we sealed promotion over Wolves.
Of course, we did come straight back down, albeit not in last place as McGhee seemed to predict. But that’s not the point. Writing a team off before they’ve even been promoted is one thing, but when they’re your closest rival for promotion, well that’s just sour grapes.
Ironically as it turned out, Mark continued: ‘I would perceive they know Wolves might be tougher because of our financial ability to go out and improve the playing staff on the transfer market,’ and it’s money that’s got Marks knickers in a twist again this time. Only, how the tables have turned?!
On a side note, I grew up with an inherant hatred for Wolves for this very reason. Thankfully now it’s been abandoned not least because our hero Mick McCarthy is at the helm and doing a super job to boot.
This year, Mark can’t seem to stand the fact that Motherwell’s Jim O’Brien favours Barnsley over his beloved Aberdeen: ‘We imagine, and the fans imagine, that there is no comparison between Aberdeen and Barnsley but, these days, I’m afraid there is.’
He continued to mention our name in pedantic fashion: ‘There are a lot more clubs bigger and better than Barnsley who will see Jim O’Brien if he’s playing for Barnsley who may take him onto the next level.’
Yes these days there is. Cheer up though, Mark. Please.
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