No shit Sherlock. Does Barber do anything other than lengthy conversations?
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[Albion] Barbs on The Football Friendly (Jonathan Pearce and Terry Alderton's podcast)
- Thread starter Wozza
- Start date
- May 8, 2018
- 10,626
Drop him an email and find out…..tomorrow!
Indeed but also making him vice chair was a very shrewd move. It just makes it a little more difficult for him to leave insomuch he would be unlikely to get that status elsewhere.
RandyWanger
Je suis rôti de boeuf
Looking forward to the documentary Barbs mentioned.
brighton_tom
Well-known member
- Jul 23, 2008
- 5,521
This is a very good listen. Enjoyed that.
Class act as always, as I've said before, would rather lost Potter or a player than PB
20:25: "...while I'm at Brighton, Brighton's result is the priority for me..." my emboldening.
Completely fair enough on the face of it (he's a Spurs fan and was being asked about how he balances his priorities when we play them); but is there is a little hint (even if unintentional) there that he may be offski (in the summer?)?
22:28: "...here at Tottenham, here at Brighton, sorry..."
Completely fair enough on the face of it (he's a Spurs fan and was being asked about how he balances his priorities when we play them); but is there is a little hint (even if unintentional) there that he may be offski (in the summer?)?
22:28: "...here at Tottenham, here at Brighton, sorry..."
Last edited:
- Jun 27, 2012
- 14,614
Hardly. He also says now and indeed all of his time at Brighton is the best time he’s ever had in his career.
Fair play for coming clean about Spurs but I don’t think he’s missed an Albion game home or away now in 11 years.
He does say that too, yes; and, like you, I don't think he's missed a single game in 11 years.
None of that negates my point though.
- Jun 27, 2012
- 14,614
"while I'm at Brighton" could mean anything from until tomorrow or for another ten years couldn't it tbh.
Indeed. Which is why I phrased the point as a question. To which your initial response was 'Hardly'. I'm pleased to see that you now concede that it could be as early as 'tomorrow'.
It seems like we're agreed that what he said could mean he's off in the summer. Glad we got that sorted out.
- Jun 27, 2012
- 14,614
I concede that ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN. Yes. Ha ha. Not sure we learnt this from that podcast. But yes. agreed. It could.
Hotchilidog
Well-known member
- Jan 24, 2009
- 9,122
I thought he meant that whilst at work Brighton is his priority, and once he puts his feet up and cracks open a cold one he'll check out the Spurs score. I had no idea he was a local to WHL, which is dispiriting, but I do not think we could ever hope for a more able advocate for Brighton & Hove Albion than Paul Barber.
He is a fabulous CEO and has been a brilliant advocate for the Albion for 11 years. He has Tony's public endorsement of his qualities, and he's won awards.
He's also ambitious (imo). Like any professional at the top of their game, he may well want to 'test himself at the highest level' (to coin a phrase). The Albion is not the 'highest level'. Higher levels include a top 6 club (including Spurs, his boyhood club and a previous employer of PB), maybe the FA, maybe the PL, maybe a European giant (though less likely given his relative lack of knowledge of how football operates in, say, Germany, France (well, specifically Paris), Italy, or Spain.)
In my opinion, it's only a matter of time before PB ups and leaves (I hope he doesn't, but we have to be realistic). I was merely musing on whether he had unwittingly indicated that his thinking is starting to turn to his personal future. Why the need to preface 'Brighton's result is the priority for me...' with 'While I'm at Brighton'?
As I say, I'm just musing, s'all.
The ambiguities of the English language strike again!
Hotchilidog
Well-known member
- Jan 24, 2009
- 9,122
I'd be stunned if other clubs were not coveting Paul's services, he is the best in the business.
Papa Lazarou
Living in a De Zerbi wonderland
I would hope that as long as we were progressing there would be a good reason to stay. If we stall, stagnate or regress, then he might be more willing to listen to other offers.
That's my hope.
Yep. And that added to my thinking that maybe his time with us is limited.
We have to be materially closer to stalling, stagnating, or regressing now than 11 years ago - there's just so little left that we can realistically achieve in the grand scheme of things. In this pod, he reinforced the notion again that we're not going to break the wages model. Given that, we must be damn close to peak Albion. Yes, maybe we'll get into Europe; yes, maybe we'll win a cup - both would obviously represent progress from anything we've ever achieved before. But from there? It's pretty unrealistic to think we're going to win a cup every year (or even most). It's even more unrealistic to think we're going to progress from whatever European jaunt we may possibly achieve to being regular CL attendees. Thus, stagnation is the very best he can hope for (once we've achieved it). Regression is more probable, imo.
For me, as a fan, we're living the dream. I'll still be around when we drop back down the pecking order (as we all know we will). For PB? Well, it's a job. A job he loves, for sure; but a job he loves because of a decade of progress (he refers to this in the pod). When the progress ceases, which it absolutely inevitably will, what then?
- Jun 27, 2012
- 14,614
Indeed. He's turned down approaches in the past. And he's also one of the most well paid directors in the PL.
He was on the headhunter list for the Liverpool CEO position a few years ago.