tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65838456238694688572024-02-19T16:49:26.141+00:00Barnsley FC Blog | On the Ponty EndDedicated to Barnsley FC and it's fans. Documenting the ramblings of a Barnsley season ticket holder - On the Ponty End. "When you know which side of your bread's buttered".Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger793125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6583845623869468857.post-21846749745494437652023-11-28T10:55:00.002+00:002023-11-28T11:18:28.370+00:00Barnsley vs. Wycombe Wanderers: Clash of Determination and Redemption<p style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgba(69,89,164,.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 transparent; --tw-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; border: 0px solid rgb(217, 217, 227); box-sizing: border-box; color: #374151; font-family: Söhne, ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Noto Color Emoji"; font-size: 16px; margin: 1.25em 0px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj82N-Irdr1lsKUDGdvCyjcQZ543tVGNfYiJQ6rbVrUzTVtYGZDq0VzowHIax03M11TfuGQyWV-a04A_8_X-r3GLBUJKoPHCQOfPySF9UAOtHscc0wT_hIWVsvJ1awNOA8QcDlIXLipicgJ4TaYZOEBSPrzh8kGKqOME0YlsXhEVDuKcSG_x0TnlgZ28ko/s3480/Sky-Bet-League-One.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="3480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj82N-Irdr1lsKUDGdvCyjcQZ543tVGNfYiJQ6rbVrUzTVtYGZDq0VzowHIax03M11TfuGQyWV-a04A_8_X-r3GLBUJKoPHCQOfPySF9UAOtHscc0wT_hIWVsvJ1awNOA8QcDlIXLipicgJ4TaYZOEBSPrzh8kGKqOME0YlsXhEVDuKcSG_x0TnlgZ28ko/s16000/Sky-Bet-League-One.png" /></a></div><div><div><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br />As the football season unfolds, anticipation reaches its peak with every upcoming match. The clash between Barnsley and Wycombe Wanderers promises to be an intense battle, marked by the determination of both teams to secure crucial points on the league table. Recent developments and statements from key figures add an extra layer of intrigue to this matchup. Let's delve into the insights provided by Barnsley FC and Wycombe Wanderers ahead of this highly anticipated encounter.</div><div><br /><b>The Collins Factor:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Barnsley's Head Coach Neill Collins, has been vocal about the challenges his team faces and the criticisms directed towards them. Collins addressed the concerns raised by the Reds' supporters. He acknowledged the frustration but emphasised the importance of staying united and focused on the collective goal. Collins' words reflect a coach determined to rally his squad and turn the tide in their favor.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Yorkshire Post provides further context to <a href="https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/sport/football/barnsley-fc-v-wycombe-wanderers-what-neill-collins-had-to-say-about-criticism-from-reds-supporters-4424776" target="_blank">Collins' response to criticism</a>. The article explores how the manager is handling the pressure and scrutiny from fans. As the team prepares to face Wycombe Wanderers, Collins seems resolute in his belief in the squad's capabilities. The match against Wycombe becomes not just a test of skill on the pitch but a chance for redemption and a statement of intent from Barnsley.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Wycombe's Perspective:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>On the flip side, Wycombe Wanderers are gearing up for the clash with their own set of ambitions. The official Wycombe Wanderers website offers a comprehensive preview of the match, highlighting key players to watch and potential strategies. <a href="https://www.wwfc.com/news/2023/november/28/the-big-match-preview-barnsley-vs-wycombe/" target="_blank">The "Big Match Preview"</a> underlines the significance of this fixture for Wycombe as they aim to secure a positive result on the road.</div><div><br /></div><div>In a parallel narrative, Barnsley's opponents are well aware of the challenges they face. Wycombe Wanderers will be looking to capitalise on any perceived vulnerabilities in Barnsley's form. With both teams seeking vital points, the clash promises end-to-end action and a display of tactical prowess.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Player Insights:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>In a sport where individual brilliance often shapes outcomes, the statements of key players can provide valuable insights. In an interview on Barnsley FC's official platform, right back <a href="https://www.barnsleyfc.co.uk/news/20232/november/cotter-pre-wycombe/" target="_blank">Barry Cotter shared his thoughts</a> ahead of the Wycombe encounter. Cotter highlighted the importance of unity within the squad and expressed confidence in their ability to overcome challenges.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Conclusion:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>As the stage is set for Barnsley vs. Wycombe Wanderers, the narrative surrounding this clash is enriched by the perspectives of managers, players, and supporters. The match becomes more than just a contest for points; it transforms into a story of determination, resilience, and the pursuit of redemption. Football enthusiasts can brace themselves for an exciting showdown that has the potential to reshape the trajectories of both Barnsley and Wycombe Wanderers in the ongoing season.</div></div>Ian Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13391227604484162665noreply@blogger.com0Barnsley S70 2JW, UK53.5551974 -1.479085725.244963563821152 -36.6353357 81.865431236178836 33.6771643tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6583845623869468857.post-23827988924709267382023-11-24T18:25:00.001+00:002023-11-24T18:25:35.042+00:00High Stakes Clash: Lincoln City vs. Barnsley<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHuqM2V1VzIHVyfDSwGu1oza85kzAoaW7CXSGqUZ6SJy7_-VEOUWmQUmwx8PUSknc381HVTxMk2TSK72kLp6rY8ifDXgosOeoWN_6ctRAyqYQS9jkroQTjKP_edPJg3JaIag9jvbBT7H3GVPIejTrS__AuZdIIBEGKrAWJvLrxdXv4zbqlGzw1CjooI5s/s3480/EFL-Matchball.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="3480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHuqM2V1VzIHVyfDSwGu1oza85kzAoaW7CXSGqUZ6SJy7_-VEOUWmQUmwx8PUSknc381HVTxMk2TSK72kLp6rY8ifDXgosOeoWN_6ctRAyqYQS9jkroQTjKP_edPJg3JaIag9jvbBT7H3GVPIejTrS__AuZdIIBEGKrAWJvLrxdXv4zbqlGzw1CjooI5s/s16000/EFL-Matchball.png" /></a></div><br />As the football season unfolds, fans eagerly anticipate key clashes that could define a team's trajectory. One such encounter is the upcoming match between Lincoln City and Barnsley. Both teams are gearing up for a battle that promises excitement, intensity, and the opportunity to make a statement in their respective campaigns. In this comprehensive match preview, we delve into the insights provided by recent news articles from both camps to gauge the teams' mindsets and strategies.<p></p><p><b>The Reds Perspective:</b></p><p>Barnsley manager Neill Collins has been vocal about his team's recent performances. The Yorkshire Post reports that <a href="https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/sport/football/barnsley-fc-manager-neill-collins-on-the-lookout-as-he-tells-whole-club-we-need-to-be-better-4421199" target="_blank">Collins is on the lookout for improvements</a>, emphasising the need for the entire club to raise their standards. The manager's words indicate a sense of urgency and a demand for a collective response from players, staff, and everyone associated with the club.</p><p>In the <a href="https://www.barnsleyfc.co.uk/news/20232/november/collins-pre-lincoln/" target="_blank">official pre-match interview</a> on the club's website, Collins discusses the challenges Lincoln City poses. He acknowledges the strength of the opponent and highlights the importance of preparing meticulously. The manager's insights give fans a glimpse into the team's mindset and the level of respect they have for their upcoming adversaries.</p><p>Barnsley has also released information about <a href="https://www.barnsleyfc.co.uk/news/20232/november/williams-pre-lincoln/">the match from the players' perspective</a>, with an article featuring skipper Jordan Williams. This provides a valuable glimpse into the team's preparations and the individual players' determination to contribute to a positive outcome. The collaborative effort from every department within the club, as emphasised by Collins, will be crucial in facing the challenges presented by Lincoln City.</p><p><b>The Imp's Perspective:</b></p><p>On the other side of the pitch, Lincoln City is gearing up for the clash with determination. A preview on Sports Mole provides <a href="https://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/lincoln-city/preview/preview-lincoln-vs-barnsley-prediction-team-news-lineups_529696.html?">valuable insights</a> into the team's predicted lineup and potential strategies for the game. Understanding the key players and tactical approach is essential for fans eager to dissect the match dynamics.</p><p>Barnsley will need to contend with the likes of Lincoln City's players, and understanding the opposition's strengths and weaknesses is crucial. The preview highlights key aspects such as team news and potential lineups, offering fans a glimpse into the strategies that Lincoln City might deploy to secure victory.</p><p>Conclusion:</p><p>As the anticipation builds for the Lincoln City vs. Barnsley FC clash, fans can expect a high-stakes encounter between two teams eager to make a mark in their respective campaigns. The insights from both camps provide a comprehensive understanding of the mindsets, challenges, and strategies that will shape the outcome of this exciting match. Football enthusiasts can look forward to witnessing an intense battle on the pitch, with each team vying for supremacy and the chance to ascend the league standings.</p>Ian Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13391227604484162665noreply@blogger.com0Barnsley S70 2JW, UK53.5551974 -1.479085725.244963563821152 -36.6353357 81.865431236178836 33.6771643tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6583845623869468857.post-38602852324971451012023-11-22T16:00:00.033+00:002023-11-24T22:16:30.900+00:00Barnsley Expelled from FA Cup Amidst Controversy Over Ineligible Player<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi05nhR2k4g5U6EcJMJN1LeIWlqZ54wvCbM2AvOh3WNpwRX_6SPm5xitQxZAHiIdlH7-COl6GTPKKicLPPrjG6OuwknycqzsJEJM9Wyb5G-Ef1ksaxISlSZ8VeAUSbmkiQFVrL-W-pZnI-hEEgv4OG7Np_qCm7tqX8ps5VQVcYwgOmFjvPuhJaKLZNpvco/s1750/Oakwell.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1238" data-original-width="1750" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi05nhR2k4g5U6EcJMJN1LeIWlqZ54wvCbM2AvOh3WNpwRX_6SPm5xitQxZAHiIdlH7-COl6GTPKKicLPPrjG6OuwknycqzsJEJM9Wyb5G-Ef1ksaxISlSZ8VeAUSbmkiQFVrL-W-pZnI-hEEgv4OG7Np_qCm7tqX8ps5VQVcYwgOmFjvPuhJaKLZNpvco/s16000/Oakwell.png" /></a></div><p>In a shocking turn of events, Barnsley FC has been expelled from the FA Cup following the revelation of an ineligible player during their recent match against non-league side Horsham. The expulsion decision has sent shockwaves through the football community, sparking discussions about the consequences of such infractions in prestigious competitions.</p><p>The controversy emerged when it was discovered that Barnsley had fielded an ineligible player during their FA Cup clash against Horsham. The Football Association (FA) conducted an investigation into the matter, leading to the decision to expel Barnsley from the competition.</p><p>The ineligible player in question has not been named in the official reports, but sources suggest that the player's registration status was not in compliance with FA Cup regulations. This violation has not only tarnished Barnsley's reputation but has also raised questions about the club's internal processes for player registration and eligibility checks.</p><p>The Football Association <a href="https://www.thefa.com/news/2023/nov/22/barnsley-fc-removed-fa-cup-20231122" target="_blank">released a statement</a> on the matter, expressing their commitment to maintaining the integrity of the competition. The statement read, "After a thorough investigation, the FA has determined that Barnsley FC breached the rules by fielding an ineligible player in their recent FA Cup fixture. As a result, Barnsley has been expelled from the competition, and Horsham will be reinstated to continue their FA Cup journey."</p><p>Horsham, the non-league side initially defeated by Barnsley in the contested fixture, will now be given a second chance to progress in the tournament. The reinstatement of Horsham has been met with mixed reactions, with some celebrating the opportunity for the non-league club to continue their impressive run in the FA Cup.</p><p>Barnsley FC released a brief statement <a href="https://www.barnsleyfc.co.uk/news/20232/november/club-statement2/" target="_blank">expressing regret over the situation</a> and acknowledging the FA's decision. The club stated, "We deeply regret the oversight that led to the inclusion of an ineligible player in our FA Cup squad. We accept the FA's decision to expel us from the competition and extend our sincere apologies to our supporters and the football community."</p><p>The expulsion of Barnsley from the FA Cup raises questions about the importance of stringent checks and balances in player registration processes, not only for professional clubs but for all participating teams. The incident serves as a reminder that compliance with competition regulations is crucial to upholding the fairness and integrity of football tournaments.</p>Ian Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13391227604484162665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6583845623869468857.post-4736090739264155612022-09-16T18:17:00.021+00:002022-09-18T18:58:24.719+00:00Barnsley 2022/23 - Early season review and what to expect from the League one outfitBarnsley are enduring an indifferent start to the campaign on their return to League One since the 2018–19 season, following their relegation from the Championship. The South Yorkshire side are unbeaten in their last three games and there is hope they can kick on.<div><br /></div><div>You can follow up on their progress and other betting odds with the <a href="https://www.overlyzer.com/en/sports-betting/betting-strategies/" target="_blank">top football betting strategies by Overlyzer</a>.<p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Gim02WofXHcwROEpfRX_HUzeDMkJMrFwaRhLgco7wo77BzwJ6h3W-LmxJA4xoyJHZaGmNvLvrpmnOocRHaKVYUT1vBGF-kuw6zZSF7eHNFQyxgk7kIjfzKNMkut8rQ1708xavN5PrijkLy1ImebdZEbLn5AOMz5IRaeFUV3XJcGEwyP6rhsE3EoC/s3500/Duffy-BarnsleyFC.