Something is Rotten at the Home of Football.
For fans of Barnet FC this has been a season, so far, of extremes. Since the beginning of the season we have seen the club vie for the bottom of the Football League with Plymouth Argyle, beat two teams from League One, go unbeaten in November and January, lose their last four games – conceding 12 and scoring 3 – win four games in a row for the first time since 2009, oh and come as close as they ever have in my living memory for a shot at a cup final at Wembley, before losing to Swindon.
Attempting to contextualise the in-exhaustive list of triumph and tragedy above, in order to rationalise, explain and understand the season so far is imperative. As such, viewing Barnet FC’s season, and judging it’s trajectory as Prince Hamlet of Denmark offers the perfect framework to judge the season so far and to offer potential insight as to how the season will end.
‘To be or not to be, that is the question’ - Act III, Scene I
Perhaps the most definitive and widely known characteristic of Hamlet is his indecision. Indeed it could be described as his most tragic flaw. It is also something which Barnet have displayed throughout the season, with similarly paralyzing results. Consider that Barnet’s recent poor performances have come hot on the heels of their season’s best string of results, which had the effect of moving the team closer to the play-offs than the relegation zone. It seems abundantly clear that this posed a question which has not been addressed; namely how do the team approach games now that promotion, not relegation is the immediate concern?
Unsure as to how to proceed in games, when to pressurise opposition and how to respond to teams who treat them with respect as opposed to a struggling side who stop playing football when they fall behind, the team’s performances and results have suffered as a direct consequence.
Nowhere was this more evident than in the recent home game against Shrewsbury, when a fine first half performance was undone by an injury time own goal, which led to one of the worst second half performances I have ever had the misfortune to pay to see. It was clear to see that the team could not decide how to approach the defect – whether maintaining their first half tactics or adopting a more direct approach would be more effective. The result was a clear symptom of the kind of indecision which has plagued Barnet’s decision making recently.
A lack of consistency in performances, form and results have led to a situation whereby Barnet appear to be, much like our tragic hero Hamlet, incapacitated by indecision, when an approach promoting continuity in thinking would have been more beneficial.
‘O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I‘ - Act II, Scene II
A consequence of Hamlets indecision is his guilt over his inaction, which serves to make him only more angry, introspective and impotent, clouding his judgment and actions further. Equally, Barnet have allowed their guilt, also stemming from their indecisiveness, to further impede their performances, resulting in a vicious circle of indecision, frustration, and further clouded judgement. This is best encapsulated by looking at Barnet’s recent 0-4 implosion at home against Bradford.
An early, reckless, red card and goal conceded proceeded to devolve into a shambolic ‘performance’ with two of the side’s most important and talented players, Michael Hector and Izale McLeod, having to be separated by their own teammates after squaring up to one another. Some might call this ‘showing passion’, but I would suggest that their actions were products of rage and guilt, not of an abstract notion of passion. For me this is of the utmost concern, because unless the vicious circle above is broken I would expect incidents and performances such as these to become more common.
‘…Am I then revenged,
To take him in the purging of his soul,
When he is fit and season’d for his passage?
No!’ – Act III, Scene III
Throughout the play Hamlet attempts to reconcile his inner turmoil resulting from conflicting motivations. He wants to kill Claudius, and wants to damn his soul to hell; his desire to avenge his father’s murder is contrasted to his personal ambition to become king himself, as well as his much speculated Oedipus complex.
Much like Hamlet, Barnet have struggled with reconciling multiple motivations, from staving off relegation, to attempting an abortive surge to the playoff places, to reaching the final of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy final at Wembley. It should have come as no surprise that Barnet lacked not only the depth of squad to play so many games in such a relatively short space of time and to get produce good performances and results from all (the Bees played eight games in February) but the motivation of appearing at a cup final at Wembley and then falling at the last hurdle has, in my opinion, had a significant and detrimental effect upon the team.
Not only is this borne out by results since that loss to Swindon (drawn one, lost four, won zero) but has seemingly damaged players motivations, be this conscious or subconscious. After all, how can a trip to Home Park compare to a showcase final? Much like Hamlet missing opportune times to kill his duplicitous Uncle, Barnet have missed a great opportunity to use their cup run as a springboard to a consistent run of results in the league.
Whilst this recent malaise is understandable, it is certainly not acceptable. Barnet have to make sure that their motivations are aligned, and consistent. This begins with aiming to pick up points to arrest their worrying run of form, not spending time fuelling anger, guilt and indecision.
‘Thus conscience does make cowards of us all;
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought;
And enterprises of great pith and moment,
With this regard, their currents turn awry,
And lose the name of action.’ - Act III Scene I
Sadly for the Prince of Denmark, he only embarked upon a course of action after people began to die; indeed he is the final casualty of the tragedy. This should serve as a warning to Barnet FC, that not addressing the team’s character flaws could well result in tragedy for the club and its fans. Only time will tell if Barnet’s season will finish as the play, or as the ending of that charming Hamlet homage ‘The Lion King.’ The first step is surely recognizing that they need to decide how best to play and get points consistently, rather than react to things now outside of their control.
Written by Hugh Webster, We Are Going Up’s Barnet Blogger
Hugh tweets at @hughwebster