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2475" data-original-width="3500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Gim02WofXHcwROEpfRX_HUzeDMkJMrFwaRhLgco7wo77BzwJ6h3W-LmxJA4xoyJHZaGmNvLvrpmnOocRHaKVYUT1vBGF-kuw6zZSF7eHNFQyxgk7kIjfzKNMkut8rQ1708xavN5PrijkLy1ImebdZEbLn5AOMz5IRaeFUV3XJcGEwyP6rhsE3EoC/s16000/Duffy-BarnsleyFC.png" /></a></div><br />There is desperate need for stability just over a year after Barnsley finished fifth and made it to the EFL Championship Play-offs for the first time in 24 years, with one of the smallest budgets in the league and the youngest squad under the management of Valérien Ismaël.<p></p>Yet they began the 2022-23 season with their sixth permanent manager in the last four years, as Michael Duff has led them to 11th place in League One after 11 points from their first eight games.</div><div><br /></div><div>Barnsley have scored ten times and conceded nine so far and there is much work ahead as they seek an immediate return to the championship.</div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Slow start to the season</h3><div>The Tykes marked their return to the third tier with a 1-0 loss to Plymouth Argyle, with Duff getting his first win against former side Cheltenham by the same scoreline a week later. That set the tone for Barnsley’s season as inconsistency has characterised their progress so far, thus, they are yet to string consecutive wins in League One.</div><div><br /></div><div>Three defeats in the first five league games followed as the squad sought an identity and performances. Things came to a head in that third defeat, a 3-0 bashing against Wycombe Wanderers at Oakwell as Duff suffered his first home loss as Barnsley head coach.</div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Shot to the arm</h3><div>That crushing home defeat which came four days after their biggest win of the season (3-0 against Bristol Rovers), seems to have galvanised Duff’s men as the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/62614228" target="_blank">2-2 draw at Ipswich Town</a> proved a particular turning point.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Reds recovered from going down in both halves through Jack Aitchison and Callum Styles and had goalkeeper Bradley Collins to thank for some heroic saves late on as they dug deep for a well-earned point at Portman Road.</div><div><br /></div><div>Denying their hosts three points and top spot worked a treat as Barnsley followed up that result with a morale-boosting 2-0 win over South Yorkshire rivals Sheffield Wednesday, for their first away win of the season.</div><div><br /></div><div>With real character and grit now apparent in their performances, Barnsley finally gained points in consecutive league games and things are looking up.</div><div><br /></div><div>The postponement of fixtures in England over the death of Queen Elizabeth II provided some welcome extra preparation time on the training ground ahead of the visit of Port Vale.</div><div><br /></div><div>Although a late equaliser denied Barnsley sweet victory, the 1-1 draw showed enough desire as they are finally hitting their stride.</div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Key players so far</h3><div><b>Josh Benson</b></div><div>The young midfielder has come into his own this season as he emerged as the team’s top scorer so far. Benson maintains a strong relationship with his manager who also coached him in Burnley’s youth team, and finally scored his first Barnsley goal with the extra-time winner against Middlesbrough in the EFL Cup First Round.</div><div><br /></div><div>That feat sparked the 22-year-old into a confident streak as he also netted in the next two league games.</div><div><br /></div><div>Benson’s three goals and two assists already this season have been immense for Barnsley as he hits the most productive form of his career to date.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Brad Collins</b></div><div>The ex-Chelsea goalkeeper has been typically instrumental to Barnsley’s fate this season as they navigated a rocky start to the campaign.</div><div><br /></div><div>Collins has been key to some of the points won this season due to his important saves in match-defining moments, and is one of Michael Duff’s reliables having let in nine goals in eight games, keeping three clean sheets.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now in his fourth season at Oakwell, the shot-stopper is growing into his role as the team’s safe hands and at 25, will continue to improve as the season goes on.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Luca Connell</b></div><div>The midfielder joined Barnsley on a free transfer from Scottish champions, Celtic over the summer and has emerged as his new team’s creative force.</div><div><br /></div><div>The 21-year-old is responsible for three assists already and his performances have steadily improved as he settles into his new surroundings.</div><div><br /></div><div>Connell is a menace with the quality of passing and set-pieces from his left foot, and those attributes are set to remain a vital asset to the team’s hopes.</div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">What to expect for the rest of the season</h3><div>Barnsley have done well to steady the ship after loitering in murky waters as they came to terms with the step down to League One.</div><div><br /></div><div>Michael Duff is finally <a href="https://www.onthepontyend.com/2022/03/which-players-should-barnsley-be_17.html" target="_blank">stringing a tune out of his team after 13 new signings</a> largely on a small budget. The Northern Irishman has seen his team go unbeaten in their last three league games and will be looking to extend that run for a drastic rise up the standings.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Tykes are showing their ability to score goals, get results and react to in-game situations, qualities that stand them in good stead during the marathon of a gruelling League One campaign. Indeed, there is a boundless margin for improvement as they hope to rally into a playoff place.
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBarnsley S70 2JW, UK53.5552157 -1.479087125.244981863821153 -36.6353371 81.865449536178843 33.6771629tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6583845623869468857.post-59357998600531756112022-03-22T21:02:00.005+00:002022-03-23T12:20:16.460+00:00Reds need to gamble on Royals not having a flush<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAVJM1k3PkTUJ12j3iXa8ouf-tMkA9PDBlQmsBd0s4UhbsLmo219K9oE3vLEks-39TCTyrvYju5TQ3UOZrk2rhGpPZZLsdtHTR86K6lbu9VH3srzodx6EZpu5d_ZD2_U1P-GXcZWQgZBIGxLRrHeASkWML71LrZAw3bzuvJtUiTl5_5rTKRv0KYT4v/s3500/Swift.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1132" data-original-width="1600" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAVJM1k3PkTUJ12j3iXa8ouf-tMkA9PDBlQmsBd0s4UhbsLmo219K9oE3vLEks-39TCTyrvYju5TQ3UOZrk2rhGpPZZLsdtHTR86K6lbu9VH3srzodx6EZpu5d_ZD2_U1P-GXcZWQgZBIGxLRrHeASkWML71LrZAw3bzuvJtUiTl5_5rTKRv0KYT4v/s3500/Swift.png" style="height: auto; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; width: auto;" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /><div style="text-align: left;">On Saturday, the Reds suffered defeat at the hands of Sheffield Utd, leaving
the Reds having to look at a chasm of 5 points between themselves and Reading,
all whilst making a chance of survival that much more difficult. But there is
still a possibility of survival, with Reading still to come to Oakwell after
the International break. </div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">But that’s all it is. A chance. </div></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Thus, being the curious person I am, I thought I’d run the numbers, and see
what the chances of the Reds’ survival are, whilst simultaneously running
them against my gut feeling. But more on the latter later.
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
So, the numbers. According to
<a href="https://www.twentyfirstgroup.com/">‘Twenty First Group’ analytics,</a>
following the latest round of Championship fixtures, the Reds’ chances of
survival are 30%. Okay it’s not a huge chance, but it is a chance.
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Believe it or not, (you probably will believe it to be fair), after the 2-1
defeat to Luton Town in early February, the chances of Barnsley surviving in
England’s second tier were 8%. Data scientists reckoned that there was a 92%
chance that we would have to suffer the indignity of standing on the
roofless terraces at Gillingham and Accrington. But all jokes aside, the
fact that in the space of 7 games
<a href="https://www.onthepontyend.com/2021/11/asbaghi-tactics-wombles.html">Poya’s Tykes </a>have increased their chances of survival by upwards of 22% is pretty good,
and it gives us a real chance. The magnitude of April 2nd’s fixture against
Reading cannot be understated and 3 points are a must. In terms of the
entire picture, my gut tells me that it will go to the final day at Mowatt
and Dike’s Baggies. But who knows.
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Onto the Royals though. We genuinely need to hope and pray that they don’t
have a royal flush. For the non-poker players out there, that is where you
have the best possible hand, and effectively win by default. Because if
players like Lucas Joao, Junior Hoilett, Scott Dann and most scarily John
Swift, perform like they can, I worry deeply for our safety. However, it
would be silly to say that said players’ form is good, and if anything it’s
poor. Particularly Junior Hoilett, who, according to the experts at
<a href="https://www.powerplay.com/sportsbook/SOCCER/">Canada Sports Betting</a>
has failed to set the Madejski alight this term. I’m sure they would’ve been
expecting more from their international star.
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
However, following their 1-0 victory over a slightly haggard Blackburn
Rovers side, ‘Twenty First Group’ have the Royals’ chances sitting at 70%
for survival and 30% for relegation.
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
That gives me hope. It gives me hope that we could even have survival tied
up going into the last couple of fixtures, and the importance of April 2nd’s
fixture against Reading is cataclysmic.
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Obviously the Reds have to keep winning games of football, but if we win
that game in particular, I think that the Three Little Birds’ lyrics will ring true
at Oakwell - and Every Little Thing Gonna Be Alright.
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Thomas Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17409158451776910064noreply@blogger.comBarnsley S70 2JW, UK53.5552157 -1.479087125.244981863821153 -36.6353371 81.865449536178843 33.6771629tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6583845623869468857.post-45398539116705441922022-03-17T11:45:00.005+00:002022-03-23T12:03:49.436+00:00Which players should Barnsley be looking to build around next season?<div>
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Any Barnsley fan knows that it has been a tough season so far in the Championship. Sitting towards the bottom of the table to date, relegation into League One is becoming a bigger worry with each passing week. However, there are enough games left to pull off a miraculous escape and catch teams who sit just above them in the table.<br /><br />If this were to happen, it would surely be one of the biggest stories in English football this season. It could also pay off handsomely for any Barnsley fans who like to bet on games and are backing the team to stay up. If you do like to wager on games, a good tip is checking out the <a href="https://www.premiershipbets.com/category/football/" target="_blank">football betting stories</a> at Premiership Bets first. This is a trustworthy site which brings the latest football news to help you make more informed bets.<br /><br />Regardless of whether the team stays up or sadly goes down to League One, there will be certain key players manager <a href="https://www.onthepontyend.com/2021/11/asbaghi-tactics-wombles.html" target="_blank">Poya Asbaghi</a> should be looking to build around to improve next year. But who might they be?<br /><br /><b>Liam Kitching</b><br /><br />It is obvious that the defensive side of Barnsley’s game needs to get a lot better moving ahead. A major part of this could be 22-year-old centre back Liam Kitching. Initially signing from Forest Green Rovers in January 2021, an injury kept him out until the final game of the 2020/21 season. He has played a bigger role in this campaign and showed he certainly has the ability to play at a decent level. When you also add in his versatility (he can play left-back as well as centre back), he looks to be an excellent young player to keep hold of and build around in the future.<br /><br /><b>Josh Benson</b><br /><br /><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/58020144" target="_blank">Josh Benson's arrival from Burnley</a> in 2021 was a great move by the club and he certainly looks like a signing with great potential. He, like Kitching, is also in his early 20s, and this makes him another young player to build around. A skilful midfielder, his passing and experience of playing football at a high level should all make him a vital player in future years. He is also pretty good from set-pieces and brings a valuable youthful energy to the side.<br /><br /><b>Callum Styles</b><br /><br />Also playing in midfield, many Barnsley fans will want to hang onto Styles in the future and build a team around him. If he can really strike up a good partnership with Josh Benson in that area of the pitch, it could spell something magical. At 21, Styles also has time on his side plus a very competitive nature and eye for goal.<br /><br /><b>Barnsley need to hang onto key players</b><br /><br />Whatever happens come the end of the season, there is no doubt that Barnsley need to hang onto key players like those above. We would, of course, include Cauley Woodrow in that list – but who knows if he’ll still be around beyond 2023! If the side can build for the future around the players above though, it could work out well for them.Ian Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13391227604484162665noreply@blogger.comBarnsley S70 2JW, UK53.5552157 -1.479087125.244981863821153 -36.6353371 81.865449536178843 33.6771629tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6583845623869468857.post-22493408080500570902021-11-19T16:21:00.001+00:002021-11-19T16:27:56.824+00:00Asbaghi, Tactics & WomblesOn the 17th of November 2021, the Reds announced the appointment of Swedish-Iranian head coach Poya Asbaghi as the club’s new gaffer. With Spaniard Ferran Sibila, (who we’ll get onto later), as his assistant.<div><br /></div><div>With an appointment that certainly seemed more spreadsheet focussed from the club than his predecessor Markus Schopp (the less said about him the better), a lot of the discourse around Grove Street quickly shifted to; ‘How is this guy going to set us up to play?’.</div><div><br /></div><div>Well, I’m going to try and explain just that.
But firstly, I’m sure I echo the thoughts of many fans in welcoming Poya and his team to ‘Tarn’, I wish them all the best in hopefully bringing back the good times to Oakwell.<br /><br /></div><div>
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Tactics</h3><br />The first thing that has to be acknowledged about Asbaghi’s ‘typical’ tactics is that whilst the core principles of his game tend to remain relatively consistent, he likes to shift between a few different formations. <div><br /></div><div>His three most favoured set-ups in Sverige were; 3-4-3, 4-2-3-1 and 4-1-3-2. With the latter of the tripartite being the formation he used to beat Malmo FF in the Swedish Cup final.</div><div><br /></div><div>However, due to personnel and Asbaghi’s recent success with his Sweden U21’s side, I’d expect the Reds to favour the 3-4-3 and 4-2-3-1 under Asbaghi. The former being due to the Reds’ gluttony of Centre-Halves and the latter due to Asbaghi’s superb success with Sweden U21’s, where he deployed the 4-2-3-1 to perfection as he guided them to 6 wins from 10 games. </div><div><br /></div><div>With the 4-2-3-1 certainly, Asbaghi has favoured a team press, with the press of his Göteborg side being most interesting, where he mostly committed five players high and with a man-orientated scheme. The most important man-marking part was the midfield, where a midfielder would drop deeper to mark the opposition’s most advanced midfielder or second striker, while two other two targets (often the midfield two) were marked by the far-side winger and another midfielder. The ball-side winger should close the ball-side full-back, while the strikers were pressing the centre-backs in a 2-2. That may sound very complicated, I know - but visually it would look like a much more coordinated press than what we have seen for a long while, where every player would be given a specific role to perform in the attacking unit.</div><div><br /></div><div>Personnel wise, I’m pretty confident in making a prediction that whoever the left-sided attacker is in Asbaghi’s system is going to be pretty fruitful, whether that be Aaron Leya-Iseka or Carlton Morris. I’d also imagine that we may finally see a Callum Brittain that somewhat resembles the player we all watched on iFollow last season, with Asbaghi liking his full-backs to bomb on high up the pitch, whether that be in the 3-4-3 or 4-2-3-1. Finally, I can also envisage a world where Claudio Gomes is afforded masses of time on the ball, due to the system the Swede favours, to pick out some real Hollywood passes.<div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Wombles</h3>
This is where I’m going to get onto Asbaghi’s assistant, 33 year-old Spaniard, Ferran Sibila.</div><div><br /></div><div>An exponent of the Ekkono method, (it has been mentioned this may sound very similar to Orinoco the Womble), Sibila has some really bright ideas about the way that footballers should be coached, so I’m going to briefly cover what said Ekkono method entails.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Ekkono Method is a training methodology in which the objective is to ensure that players are capable of correctly interpreting the game and finding intelligent solutions in the field. It has four major guidelines which I’ll outline here; </div><div><br /></div><div>Games: Design and continuous readjustment of the training tasks to make sure that players are embedded in the learning context. </div><div><br /></div><div>Perception: Perceptive training is included in the content planning to ensure players have strong in-game perception mantras. </div><div><br /></div><div>Questions: When training, the players are confronted with problematic situations and they are asked to answer questions. </div><div><br /></div><div>Concepts: Training contents is not enough; concepts need to be trained as well, a concept may be for example the concept of ‘Gegenpressing’ or ‘Tiki-Taka’. </div><div><br /></div><div>Thus, coaches often specialise in improving a players’ physical and technical aspects because these qualities are perceived as the most important. However, there is a third key part to the game that is often overlooked. </div><div><br /></div><div>This is the cognitive aspect of the game – the way players perceive the game and make crucial decisions in the field. </div><div><br /></div><div>This is as much psychology as it is sport, but I’m really excited about the prospect of Ekkono at Oakwell, especially as it has been mentioned to me many times on the terraces this season that we are possibly lacking a ‘psychological edge’ that we once possessed. </div><div><br /></div><div>Unfortunately I don’t have a looking glass in which I can tell you where we’re going or where we’re bound, but hopefully Poya & Ferran can turn our world around and guide us into a much more comfortable position in the Championship table. </div><div><br /></div><div>Whatever happens next, I think we should strap ourselves in for another Magical Mystery Tour. </div><div><br /></div><div>What do you think?
All feedback is appreciated, if you want to comment on this article or chat about Barnsley Football Club, you can find me on Twitter, my handle is <a href="https://www.twitter.com/TomOTPE" target="_blank">@TomOTPE</a>.</div>Thomas Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17409158451776910064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6583845623869468857.post-85413639245113477372021-08-01T15:00:00.023+00:002021-08-01T15:46:15.189+00:00Championship 21/22 '1-24' Predictions (Part 3)The new Championship season is around the corner and our EFL pundit and co-host of podcast '<a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcRKTNQlG3dn_uaE6CRcAxw" target="_blank">There Is a Floodlight That Never Goes Out</a>', Tom shares his 21/22 season preview, with his 1-24 predictions.<br /><br />
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<b>Peterborough Utd- </b>Darren Ferguson is back in the second tier with Posh and I believe he’ll lead them to survival…. Just. Jonson Clarke-Harris scores lots of goals, and the addition of serial League One assist-machine Jorge Grant to go in tandem with him will keep Posh up. I really like Peterborough’s side in general, actually. But they will ship a lot of goals with a defence that, barring Josh Knight and possibly Mark Beevers, isn't really Championship standard.<div><b>Prediction: 21st</b><div><br /></div><div><b>Preston North End-</b> Frankie McAvoy is not the one, North End. I have to concede that he did a marvellous job at the back end of last season in a temporary role but how many times have we seen managers who were the temporary boss fail to be successful full-time? A solid core with Liam Lindsay, Alan Browne & Ched Evans will keep them clear of the drop zone but nowhere near enough quality is in that squad to jump into the top-half.<br />Prediction: 17th</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Queens Park Rangers-</b> Mark Warburton is a solid gaffer at this level, but nothing more and nothing less. Many EFL followers are tipping the R’s for a Top 6 berth but I just personally don’t see them making such a huge step up. It is undeniable that the duo of Dykes & Austin will score goals. Plus when you factor into the equation that Rob Dickie is one of the best CB’s in the division with Midfield Magicians Stefan Johansen and Ilias Chair possessing magic in their boots you may ponder why I don’t have Rangers in a play-offs berth but unfortunately I just think over 46 games they are not play-off standard. But a class season for the men from Loftus Road nonetheless.<br /><b>Prediction: 8th</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Reading- </b>Vejlko Paunovic did an albeit underwhelming job with the Royals last season following their magnificent start. And with the loss of Michael Olise along with the fact of being yet another club who has had to reign in their spending, I feel as if mid-table mediocrity looms, with only the odd piece of magic from Ovie Ejaria being anything of any note at the newly re- named ’Select Car Leasing Stadium’.</div><div><b>Prediction: 13th</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Sheffield United-</b> Slavisa Jokanovič just knows how to win games of football in this league doesn’t he. I think he really has a job on his hands turning round the mentality of this Blades squad but if he successfully does so then a cracking season is in store for them. Brewster, McBurnie, McGoldrick, Sharp, Mousset & Jebbison is an outstanding forward line. The midfield and defence are high standard too and I back a certain Luke Freeman to finally prove his worth in a Sheffield Utd shirt. A solid play-off finish.<br /><b>Prediction: 5th</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Stoke City- </b>Michael O’Neill has to get it right with the Potters this term. Souttar, Wilmot, Brown, Campbell & Powell just to name a few are incredible players in this league and they must push very hard for the Top 6. However, I don’t quite trust them to get over the line for the play-offs. But still a big improvement from the last three seasons. Tyrese Campbell to bag 15+ if he can stay fit.</div><div><b>Prediction: 7th</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Swansea City-</b> No gaffer as of yet whilst recording for the Swans so I’ll just talk about the squad. Guehi, Ayew & Hourihane have all left the Liberty and tough times are on the horizon in my opinion. Not as bad a season as some are predicting but quite the drop-off from the highs of reaching the P/O final last season. But for those Swans fans who are purists the emergence of Liam Cullen as their number 9 may be something of note in what may be an otherwise average season.<br /><b>Prediction: 14th</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>West Bromwich Albion-</b> Big bloody Val. WBA have an outstanding gaffer in Valerien Ismael- and if the players bit into his philosophy the Baggies will do very well. Karlan Grant to score A LOT of goals. I know awfully too well how good Alex Mowatt is & what a signing for WBA. But it’s the defence which is really too good for this league. Ajayi, Clarke, Bartley, Townsend, Furlong & O’Shea. Wow. Big problems lay ahead for WBA if the players don’t buy into VI’s way of playing and I can see a change of manager mid-season if that does happen, but with the quality they have even if they are languishing in 10th at Xmas I can still see them finishing T2 in the end. Boing Boing.<br /><b>Prediction: 2nd<br /><br /><br />Read Part 1: <a href="https://www.onthepontyend.com/2021/07/efl-championship-21-22-part1..html" target="_blank">AFC Bournemouth > Coventry City</a><br /><br />Read Part 2: <a href="https://www.onthepontyend.com/2021/07/efl-championship-21-22-part2.html" target="_blank">Derby County > Nottingham Forest</a></b></div></div>Thomas Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17409158451776910064noreply@blogger.com0Barnsley S70 2JW, UK53.5552157 -1.479087132.360991554566134 -36.635337099999987 74.749439845433869 33.677162899999985tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6583845623869468857.post-61376717930549638842021-07-31T14:00:00.073+00:002021-08-01T15:33:08.975+00:00Championship 21/22 '1-24' Predictions (Part 2)The new Championship season is around the corner and our EFL pundit and co-host of podcast '<a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcRKTNQlG3dn_uaE6CRcAxw" target="_blank">There Is a Floodlight That Never Goes Out</a>', Tom shares his 21/22 season preview, with his 1-24 predictions.<br /><br />
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<b>Derby County- </b>Wayne Rooney has a thankless job with the Rams, and I don’t see him lasting at Pride Park beyond October. With, using common sense, Derby having only around 14 first-team players, with two of them being ‘Goalies there is no doubt they will fall into the Third tier in my eyes. Not to mention the complete lack of a Centre-Half. The only reason they will not prop up the Division is the little bit of magic they possess in Louie Sibley & Kamil Jozwiak plus the possible Winter return of Krystian Bielik. Time to face up to reality, Rams, and unfortunately for those of a ‘Dorbeh’ persuasion, that means impending relegation.<br /><b>Prediction: 24th.</b><div><br /></div><div><b>Fulham- </b>I really like the appointment of Marco Silva. A manager who is tactically astute and knows how to get the best out of continental players. They have all the right ingredients to storm the league with Harrison Reed, Aleksandr Mitrovic,, Ivan Cavaleiro, Harry Wilson & Joe Bryan just to name some of their stars leading the charge. I back them to blow many teams away. My only concern is if they don’t start well, but even then the squad they have surely has too much for this League? Either way I back the Cottagers.<br /><b>Prediction: 1st</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Huddersfield Town- </b>Carlos Corberan is a student of ‘El Loco’, Marcelo Bielsa, with his relentless pressing game and yet has built an ageing Terriers side with a seeming inability to press. Jordan Rhodes, Ollie Turton & Matty Pearson are absolutely shocking signings, not to mention that they probably have the worst Goalkeeping roster in the league with Lee Nicholls and Ryan Schofield. The only shining light for the Terriers is their young lads, and Levi Colwill excites me for certain- a central defender with class. As does Josh Koroma who is far too good for the Terriers, and will undoubtedly play in the Premier League in my view. Time to start preparing the ‘Welcome to League One Huddersfield Town’ banners for the train station.<br /><b>Prediction: 22nd</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Hull City-</b> Grant McCann is actually quite a decent League One manager, but just not quite up to the Championship standard in the view of my red tinted spectacles. The summer signings for ‘Ull provide me with a distinct sense of dread for their upcoming season, George Moncur, Randell Williams & Andy Cannon are bad signings. With the not-affectionately labelled ‘Crab-Man’ George Moncur being a particularly porous addition. Mallik Wilks & Keane Lewis-Potter may provide some spark for The Tigers but a defence which consists of largely League One level full-backs (Lewis Coyle, Josh Emmanuel & Callum Elder) and no Championship level centre-backs will concede goals for fun. In the spirit of fairness I have to mention how good George Honeyman was last season but losing his partner in crime Regan Slater will be a big loss. Sorry Hull fans, but this is the reality of the Championship.<br /><b>Prediction: 23rd.</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Luton Town-</b> Nathan Jones, I salute you sir. What a job the Welshman has done since returning to Kenilworth Road, and this next season I can really see the Hatters having a lot of fun. Luton’s forward line is really exciting, with Cameron Jerome, Admiral Muskwe, Elijah Adebayo, Harry Cornick & Carlos Mendes-Gomes set to make a few Champ defenders look silly. This isn’t even a ‘hipster’ prediction- Luton’s recruitment has actually been very good. In ‘Moneyball’ Peter Brand describes the recruitment process as buying runs in Baseball- and effectively thus, Wins. Luton are doing exactly that with their signings, Henri Lansbury, Allan Campbell, Cameron Jerome, Carlos Mendes-Gomes & Admiral Muskwe will score you goals and win you games. I’d be very excited if I was a Luton fan right now.</div><div><b>Prediction: 4th</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Middlesborough- </b>Neil Warnock, I love that man so much. He’s the promotion specialist but I sneakily suspect yet another promotion will evade his grasp this term as his Boro side don’t have quite enough in the tank. Uche Ikpeazu is such a Warnock player and I think the Summer signing will bag a hatful. Warnock merely lacks a magician, a Michael Tonge, an Adel Tarrabt, a Junior Hoilett. Secure in the Top half.</div><div><b>Prediction: 11th</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Millwall-</b> Gary Rowett has built a Lions side that now looks as if it finds it impossible to drop beneath 16th and yet not finish higher than 8th. Odd. Jed Wallace and Jake Cooper are as always two Blue-Chip players in this league. Only the lack of a reliable goalscorer such as a Woodrow or a Solanke will prevent ‘Millll’ from finishing Top 6. Another good season for Rowett’s men.</div><div><b>Prediction: 9th</b><br /><br /><b>Nottingham Forest- </b>Chris Hughton is an outstanding manager in this league, but he doesn’t have a ‘Hughton team’. By that I mean his NFFC side isn’t the finished article, with only the two Joe’s, Worrall & Lolley being archetypal Hughton players. But I do back them to be a very good team in patches and Brennan Johnson really excites me- he’s a bloody magician. In a nod to a track from the Beatles’ white album, I shall refer to him as Bungalow Brennan from now on. A solid, nonetheless underwhelming season for the two-time European champs.<br /><b>Prediction: 10th<br /><br /></b><b><br />Read Part 1: <a href="https://www.onthepontyend.com/2021/07/efl-championship-21-22-part1..html" target="_blank">AFC Bournemouth > Coventry City</a><br /><br />Read Part 3: <a href="https://www.onthepontyend.com/2021/07/efl-championship-21-22-part3.html" target="_blank">Peterborough United > West Bromwich Albion</a></b></div>Thomas Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17409158451776910064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6583845623869468857.post-86951654290325884632021-07-30T18:00:00.013+00:002021-08-01T15:33:12.290+00:00Championship 21/22 '1-24' Predictions (Part 1)The new Championship season is around the corner and our EFL pundit and co-host of podcast '<a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcRKTNQlG3dn_uaE6CRcAxw" target="_blank">There Is a Floodlight That Never Goes Out</a>', Tom shares his 21/22 season preview, with his 1-24 predictions.<br /><br />
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<b>AFC Bournemouth</b> - Whilst it’s an appointment that has been bashed in the media- Scott Parker does seem to be a good fit for Bournemouth. I like the football Parker plays and I certainly think the Cherries can push on this season. Dom Solanke to improve once more, Ben Pearson to eat up Championship midfielders and David Brooks to be his usual maverick self. The Cherries will push hard for Top 2 but fall just short.<br /><b>Prediction: 3rd</b><br /><b><br />Barnsley- </b>Markus Schopp is a bit of an unknown to 22 managers in this league isn’t he. Only Valerien Ismael knows what to expect. A variation of ‘Struber-Ball’ and ‘Ismael-Ball’ seems to be coming to Grove Street and I for one am excited. Now of course the losses of Alex Mowatt & Daryl Dike will be felt but I feel as if we’ve replaced well whilst also having the quality in the squad to succeed them anyway. To start with the Mowatt replacement job- Josh Benson is a class addition from Burnley and appears to have class in abundance. And with Herbie Kane to step out of the shadows, Callum Styles to step into the middle, Romal Palmer stepping up the consistency, with Big Aapo still doing the business when called upon and who knows- Marcel Ritzmaier possibly just stepping up to the gauntlet, the Reds’ midfield could be even stronger. And despite the fact Dike & Chaplin have left Oakwell, I actually think the Forward line has indeed improved, Aaron Leya Iseka, Obbi Oulare & Devante Cole are class additions and I’m really excited about Leya Iseka in particular- with the Belgian having rumoured to have commanded a fee that smashed the Georgi Hristov/Mike Sheron transfer record. Cartlon Morris is the ‘Tarn Thierry Henry’ and for me is one of the best players in the league- not very often have I seen a player at Oakwell who is as exciting as he. Cauley Woodrow the new skipper gets better and better, and at this club I have to applaud his loyalty, something we very rarely see nowadays- what a boy. Dom Frieser and Clarke Oduor are both very useful assets in the attack too with the former never stopping running & the latter being somewhat mercurial. Defence wise our central defence is rather impeccable, Helik, Andersen, Sibbick, Moon, Kitching & Sraha, it could be impregnable at times. Cal Brittain and Jordan Williams as wing-backs also really excite me. The only thing I worry about is over-playing in our own half but I trust this set of lads and I truly believe we’re one of the 6 best teams in the League again this season.<br /><b>Prediction: 6th</b><br /><br /><b>Birmingham City-</b> Lee Bowyer is such an average manager I can neither praise nor berate him. Brum’s business has flattered to deceive for me this Summer, and the additions of Jordan Graham, Tahith Chong & Ryan Woods just to name a few don’t inspire me. Another tawdry season of nothingness for the Blues, with the odd goal from the Juke keeping them well clear of safety.<div><b>Prediction:16th</b></div><div><b><br /></b><div><b>Blackburn Rovers-</b> Put simply Tony Mowbray should’ve been given his P45 at the end of May. The failure to do so from the Venky’s , places Rovers in a precarious position & with the inevitable loss of Adam Armstrong and the Bradley Dark-shaped void continuing for another season, the ‘Burn’ in the words of Liam Gallagher in 95’, will struggle. A scrap for survival beckons.</div><div><b>Prediction: 19th</b><br /><br /><b>Blackpool- </b>There’s a few reasons that Blackpool will survive but the main one, is the Neil Critchley factor. He is an outstanding Coach at this level who without doubt will achieve great things within the game. Other factors for me include, Kenny Dougall being majestic, Jerry Yates scoring goals & Chris Maxwell stopping them going in. Survival would be a success for the Seasiders and despite it probably being a long-hard struggle, they will achieve just that.<br /><b>Prediction: 20th</b><br /><br /><b>Bristol City-</b> Nigel Pearson still hasn’t got the right minerals in this squad that he so vitally needed following last term’s shambolic home form. The Only positive for the Robins is that certain young players such as Tyreeq Bakinson will continue to improve, but other than that a poor season ahead. I’ll put my neck on the line here and say that by Christmas Pearson will have left Ashton Gate.<br /><b>Prediction: 18th</b><br /><br /><b>Cardiff City-</b> Big Mick to get the Barnsley Schopp early on. By that pun I mean that Mick McCarthy will barely survive ’til Xmas with Cardiff languishing in the bottom Half before another gaffer has a slight resurgence with the Bluebirds taking them up to a respectable twelfth. Kieffer to bag a few less than he did last season in a side that desperately needed reinforcements but couldn’t afford them. The young ’uns are going to be relied on heavily.<br /><b>Prediction: 12th<br /></b><br /><b>Coventry City-</b> Mark Robins has done an outstanding job with Cov. I back him to build on the back of last season with a respectable 15th in their first season back at the Ricoh in the Champ in 9 years. The loss of Leo Ostigard is the only reason why the Sky Blues don’t quite crack the top half but I still really like them as a team. McFadzean, O’Hare & Godden is a brilliant core.<br /><b>Prediction: 15th<br /><br /><br /></b><b>Read Part 2: <a href="https://www.onthepontyend.com/2021/07/efl-championship-21-22-part2.html" target="_blank">Derby County > Nottingham Forest</a><br /><br /></b><b>Read Part 3: <a href="https://www.onthepontyend.com/2021/07/efl-championship-21-22-part3.html" target="_blank">Peterborough United > West Bromwich Albion</a></b></div></div>Thomas Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17409158451776910064noreply@blogger.com0Barnsley S70 2JW, UK53.5552157 -1.479087125.244981863821153 -36.6353371 81.865449536178843 33.6771629tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6583845623869468857.post-16749424574971392662020-06-17T20:00:00.005+00:002020-06-17T20:08:10.930+00:00Barnsley Begin Rebuilding Process<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The return of Championship football will have been met with delight by most sports fans but, for Barnsley supporters, there will be mixed feelings. Rooted to the bottom of the table, the club looks to have avoided a temporary reprieve that may have come into effect had the 2019/20 season been declared null and void.<br />
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A relegation scrap will now recommence until such time as The Tykes are mathematically stranded in the drop zone. With that in mind, the club has already started to look towards the following campaign which may well start in League One.<br />
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Barnsley’s Chances</h3>
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It’s not impossible for Barnsley to escape relegation but it does seem unlikely that they will survive. As the bottom of the table side, Gerhard Struber’s men are a short odds on bet to be relegated, <a href="https://extra.bet365.com/news/en/football/" target="_blank">according to current football betting markets</a>.<br />
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One small piece of encouragement lies in the fact that second from bottom Luton Town were the hot favourites to go down. With nine games to go, following the break, there are 27 points to play for, but The Tykes are seven points from safety and that gap resembles a chasm at this late stage of the campaign.<br />
<h3>
Banking Bailout</h3>
<a href="https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/sport/football/leeds-united/barnsley-fc-seeking-one-payout-if-they-suffer-championship-relegation-2871377#gsc.tab=0" target="_blank">It was reported at the start of June</a> that Barnsley had proposed that a special, one-off payment be made to any club that suffers relegation from the Championship at the end of 2019/20. Failing that, calls remain for relegation to be scrapped altogether.
The report goes on to claim that the size of the parachute payment should be equivalent to that of one year’s television revenue. The concerns are shared by other clubs such as Queens Park Rangers, and this is one way in which Barnsley FC are preparing for the new campaign.<br />
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Playing Personnel</h3>
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With the summer transfer window yet to open, there is little in the way of reports relating to potential arrivals and departures at Oakwell. <a href="https://www.barnsleyfc.co.uk/news/2020/june/rudipache/" target="_blank">One piece of confirmed news relates to</a> the Under 18s where Rudi Pache has signed a new contract. The 17-year-old had stepped up to the Under 23s and was playing an impressive role for Martin Devaney before injury struck.<br />
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Pache is receiving glowing reports and, if Barnsley were to find themselves in League One next season, the defender could be set for a first-team debut.<br />
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Any talk beyond that confirmed story is mere speculation but Tykes fans will certainly be interested in the future of Killian Ludewig. A loan signing from Red Bull Salzburg, the German Under 18 International defender made nine appearances for Barnsley prior to the break.<br />
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Gerhard Struber knows the player well as a former player and coach at Red Bull and, as long as the club keeps its faith with the man who was appointed in November 2019, the chances of Ludewig playing at Oakwell next season are strong.<br />
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For the moment, it’s all about trying to survive but, clearly Barnsley are already making plans for next season. Those plans are, however, very much dependent on the remaining games of 2019/20.
Ian Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13391227604484162665noreply@blogger.com0Barnsley S70 2JW, UK53.5561331 -1.478918153.553775099999996 -1.4839606 53.5584911 -1.4738756tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6583845623869468857.post-84367985401224194472020-02-05T14:09:00.000+00:002020-02-06T13:14:32.067+00:00The Sound of SilenceFor anyone out there who has had any training in the art of business negotiation, the power of silence is one of the golden rules. The ability to remind yourself to simply ‘shut up’ at key points in a conversation forces the opposite party to fill the empty space for you. Often, giving away key information that might ultimately help you to close the deal.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUZ6LpJbLPs0FnqZcZmVMgz2-9gH9_9-fmdZ1c5TvIsveTeW_-BosciFthuc3rXWt4WVO80QVDIGRjYhIYhxAQwz8K_sGV3CtBI4RuKNLPp1x_EFX9mGFM5EntqyMGNliva3EE4e5YH2k/s1600/SounfOfSilence-BFC.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="453" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUZ6LpJbLPs0FnqZcZmVMgz2-9gH9_9-fmdZ1c5TvIsveTeW_-BosciFthuc3rXWt4WVO80QVDIGRjYhIYhxAQwz8K_sGV3CtBI4RuKNLPp1x_EFX9mGFM5EntqyMGNliva3EE4e5YH2k/s1600/SounfOfSilence-BFC.png" /></a></div>
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Well, what’s the deal with the fans of Barnsley Football Club?</div>
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The owners have shown shocking regard to the supporters in regard to their feedback of late. Whilst it’s appreciated that the club will remain prudent in their activities, to ensure that our club is both profitable and secure, we don’t appear to have an Evangelist who is inspiring us to reach a medium or long term goal. Instead we simply get a positive report that the players have trained well and are ready for the next game.</div>
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In that case, it is for us (the fans) to fill the vacuum of silence. It doesn’t sound positive. </div>
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12 months ago, it was an altogether different sound. The Reds were on the march to possible promotion, with a team that could blossom in England’s second division. Nobody expected anything more than survival this term. Now we look like a team who will struggle in League One (the third tier).</div>
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STFU for now. Hoping for more noise at the other side of the table.</div>
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Ian Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13391227604484162665noreply@blogger.com0Barnsley S70 2JW, UK53.5561331 -1.478918099999987153.553775099999996 -1.4839605999999872 53.5584911 -1.4738755999999871tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6583845623869468857.post-66894211804510480892019-10-10T21:56:00.001+00:002019-10-10T22:13:38.619+00:00Sleep Out Returns to Barnsley for Charity’s 50th AnniversaryBarnsley residents invited to spend the night at Oakwell Stadium to support Youth Homeless
Charity 50th Anniversary Sleep Out.<br />
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Centrepoint and Barnsley FC are inviting local businesses and residents to take on the
challenge of swapping their bed for a sleeping bag for one night in November to raise
awareness and vital funds for youth homelessness.<br />
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The Sleep Out event, now in its third year, is expecting to surpass last year’s efforts where
over 100 local residents spent the night in Oakwell Stadium and collectively raised over
£35,000.<br />
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The money raised at the event will go directly towards the local services supporting
homeless young people in Barnsley; ensuring young people in each town and city can have
safe and stable accommodation, the skills needed to live independently, support with their
physical and mental health alongside access to training and education.<br />
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Centrepoint, the UK’s leading youth homelessness charity, supports more than 60 homeless
young people every day in Barnsley, and over 200 across Yorkshire.<br />
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Chloe Sykes, Centrepoint’s Senior Fundraising Officer, said: “While Sleep Out doesn’t aim to
replicate the reality of homelessness, taking part in can help highlight just some of the
difficulties faced by young people who face homelessness. Sleeping on the floor, dealing with
the cold and the noise and then facing the next day with very little sleep.<br />
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“The event only lasts one night the money raised will have a huge ongoing impact on those
who unfortunately find homelessness as their reality. It will help to support vulnerable young
people to gain the skills and confidence they need to move on in to education, work and a
home.”<br />
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“This year marks Centrepoint’s 50th year in service so we want to make this year our biggest
Sleep Out yet!”<br />
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The event takes place on Thursday 14th November at the home stadium of Barnsley FC.<br />
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Do your part by signing up to Sleep Out at <a href="https://centrepoint.org.uk/SleepOut" target="_blank">Centrepoint.org.uk/SleepOut</a> or find out other ways you
can change the story by visiting <a href="https://centrepoint.org.uk/changethestory/" target="_blank">Centrepoint.org.uk/ChangeTheStory</a>,<br />
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<b>About Centrepoint</b><br />
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<ul>
<li>Centrepoint is the leading charity for homeless young people aged 16-25.</li>
<li>Centrepoint supports over 15,000 homeless young people a year.</li>
<li>It provides accommodation-based and floating support services in London, Yorkshire, Manchester and
the North East. It also runs the Centrepoint Helpline.</li>
<li>The Freephone Centrepoint Helpline is for any young person aged 16-25 who is worried about
homelessness. It is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm. The Centrepoint Helpline number is:
0808 800 0661.</li>
<li>Centrepoint’s work is about more than just providing a safe bed for the night; Centrepoint helps
young people to turn their lives around by gaining essential life skills; tackling their physical and
mental health issues and moving into education or employment.</li>
<li>Through policy work, Centrepoint aims to influence public policy, campaigning on behalf of the young
people it supports and homeless young people throughout the UK.</li>
<li>HRH The Duke of Cambridge became Centrepoint’s Patron in 2005.</li>
</ul>
Ian Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13391227604484162665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6583845623869468857.post-50769965923469174192019-09-06T17:29:00.000+00:002019-09-10T14:47:17.886+00:00The Curious Career Of Emil Hallfredsson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Some 10 years ago, Barnsley brought in Emil Hallfredsson on loan from Reggina. He spent the season at Oakwell - a campaign of initial struggle under Simon Davey that later saw the Tykes pull away from trouble with Mark Robins in charge and ultimately end the campaign in lower mid-table. Hallfredsson scored three goals and made four assists in 27 Championship games for Barnsley. It's a pretty unremarkable return even by the in-and-out standards often set by wide midfielders and wingers.
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On This Day in 2010: Emil Hallfredsson scores the winner against Watford to give the Reds three points at Oakwell <a href="http://t.co/MRtRms0cNa">pic.twitter.com/MRtRms0cNa</a></div>
— Barnsley FC (@BarnsleyFC) <a href="https://twitter.com/BarnsleyFC/status/431386448244121600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 6, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
The career of this Iceland international was anything but ordinary. However, after coming through the ranks at Fimleikafelag Hafnarfjardar in his homeland, Hallfredsson was headhunted by then-Tottenham Hotspur sporting director, Frank Arnesen. That great Dane had a glittering playing career and was charged with finding left-wing options for Spurs. Arnesen took a scattergun approach to solving this problematic position, also signing Switzerland's, Reto Ziegler, and the famous Andy Reid from Nottingham Forest.<br />
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Hallfredsson never made a first-team appearance for Tottenham, but did show glimpses of what he could do in the reserves and later show further promise during a 2006 loan spell with Malmo in Sweden. He then left White Hart Lane on a permanent basis <a href="https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11675/2595587/emil-makes-spurs-exit" target="_blank">for Norwegian capital club, Lyn Oslo</a> only to immediately move on to then-Serie A side, Reggina.<br />
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It was in Italy where Hallfredsson would spend the vast majority of his club career. Although in and out of the picture at Calabrian club Reggina, he dropped down two divisions to help Hellas Verona go from Serie C back to Serie A.<br />
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Once the momentum of that rise through the divisions ebbed, however, Hellas became something of a yo-yo club between the Italian top flight and Serie B. Since Hallfredsson left Verona midway through 2015-16, they've gone down and been promoted twice. They're among the favourites for the drop again this term at <a href="https://extra.bet365.com/news/en/football/serie-a" target="_blank">11/8 in the latest Serie A betting on relegation</a> outright markets with bet365.<br />
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During his time in Italy, Hallfredsson played with established stars and cult heroes like World Cup-winning striker, Luca Toni, Mexico defensive icon, Rafael Marquez, and Udinese talisman, Antonio Di Natale.<br />
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It was whilst he was on the books of that club that Hallfredsson enjoyed his finest hour. He not only qualified with Iceland for a first major international tournament in Euro 2016, but was a part of their squad when they reached the quarter-finals - <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/jun/27/england-iceland-euro-2016-match-report" target="_blank">famously eliminating England in the last 16 en route</a>.
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Sports Illustrated’s World Cup preview is out. Iceland is everyone’s favorite underdog, with Birkir Bjarnason, Emil Hallfredsson, Jóhann Berg Gudmundsson and Ragnar Sigurdsson <a href="https://t.co/aNVnlAh6oD">pic.twitter.com/aNVnlAh6oD</a></div>
— Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) <a href="https://twitter.com/GrantWahl/status/1001454200344186883?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 29, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
Hallfredsson may have been on the fringes of Icelandic exploits, but was again a part of the roster that reached the 2018 World Cup in Russia. As an individual, his goal in a Euro 2008 qualifier against subsequent dual European champions, Spain, that earned his country a point, would most probably be a personal highlight for the player.<br />
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Iceland's opposition that day counted future World Cup winners, Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Xabi Alonso, Xavi, Andres Iniesta, David Silva, Fernando Torres, and David Villa among the players involved. All in all, not bad for a lad who didn't really cut it at Barnsley!
Ian Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13391227604484162665noreply@blogger.com0Barnsley S70 2JW, UK53.5561331 -1.478918099999987153.553775099999996 -1.4839605999999872 53.5584911 -1.4738755999999871tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6583845623869468857.post-81643671842468144912019-08-09T10:00:00.000+00:002019-08-09T10:00:03.492+00:00From the Spion Kop, A Wednesdayite ViewFor the first South Yorkshire derby of the season, The Reds make the short trip down the M1 to Hillsborough, to face a Sheffield Wednesday side coming off of the back of a terrific 3-1 victory over Reading on the opening day.<br />
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So ahead of Saturday's clash, I spoke to Eddie from the superb Sheffield Wednesday blog '<a href="https://opinionofanowl.wordpress.com/posts/" target="_blank">Opinion of an Owl</a>' to try and gain a little bit of intel on our opponents from S6.<br />
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<b>How was your opening day fixture against Reading?</b><br />
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Very successful. A great team performance, with the addition of the shining performance of Kadeem Harris, making his competitive debut. Would have been the perfect start had Westwood not been sent off.<br />
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<b>Which Barnsley player are you most fearful of come Saturday?</b><br />
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Mallik Wilks, without a doubt. I have to admit, I was hugely surprised and jealous when I saw you sign him. He is everything Wednesday needed (although we now have Harris) and his performance against Fulham was certainly impressive.<br />
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<b>Since Steve ‘Snakey’ Bruce has left S6, would you have Carlos Carvalhal back?</b><br />
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No. Whilst the first and, to an extent, second season of Carlos’ reign were some of the best since the turn of the century, that is in the past. We should now look forward and appoint a manger who can use money wisely - something Carlos failed to do.<br />
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<b>Following on front that Q, who would be, putting all odds aside, your top three for the vacancy?</b><br />
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Chris Hughton - the only one of the three to have experience in this league, his record speaks for himself. However, there are many rumours flying around that he has declined the opportunity to speak to the Hillsborough hierarchy already.<br />
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Lee Bullen - the only one of the three to know the squad, I feel he may deserve the chance to have a go at the job full-time. Continue the good results and I’ll have no complaints.<br />
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Danny Cowley - Unknown at this level, yet has done wonders with the Imps. Would be a gamble but a young, innovative manager could be what we need.<br />
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<b>Which SWFC player should The Reds really keep a look out for on Saturday?</b><br />
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Kadeem Harris. Did wonders on his debut and looks like he may be what we have been missing. Also making his home league debut, hopefully he can reproduce his display at Reading.<br />
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<b>Any good memories of this fixture, and on the other hand any bad ones?</b><br />
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I remember a few years ago when we beat you at Hillsborough 2-0 I think, yet the highlight for me was the bizarre red card for Adam Hammill. If I remember rightly, Hutchinson should have received the marching orders, not Hammill. Talking about bad memories, I’m not sure. Probably Harvey Barnes’ wonder-goal in the last home game we had against you. That was the start of the ‘Barnes will tear you apart, again’ curse.<br />
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<b>Even though it’s early days, how do you see this season coming to fruition for SWFC?</b><br />
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It all depends on the manger situation. I would be happy with anywhere from 4th-10th. I just want us to be pushing for play-offs. Anything higher is a bonus.<br />
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<b>Lastly, score prediction?</b><br />
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1-1 (One all). I think it will be a great, fast-paced, end to end game. It will be interesting to see the certain battles on the pitch. I think the game will be won or lost in the midfield.<br />
<br />Thomas Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17409158451776910064noreply@blogger.com0Barnsley S70 2JW, UK53.5561331 -1.478918099999987153.553775099999996 -1.4839605999999872 53.5584911 -1.4738755999999871tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6583845623869468857.post-18182334882363865702019-08-07T10:00:00.000+00:002019-10-20T14:16:18.851+00:00Sandro Kulenovic, Rumours And Big BidsOn Monday evening The Reds announced the departure of much loved striker Kieffer Moore, as he shunned Oakwell to team up with the Latics and 'Crusty the Pie'. The result of this departure was The Reds receiving a hefty £4M, and 'Keef' leaving a hole in The Reds' squad, so with many fans expecting that hole to be filled in, I look at the rumours swirling around Grove Street on the week of the transfer deadline.<br />
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First up, and with his name in the post it will come as no surprise to you that I'm going to write about Croatian striker Sandro Kulenovic, currently playing for Legia Warsaw in Poland's top division, the Etralaska. Likened to both Mario Mandzukic in physique and strength and Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang in how quick he is.<br />
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Kulenovic has represented Croatia at every single youth level, right from U14's up to U21's. Last season in the Etralaska, Kulenovic bagged 4 in 21 games. Not outstanding numbers, but almost certainly not to be scoffed at, especially when you consider that he started most games on the bench and scored whilst on the pitch - once in every 178 minutes. Going off of this average, if Kulenovic were to have started all 37 games in the Etralaska he would've probably bagged around 17 goals, which is outstanding for a player who hasn't even turned twenty yet. This season so far, he has scored in his sole appearance in the league for Legia, and a further once in the Europa League, starting this season off with a bang you could almost say. Available for around €3M, The Reds have already bid €2.7M, which with bonuses could hit that magic figure, keep your eyes peeled Reds fans. I think this one could be a go-er.<br />
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Next, <a href="https://www.football-addict.com/en/news/championship/barnsley-fc" target="_blank">a player who has been linked with The Reds for well over a month now</a>, Marcus Tavernier. Having seen an opening bid of £1.7M rejected on July 21st, and a second bid of £2.6M rejected in early August, could we see 'Tav' in a Red shirt before Thursday's 5PM deadline, with The Reds set to swoop in with a final bid?<br />
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Despite being seen by 'Boro fans as a poster-boy for Jonathan Woodgate's new look side, The Reds quite clearly think a deal can be struck with the Teeside club, as most likely if not negotiations would not have been carried out so far down the line from our first bid. Tavernier looks set to be a top player in the future as well, already capped 19 times by England U19's and England U20's. He is a top talent and I would love to see him at Grove Street.<br />
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Merely to round off my points on Tavernier. For Middlesborough, in total he has 6 goals and 4 assists in 35 appearances; most of which came from the bench. We should also consider his age, Tavernier's record is outstanding.<br />
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Now probably the player who has been linked heaviest to The Reds, Tom Pearce. With a bid in the region of £850K enough to tempt Leeds into selling. It looks as though The Reds could get a real coup in the form of Pearce.<br />
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Like many of the players in this post, he is capped for his country at youth level, having made 2 appearances for the England U21's and 8 for the England U20's. Ironically Pearce's first ever professional career goal was actually against The Reds in a 2-1 victory for Leeds in April 2018. A 3rd incoming from Leeds in one summer may be on the cards here, and I'm all for it, Left-Back is without doubt our weakest area on the field in terms of depth, and i feel Pearce would be a superb option to have.<br />
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Lastly, a couple of rumours. <a href="https://www.footballinsider247.com/sources-west-brom-set-to-tell-in-demand-midfielder-he-can-move-to-new-club-for-19-20/">Reports from Football Insider,</a> the firm who first brought us news of Mallik Wilks and Aapo Halme's incomings have suggested that a 'Loan to buy' move may be about to occur for young West Brom midfielder Sam Field. Once again he has been capped by England at youth level 22 times across three different age groups, and displays a bit of Championship pedigree having played 12 times for the Baggies last term. However, it remains to be seen whether interest in Field is actually concrete.<br />
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Another one from the Oakwell Rumour Mill is that the 'back-up option' if a deal for Sandro Kulenovic fails to materialise is Hannover 96 forward Hendrik Weydandt. Weydandt bagged 6 goals in the Bundesliga last term, averaging a goal every 287 minutes in Germany's top flight. If a deal were to be struck for Weydandt the touted fee is that he would cost around €2.5M. So a hefty amount, but still a fair bit cheaper than Kulenovic. However, much like a deal for Sam Field, it remains to be seen if interest is concrete and not just a falsification.<br />
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What do you think? All feedback is appreciated, if you want to feed something back to me or merely want a chat about BFC you can find me on twitter, my handle is <a href="https://twitter.com/TomOTPE" target="_blank">@TomOTPE</a>.<br />
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<br />Thomas Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17409158451776910064noreply@blogger.com0Barnsley S70 2JW, UK53.5561331 -1.478918099999987153.553775099999996 -1.4839605999999872 53.5584911 -1.4738755999999871tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6583845623869468857.post-36030244655402951982019-08-02T17:28:00.004+00:002019-08-04T19:30:01.998+00:00Noise From The North Stand: A Fulham ViewKicking off the new season, Fulham head up the M1 from Craven Cottage following a disappointing season in the Premier League. Ahead of Saturday's match, I caught up with Dan Smith from the excellent Fulham blog, <a href="https://fulhamfocus.com/" target="_blank">Fulham Focus</a>, to find out what we can expect from our opening day opponents.<br />
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<b> </b><br />
<b>What are your hopes and fears for the season?</b><br />
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It’s the hope that kills you right? I think given our position coming down from the Premier League plus, having spent £100 million last summer, it would be quite worrying if we weren’t hoping to be in the mix for automatic promotion. We’ve kept the majority of our squad together, Cairney and Mitrovic have signed new contracts whilst we’ve added quality with Cavaleiro and Knockaert out wide. We have potentially the best attacking line in the division so anything short of top 6 really will be underwhelming.<br />
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On the flip side, we have a manager who is taking on his first managerial role in a season where it is essential that we are promoted. We have a new Riverside stand being built and it’ll look like a white elephant, failing to meet the corporate market that it’s being aimed at if we stay out of the top flight for too long, so he’s under pressure immediately to deliver. Add to that our defence, you couldn’t be given a bigger contrast between attack and defence if you tried. We are yet to sign any defenders to improve on the second worst goals conceded record in Premier League history and if Barnsley are to have any joy against us, it’ll be at that end of the field with an in-form Woodrow coming back to haunt us.<br />
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<b>Which Fulham player should the Reds be most fearful of?</b><br />
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Take your pick from the front 4. Cavaleiro, Mitrovic, Knockaert with Tom Cairney behind them orchestrating the attacks. It really is a devastating line up at this level. We are yet to see 'Cav' or Knockaert play as this will be their debuts. But knowing what he’s capable of, I have to stick with 'Mitro' as the main threat. When he joined us in the January of our last promotion, no defender in this league could handle him. He’s now fitter and settled in Fulham and that does not make good reading for centre backs in the Championship.<br />
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<b>How do you think you will do this season?</b><br />
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As mentioned above, I think we will be heavily reliant on our attack to win us games. So it should be a very entertaining season with goals galore at both ends. My fear is that behind every good team there is a good defence and it’s impossible to gauge our potential based on that. But I’m forever the optimist and I’m going to quietly whisper that I feel we ‘should’ win the league or at least be a strong contender. Our squad on paper cost significantly more than everyone else’s so by rights I think that’s a fair assumption to make rather than a cocky one. If we don’t there can be no excuses and worst ways I’m hoping for top 4 for the home advantage in the playoffs.<br />
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<b>What are your thoughts on Barnsley, and which player would you take from us?</b><br />
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I’ve always seen you as a second tier club and it’s good to see you back. With so much money coming down with the failed Premier League clubs, plus so many sleeping giants in this division, it’s going to be hard for the likes of Luton, yourselves and Charlton to compete beyond mid-table. You face 5 really important games after us, all against sides that I expect to be in the bottom half of the league. So the six pointers start from the off and your season will most likely be determined by how well you do in those early games, just like it will be for most clubs. I think you’ll survive but will be down there in the mix along with 6 or 7 others.<br />
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We have put all our eggs in one basket with Mitrovic up top and have very little cover if he was to get injured. So Cauley Woodrow being the tried and trusted would be a safe bet. He struggled to make an impact here but as a backup who will only be needed in emergencies (because of 'Mitro’s' fit, he plays), we could do a lot worse.<br />
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<b>Any fond memories of trips to Oakwell?</b><br />
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It has to be the 1-3 victory during our 23 game unbeaten run in the 2017/18 promotion season. You were 1 up before Dimitri Cavare discovered the red mist and man handled Stefan Johansen foolishly just before half time. You were controlling the game up until that point but it gave us a platform to grow into the game. We nicked it in injury time with a really scrappy goal from Kevin McDonald scrambling it over the goal line and Sessegnon rounded it off a minute or so later for 3-1. It’s always a good journey home when you score a late winner and Oakwell in general is a good away day.<br />
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<b>Any not so fond ones?</b><br />
<br />
None that stick out but I’ve just looked it up and we’ve only lost to you once up at yours in my lifetime and I was born in 88! So that bodes well!<br />
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<b>Lastly, score prediction? </b><br />
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It’s the worst time to be playing a promoted team away from home. Everything is hunky dory and there’s no pressure yet. Plus, we haven’t kept any clean sheets during pre season and ex players (this time Woodrow) always seem to do well against us. So, I’m going to go with a 2-4 win to Fulham. That fire power proving the difference after a very nervy start.<br />
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Thomas Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17409158451776910064noreply@blogger.com0Barnsley S70 2JW, UK53.5561331 -1.478918099999987153.553775099999996 -1.4839605999999872 53.5584911 -1.4738755999999871tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6583845623869468857.post-51325437852037854342019-07-30T11:00:00.000+00:002019-07-30T11:00:07.757+00:00Best XI: AttackIn this series we are celebrating the 11th anniversary of OnThePontyEnd, and to do so we decided to set up a number of Twitter polls, to well and truly decide once and for all, what is the greatest Barnsley FC XI of the last eleven years?<br />
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Today we look at the final part of the XI, the attack. Midfield and defence issues have already been published, and the links to them will be at the bottom of this post.<br />
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RF: <b>Ricardo Vaz Te</b><br />
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Despite spending only six months with the Reds, Ricardo Vaz Te was the winner of the right-forward vote, beating Jamal Campbell-Ryce and Marley Watkins to the position. Initially joining the club on a trial basis after his release from Hibernian, Vaz Te impressed Keith Hill that much that the Reds offered Vaz Te a contract. However, despite his red hot pre-season form Vaz Te could not take that same form into the start of the 2011/12 season, taking until October 18th against Burnley to bag his first goal in a Red shirt. After that goal, there was no looking back for Vaz Te, goal after goal followed, screamer after screamer, which meant every-time he put the ball in the net, came that shimmy celebration with Jim O'Brien! Particular screamers include one at London Road in a 4-3 victory over the Posh, and that ridiculous 8 second strike against Crystal Palace, the fastest goal in the history of the Championship. Then came probably Vaz Te's most iconic moment in a Red shirt, a hat-trick against Leeds United at Oakwell on New Years Eve, inspiring the Reds to a 4-1 victory, having come on as a substitute following the leg-snapping challenge from Michael Brown on Jacob Butterfield. Sadly, just a day later Vaz Te rejected a new contract offered to him by the club and the writing was on the wall. He left for West Ham at the end of that month. Despite this though, in the end it proved to be his early season goals that ultimately kept the club in England's second tier, and a Portsmouth points deduction.<br />
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LF: <b>Adam Hammill</b><br />
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Taking 91% of the vote, Adam Hamill most certainly has the mandate to take up this position, absolutely thrashing Martin Devaney and Ryan Kent on his way to the left-forward birth. Initially joining us on loan from Liverpool, Hammill was an instant hit with the Reds fans scoring on the last day of the 08/09 season at home park in a 2-1 victory over Plymouth Argyle. The season after, 09/10 Hammill signed permanently at Oakwell, and had a good season, at the age of just 21 scored 4 and set up 5, along with also winning the 2009 goal of the year award for his screamer against Derby County in a move that we have seen so many times from Hammill. Cutting in from the left and bending a beauty into the corner was uniquely his trademark. However it was 2010/11 when Hammill became arguably the best player in the division at the time, and if anything that is an understatement. Scoring an impressive 8 goals and bagging 6 assists in half a season, along with stellar solo performances, most notably on that night at Oakwell where Leeds United were torn apart by Hammill's brilliance, he assisted 3 and scored 1 as we were victorious 5-2. Performances like these were bound to attract Premiership interest, and Hammill left for Wolves in January 2011, marking the end of his first era. It was just like the stars had aligned perfectly when Hammill made a return to Oakwell with Barnsley languishing at the bottom of England's third tier and on a run of 8 defeats in a row, Hammill scored and assisted in a 2-1 JPT victory over York City, the game many regard as the start of the comeback trail. What followed after this game was more than a mere fairytale and Hammill inspired the Reds to Wembley in both league and cup, with 3 goals and 3 assists in the JPT amongst which was a beauty against Oxford United at Wembley. In the league and play-offs Hammill was a different beast, scoring a Maradona-esque goal agaisnt Millwall at Oakwell in a game that lifted the Reds to within touching distance of the top 6, and eventually The Reds made the play-offs after a do or die fixture against Wigan Athletic. Scoring the opener in both legs against Walsall, Hammill stepped onto the turf at Wembley knowing full well that if he could repeat his heroics against Oxford he would confirm his place as legend. He did just that and more. Cutting in from 35 yards out on the left and unleashing a rocket into the top right stanchion, scoring what is in my opinion the greatest ever Barnsley goal, incredible. Despite two pretty average seasons after the Reds had returned to the Championship, Hammill will forever be remembered as an all-time Barnsley great, my favourite Barnsley player of all-time, no doubt whatsoever about that. 'Adam Hammill Is A Red, Is A Red, Is A Red, Adam Hammill Is A Red, He Hates Leeds Scum!'.<br />
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ST: <b>Cauley Woodrow</b><br />
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Victorious with 56% of the vote, Cauley Woodrow is the striker in this side beating off Sam Winnall and Daniel Bogdanovic, both of whom probably didn't have the best chance of winning due to the way they left Grove Street. Anyway, onto Woodrow. Arriving from Fulham for a reported £700K, Woodrow made the perfect start to life at Barnsley, bagging in his 2nd league game for the club in a crucial away game with a sell-out Barnsley crowd at Accrington Stanley. Since then Woodrow has just gone from strength to strength always seeming to pop up with a vital goal, scoring 7 match-winners in 2018/2019 alone, more match-winning goals than any other Red since Craig Hignett in 1999/2000. Not simply popping up with winners, but also with crucial equalisers, like against Doncaster Rovers and Blackpool at Oakwell. With an end of season total of 16 goals as The Reds achieved promotion at the first time of asking to the 2nd tier, for the first time since the rebranding of the Championship, the Reds would have probably been a far cry from the top two if it was not for Woodrow's goals, and contributions. Impressively bagging a goal every 154 minutes, Woodrow's 18/19 we can only hope will be followed up by an even better 19/20! 'Nah, na na na nah, na na na nah, na na nah, na na nah ... Cauley Woodrowwwwwww!'.<br />
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This post marks the end of the XI, but don't fret more #OTPE11 themed content will be coming soon!<br />
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<a href="https://www.onthepontyend.com/2019/07/best-xi-defence.html" target="_blank">Read Best XI: Defence</a><br />
<a href="https://www.onthepontyend.com/2019/07/best-xi-midfield.html" target="_blank">Read Best XI: Midfield</a><br />
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What do you think? All feedback is appreciated, if you want to feed something back to me or merely want a chat about BFC you can find me on twitter, my handle is <a href="https://twitter.com/TomOTPE" target="_blank">@TomOTPE</a>.<br />
<br />Thomas Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17409158451776910064noreply@blogger.com0Barnsley S70 2JW, UK53.5561331 -1.478918099999987153.553775099999996 -1.4839605999999872 53.5584911 -1.4738755999999871tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6583845623869468857.post-6010377093965866452019-07-29T11:00:00.000+00:002019-07-29T11:00:00.892+00:00Best XI: MidfieldIn this series we are celebrating the 11th anniversary of OnThePontyEnd, and to do so we decided to set up a number of Twitter polls, to well and truly decide once and for all, what is the greatest Barnsley FC XI of the last eleven years?<br />
<br />
Following on from our recent <a href="https://www.onthepontyend.com/2019/07/best-xi-defence.html" target="_blank">Best X1: Defence post</a>, today we are looking at the Reds' Midfield. Keep your eyes peeled for the final post in this series which is coming very soon and will feature the popular players from Attack.<br />
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CM: <b>Conor Hourihane</b><br />
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Taking the biggest victory of any player in these polls with 95% of the vote, Conor Hourihane is the first Centre-Mid in this side, comprehensively beating Jacob Butterfield and Josh Scowen. Arriving from Plymouth Argyle for a bargain £225K in June 2014, Hourihane made the perfect start to life at Oakwell bagging worldies against Yeovil Town, Gillingham and Coventry City, picking up the Sky Bet League One player of the month award in the process. Despite not picking up any other personal accolades that season, 14/15 was a stellar one for 'King Conor' scoring 13 goals and picking up a further 14 assists. Then came a season that truly wrote his name into Reds folklore. In 2015/16 with the Reds languishing at the lower reaches of League One, Hourihane took over the captaincy from Alfie Mawson, and the fortunes of the Reds changed dramatically. Losing only 3 games from December 19th onwards, Hourihane was a real catalyst in both league and cup, scoring in the EFL Trophy semi-final against Fleetwood Town, and providing 4 assists in the competition overall, including one in the final. Yet it was in the league where he truly made his mark once again hitting double figures for goals and assists, bagging 10 and assisting 14, in amongst them goals were crucial thunderstrikes against arch-rivals Sheffield United in the final minute, and in a do or die play-off deciding clash with champions Wigan Athletic, an incredible season. In his final six months with the Reds, Hourihane inspired the side to 5th place on January the 28th when he eventually made his long awaited move to Aston Villa, scoring 7 and assisting 12 on his way. It was fitting that his final act was a goal of the season winner, that victorious strike against Leeds United from 25 yards out. A goal that many feel amongst the Oakwell terraces was one that cemented his place as a true Barnsley legend, 'Here's to you Conor Hourihane, Barnsley loves you more than you will know...'.<br />
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CM: <b>Brian Howard</b><br />
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In a much closer contested poll than the one talked about prior, Brian Howard is the victor, only just edging current Red Alex Mowatt, and Josh Brownhill. Joining really as a back-up to Stephen McPhail in 2005, Howard really came into his own following his recovery from a broken bone in his foot, and was an integral member of the side that eventually gained promotion to the Championship, following that famous play-off final victory against Swansea City. However once he had been given the chance to showcase himself at a higher level, Howard become the Reds' star man. In 2006/07 bagged 8 goals and assisted a further 6, as his contributions ultimately were a key factor in The Reds avoiding the drop. During 2007/08, Brian Howard became not only Barnsley's most talked about prospect, but the Championship's too, all whilst simultaneously managing to flood his own house by leaving the tap on whilst at training (don't ask me how I know that). In all seriousness though, a season which included THAT goal against Liverpool and an appearance in the PFA Championship team of the year truly merits his place in this XI. It's just a real shame how Howard left the club. A decade on from the controversial move to the red and white side of Sheffield, the sour grapes have been swallowed and any Reds fan that voted for Howard to be in this side can look past it, and see what a marvellous 'laiker' he was for Barnsley.<br />
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CM: <b>Cameron McGeehan</b><br />
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In probably what was the weakest selection of players in these midfield polls, Cam McGeehan reigns victorious easily beating Hugo Colace and Jim O'Brien. A midfield pivot, whose role is to rampage forward and provide the killer pass, Cam McGeehan shone on the Reds' road to the Championship last season after a slow yet turbulent start to life at Oakwell. Signed by Paul Heckingbottom for just shy of a million pounds, McGeehan's minutes were restricted at the start of the season due to his recovery from a broken leg, which he had suffered whilst playing for Luton Town. However once he was back fit again, 'Hecky' used Cam as a number 10 in a midfield three, much more often than his preferred role of an 8, as maybe his squad number may suggest. Then due to sub-par performances in his non-preferred role he was turfed out to Scunthorpe for the latter half of the 2017/18 season. Yet when Daniel Stendel came in he breathed a new lease of life into McGeehan, and stellar performances coupled with vital goals helped him retain his place in the side - even when Kenneth Dougall returned from injury. A real class player in every sense, Cam Mac is regarded as a real bright prospect for the season ahead, as many of the Oakwell faithful cannot wait to see him once more partner Alex Mowatt in the Reds midfield. But thanks to your votes, it will be Brian Howard and Conor Hourihane whom he partners in this side!<br />
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What do you think? All feedback is appreciated, if you want to feed something back to me or merely want a chat about BFC you can find me on twitter, my handle is <a href="https://twitter.com/TomOTPE" target="_blank">@TomOTPE</a>.<br />
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<b><br /></b>Thomas Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17409158451776910064noreply@blogger.com0Barnsley S70 2JW, UK53.5561331 -1.478918099999987153.553775099999996 -1.4839605999999872 53.5584911 -1.4738755999999871tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6583845623869468857.post-24263066794541869982019-07-28T11:00:00.000+00:002019-07-28T11:00:05.877+00:00Best XI: DefenceIn this series we are celebrating the 11th anniversary of OnThePontyEnd, and to do so we decided to set up a number of Twitter polls, to well and truly decide once and for all, what is the greatest Barnsley FC XI of the last eleven years?<br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">Today, we start out with the defence, with the midfield and attack issues coming soon.</span><br />
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In goal: <b>Heinz Muller</b><br />
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Taking 59% of the twitter poll, it was put beyond doubt that much revered German shotstopper Heinz Muller should be the reigning 1 in this side, beating off competition from Luke Steele and Adam Davies. Joining in August 2007 from Lillestrom in the Norweigan premiership, Muller was taken to immediately by the Oakwell faithful, thanks to memorable penalty saves, most notably saves against Wolves' Andy Keogh, and the now iconic save and celebration against Preston North End in the last minute of the 2007/08 clash in which the Reds were victorious 1-0. A true Reds cult-hero in every sense of the word, his performances have not only put him in the history books, the hearts and minds of Barnsley fans, but also our XI. Viva Heinz Muller!<br />
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Right-Back:<b> Kieran Trippier</b><br />
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With a 73% majority, Kieran Trippier was the overwhelming favourite amongst those who took part in the twitter poll to take up the position of right-back, battering other nominees James Bree and Mason Holgate in the process of doing so. Arriving from Manchester City on a season-long loan in 2010, the incoming of Tripps' was first met frostily, due to his 'bad boy' reputation which he had amassed whilst a youngster at the City Of Manchester Stadium. However, by the summer of 2011, he had won the young player of the year gong in the end of season awards ceremony, and built up an excellent rapport with the Reds fans thanks to his endless work ethic, quality on the ball and in the tackle in amongst some incredibly memorable moments. One of my strongest memories as a Barnsley fan is that moment when he curled the ball to perfection into the top corner against Doncaster Rovers in the last minute. That memory is still vivid today in my mind. Seven years on from that goal against 'Donny' he did the same to Croatia in a World Cup Semi-Final. Madness!<br />
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Left-Back: <b>Andy Yiadom</b><br />
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In what was to be honest, a position devoid of much quality for the Reds in the last 11 years, Andy Yiadom reigns victorious against other candidates Dani Pinillos and Jay McEveley. Joining on a bosman in the summer of 2016 folllowing our promotion from League One via the play-offs, Yiadom was an instant hit at Oakwell due to his work-rate and versatility. Moving to left-back in October due to the dominance of James Bree on the right-side of defence, Yiadom never looked back, and capped off an excellent 16/17 with a Ghana call-up. Though still putting in a 7/10 every weekend, Yiadom looked a shadow of his former self in 17/18, having fallen out of favour with the Barnsley faithful over his handling of himself in the wake of an approach from Huddersfield Town for his services. He left on a free to Reading with a large odour of what could have been in the air, nonetheless, a terrific left-back in his first year with the Reds.<br />
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Right Cenre-Back:<b> Jason Shackell</b><br />
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Despite John Stones' initial victory in this poll, thanks to feedback from OnThePontyEnd readers, I reversed his victory, meaning Shackell takes his place in the side having edged out his partner in crime at the time Stephen 'Fozzy' Foster. A tough-tackling, yet elegant centre-half, Jason Shackell joined the club for £700K in July 2010, and was immediately awarded the captaincy by then Reds gaffer, Mark Robins. Impressing many in the second tier that season, Shackell was an almost ever-present in the Starting XI that season, appearing in 44 of 46 league games, and at the end of the season picked up the player of the season award, which in the end was a kiss of death. Leaving the Reds to join the Rams for a million pounds just two months later. However, despite this Shackell left a lasting impression, and is regarded as one of the best Barnsley defenders since the millennium and this poll showcases that.<br />
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Left Centre-Back: <b>Alfie Mawson</b><br />
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Taking the W in the closest and most-voted poll, Alfie Mawson only just secures the position, taking 48 percent of the poll, just ahead of Ethan Pinnock with 45 percent, who were both half a world away from Marc Roberts who took only 6 percent. However, more on Mawson now. A Lee Johnson signing in 2015, arriving on a free from Brentford, Mawson was a regular and 'El Capitano' in the Reds' run to the bottom of England's third tier. Yet when the armband went to Conor Hourihane he transformed into a different beast, winning a huge percentage of his aerial duals and bagging an impressive 9 goals in 63 apps. When he made his Premier League move to Swansea City, Mawson impressed so much for the Reds that many tipped him for England duty. A rolls-royce of a Defender, he more than warrants his place in this side, and should he start on August the 3rd against us, will more than likely receive an excellent reception from all four sides of Oakwell.<br />
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What do you think? All feedback is appreciated, if you want to feed something back to me or merely want a chat about BFC you can find me on twitter, my handle is <a href="https://twitter.com/TomOTPE" target="_blank">@TomOTPE</a>.Thomas Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17409158451776910064noreply@blogger.com0Barnsley S70 2JW, UK53.5561331 -1.478918099999987153.553775099999996 -1.4839605999999872 53.5584911 -1.4738755999999871tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6583845623869468857.post-7546950967891827882019-07-10T10:00:00.000+00:002019-08-04T21:29:27.751+00:00Why Daniel Stendel Signing A New Contract Is Key To The Progression Of Barnsley FCHow many times this summer have we heard, this signing is going to be the one that is going to be the one that catapults the Reds into the stratosphere of the Championship top ten. However no member of the playing staff is going to be the one key for this if it were to happen even if they were to display stellar performances, for me it would be the man that sends them out onto the pitch and coaches them day in day out, and that man is Daniel Stendel.<br />
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When Herr Stendel took over from Jose Morais in the Summer of 2018, it was anyone's guess as to what he would be like. He spoke no English, and after the nightmare that was Morais' short but ill-fated reign as manager, many might have wondered, what if we have a repeat? However what followed was anything but that.<br />
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Transforming a team that had no identity and pretty much no plan has to be highly commended, never mind turning them into an incredible gegenpressing team, and getting the best out of players like; Alex Mowatt, Mama Thiam and Dimi Cavare. Finishing second in the division was also very impressive, and is another incredible achievement. You can read even more about this in my piece in the August edition of '<a href="https://www.worldsoccer.com/" target="_blank">World Soccer Magazine</a>'.<br />
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However, moving onto the future, I truly do not think we will understand how brilliant Stendel will be for us in the Championship. We can attack the Championship with a style of football that is very unique, and with Stendel at the helm I can see us doing something incredible. If you only cast your mind back to last season, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/who-scored-blog/2019/apr/09/norwich-city-championship-table" target="_blank">Norwich won the Championship</a> playing a similar way to Stendel, the gegenpress. Could we do the same? It truly is possible after all, a lot of our new players are unknown quantities, the likes of Bambo Diaby, Sam Radlinger and Mads Andersen really could become superb Championship players.<br />
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Tying him down would be a real statement of intent, and after <a href="https://www.leedsunited.com/news/team-news/22980/paul-heckingbottom-appointed-head-coach" target="_blank">the actions of 'Ecky</a> and those who have preceded him, It is key so that he doesn't get poached. Singlehandedly, apart from the finance side of things, he will have attracted many a laiker to Oakwell this season, and if we get an incredible season in the Championship under our belts, who knows what calibre of player he may be able to attract come this time next year?<br />
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Paul Conway, you have one mission, tie him down!<br />
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What do you think? All feedback is appreciated, if you want to feed something back to me or merely want a chat about BFC you can find me on twitter, my handle is <a href="https://twitter.com/TomOTPE" target="_blank">@TomOTPE</a>.Thomas Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17409158451776910064noreply@blogger.com0Barnsley S70 2JW, UK53.5561331 -1.478918099999987153.553775099999996 -1.4839605999999872 53.5584911 -1.4738755999999871tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6583845623869468857.post-3158362369169613942019-07-09T10:00:00.000+00:002019-07-09T10:00:00.306+00:00Who Deserves The Captaincy At Barnsley FC?After the recent departure of skipper Adam Davies, and vice Ethan Pinnock, the Reds are in need of a new captain and vice-captain, so today I ask: 'who deserves the armband?'. In this post I will look into a few candidates, and some of the factors that may help them become the captain at Oakwell.<br />
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<b>Cameron McGeehan</b><br />
First up it's Cam McGeehan. One of the more experienced members of the Reds side, in terms of EFL appearances, and a central midfielder who is very vocal, and a good leader. I would say Cam is quite probably the leading candidate for the role of skipper. After breaking into the side last season following the injury of Kenneth Dougall, he really hasn't looked back since, and stellar performances were rewarded with a new contract in the Summer.<br />
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Named as 'El Capitano' against Stalybridge Celtic on Wednesday night might also indicate that Daniel Stendel favours McGeehan for the armband,. Another element that may back up his claim to the captaincy is that he was Norwich City's youth cup winning captain, meaning that out of the Reds' current squad he is the only player with past experience of the position. McGeehan really could thrive with the armband on, in a similar way to Conor Hourihane, who after being given that amount of responsibility transformed into a different beast.<br />
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<b>Alex Mowatt</b><br />
Much like his midfield partner McGeehan, Alex Mowatt also has a multitude of EFL experience, having amassed over 200 professional appearances under his belt. However unlike McGeehan, Mowatt has never actually played a game as captain, which would mean that taking on the vacant role would be something completely new to him.<br />
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However, we saw last season that taking on more responsibility as the Reds' lynchpin in midfield saw Mowatt's performances drastically improve up to the point that many were tipping him to be Barnsley FC player of the season. He eventually finished second in the running for that award. However Alex made it into pretty much every Sky Bet League One team of the season under the sun, which begs the question, would he improve again if given even more responsibility by Herr Stendel?<br />
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<b>Dani Pinillos</b><br />
A bit of an outside choice for the armband, but due to him being a much more experienced pro in terms of the Reds' squad, could Pinillos take on the role as captain? Amassing over nine years worth of experience in the Pro scene, could Dani be the right man to be skipper for 2019/20? He is a very good pro, and I for one think he could take on the role and do it very well.<br />
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<b>Kieffer Moore</b><br />
Despite all of the current rumours circling around the target man's future, he captained the Reds on three occasions last term, and to very great effect, and against Accrington Stanley displayed superb leadership skills as the Reds won 2-0 and he bagged and assisted. If he were to stay then he would be a frontrunner for the post, and I for one would not be surprised if he took on the role.<br />
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In summary, if Kieffer Moore were to stay, I would give him the role of vice-captain and Cameron McGeehan the role of 'El Capitano'. However, I may be wrong and it may be that nobody I've mentioned gets a look-in or the armband.<br />
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Maybe Stendel will bring in yet another new face and captain elect?<br />
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What do you think? All feedback is appreciated, if you want to feed something back to me or merely want a chat about BFC you can find me on twitter, my handle is <a href="https://twitter.com/TomOTPE" target="_blank">@TomOTPE</a>.<br />
<br />Thomas Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17409158451776910064noreply@blogger.com0Barnsley S70 2JW, UK53.5561331 -1.478918099999987153.553775099999996 -1.4839605999999872 53.5584911 -1.4738755999999871tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6583845623869468857.post-9802791901762245202019-07-08T10:21:00.000+00:002019-08-04T21:13:19.787+00:00Three Players Who Barnsley Should Look At If Kieffer Moore Leaves OakwellIn my last blog post I touched upon the rumours of Kieffer Moore leaving Oakwell, and in this one I will take a look upon three players those high up at Oakwell should look at, if the 6ft 5 target man were to leave Grove Street.<br />
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<b><u>Bright Enobakhare</u></b><br />
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A quick young forward who spent the latter half of last campaign on loan at the play-off chasing Coventry City built up an excellent partnership with Jordy Hiwula up top for the Sky Blues. If the Reds were to be looking to change style of play then Bright really should be someone who we should be looking at. He possesses pace, technical flair, strength along with much more, never mind the fact that he scored an impressive goal every 242 minutes in League One last season.<br />
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I could really see him being a player that gets the Oakwell faithful off of their seats and onto their feet, and you can see by the excellent rapport he has with Coventry fans that he is a fan favourite. <br />
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Whilst also knowing Luke Thomas, who was also on loan at the Sky Blues last term, I believe he could also strike up a terrific partnership with Cauley Woodrow, who together would have the perfect blend of; strength, pace, creativity and goals. Definitely one to look out for if Kieffer leaves.<br />
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<b><u>Scott Hogan</u></b><br />
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Possessing bags of Championship experience and goals, could a season long loan deal for Scott Hogan, with a view to buy be a very good deal for the Reds? After struggling for game time at both Aston Villa and Sheffield United over the past two seasons, he may just be looking for regular game-time and a loan move for him may just be the perfect solution for Hogan to get his career back in track.<br />
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All of this considered and Daniel Stendel's want for Championship experienced players, a deal for Hogan may be a high priority for the Reds' hierarchy, and I for one would certainly look into it. Of the three however, this one may be the most problematic as the rumours are that Hogan is on £45,000 per week at Villa Park, thus without a huge subsidy from the Villains this move would be undo-able.<br />
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<u><b>Tom Eaves</b></u><br />
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Like for like replacement for Moore in every sense of the word. Both netting seventeen goals in the league in 2017/18, both 'target man' strikers and both turning 27 in 2019. To be honest a move for Eaves is probably highly unlikely, but if Herr Stendel were to feel that he wanted a striker with a surplus of height, he's your man.<br />
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With the age that is Eaves is at, a two year deal would most likely be the length of contract the Reds would look to sign him at, and with his stock never being higher, I'm sure he would want a longer deal. Nevertheless, Eaves would be a decent Moore replacement, and I'm sure could do an equally as good job.<br />
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With talks for Conor Chaplin, Moussa Kone and Sam Lammers reportedly underway, realistically of the three I have mentioned, feesibly only one would be considered, who would you want the most in a red shirt at the start of 2019/20?<br />
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What do you think? All feedback is appreciated, if you want to feed something back to me or merely want a chat about BFC you can find me on twitter, my handle is <a href="https://twitter.com/TomOTPE" target="_blank">@TomOTPE</a>.Thomas Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17409158451776910064noreply@blogger.com0Barnsley S70 2JW, UK53.5561331 -1.478918099999987153.553775099999996 -1.4839605999999872 53.5584911 -1.4738755999999871tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6583845623869468857.post-81498385237363495652019-07-07T10:11:00.001+00:002019-07-07T10:28:37.031+00:00Moore: Should He Stay Or Should He Go?In recent weeks the future of Reds striker Kieffer Moore has come under scrutiny, and with Millwall, Bristol City and an unamed CSL club set to swoop in for the 6ft5 target man, I ask the question 'should he stay or should he go?'.<br />
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It has to be said that only 5 months ago he suffered a career threatening injury, sustained in an aerial battle with Gillingham centre-half Gabriel Zakuani, and if Kieffer were to land heavily or collide in the air with a player again, which is quite likely due to his style of play, that could be the end of the road. So when we speak like this, let's say hypothetically an offer of £4,000,000 were to come in from Bristol City, would it be for the best, as a precautionary to sell him?<br />
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Another point that supports the view of him possibly heading out of the back door at Oakwell is the age that he is at. In recent years since Barnsley have adopted the 'Moneyball' strategy, the Reds don't tend to keep players above a certain age, 26, and with him turning 27 this month, could this signal the end for him?<br />
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Lastly on this front, along with money already generated from player sales in this window alone, and the money from a potential move for Moore, would it make 'Moore sense' for him to leave and for the Reds to bring in two strikers, with emphasis on the fact that it would be '2 for 1', and having more options is never a bad thing, right?<br />
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The three strikers, of which realistically 2 of them would sign, that are being touted to join Stendel's Red Army are PSV Eindhoven's <a href="https://www.transfermarkt.com/sam-lammers/profil/spieler/386914" target="_blank">Sam Lammers</a> who bagged an impressive 18 goals in the Eredivise last year, averaging one every 169 minutes. Along with Lammers, the Reds are being heavily linked with a move for Dynamo Dresden frontman <a href="https://www.transfermarkt.com/moussa-kone/profil/spieler/364239" target="_blank">Moussa Koné</a>, and last summer’s main transfer target, <a href="https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/sport/football/transfer-news/conor-chaplin-coventry-city-bid-16531468" target="_blank">Coventry City’s Conor Chaplin</a>. If any, who of these three would you like to see join the Reds?<br />
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However, many fans believe that we may be shooting ourselves in the foot, and that the sale of Moore would drastically weaken the team, after all losing seventeen goals in any side is never a good thing, never mind the ridiculous rate 'King Kieff' was scoring them at, averaging one every 138 minutes! Not bettered by any player in the division with more than fifteen goals! So when you add all of this up, it's easy to understand why some may be dismayed.<br />
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19 goals last season and people are glad to potentially see the back of Kieffer Moore. The mind boggles.</div>
— Chris (@CWRyder) <a href="https://twitter.com/CWRyder/status/1147563759138947073?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 6, 2019</a></blockquote>
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To conclude, I really don’t believe that Kieffer should be sold if the player wants to remain a Red. However, if the rumours are to be believed and the frontman has handed in a transfer request, then no way should we stand blocking the door for a player who doesn’t want to be here, and could command a £4,000,000 fee.<br />
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What do you think? All feedback is appreciated, if you want to feed something back to me or merely want a chat about BFC you can find me on twitter, my handle is <a href="https://twitter.com/TomOTPE" target="_blank">@TomOTPE</a>.Thomas Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17409158451776910064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6583845623869468857.post-30651543023505286252019-07-06T20:14:00.000+00:002019-07-07T09:36:10.950+00:00Wilks, Wingers And Talking Tactics.Last evening the Reds completed the signing of Mallik Wilks from bitter Yorkshire rivals Leeds United, and it's fair to say that the Red Army were particularly overwhelmed and elated with the arrival of the winger who bagged seventeen and assisted a further ten for Doncaster Rovers last term. Yet it got me wondering about the future, and more in focus who may be starting on the left and right of midfield for the Reds against Fulham on the 3rd of August.<br />
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<b>Mallik Wilks</b><br />
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The new man. It truly is an understatement when I say the signing of him was a huge coup, so fair dues to Paul Conway for financially pulling it off, and Daniel Stendel for no doubt impressing Wilks with the style of play he wants his Barnsley team to pull off. But more tactically, how will he fit in with Barnsley's midfield four?<br />
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Wilks, from what I gather, is quite the flair player much like a young Adam Hammill in that sense, whilst also having the pace and power of a much more experienced pro. When you put all these factors together it is most likely that Mallik would line up on the left, where he will have free reign to go on the outside of players on his favoured left foot. However, due to his versatility we could very much so still see him line up on the left. Lastly, if the Reds were to opt for a plan B (4-3-3) he is very much so capable of playing as an inside forward, a role which he played regularly for Leeds in his younger days in their youth set-up.<br />
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<b>Browny - the Reds' 'Starman on the Right'</b><br />
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2018/19 really was the breakthrough year for Jacob Brown, despite in the first half of the season him really taking up the role of an impact sub, with his route in to the team blocked by Brad Potts on the right and Kieffer Moore and Cauley Woodrow up top he still amassed outstanding numbers for his first full year in the EFL. He scored eight goals and got six assists, with a goal on average every 258 minutes. Numbers not to be sniffed at. Let's talk about Browny's role tactically now. I expect him to resume his role on the right in 2019/20, however it is not a certainty as it may well be that he goes back to his role of 'Trequarista' this season due to the Reds' new found depth on the wings.<br />
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Either way I think Browny will continue to thrive this season, whatever role Herr Stendel decides to operate him in. Big things ahead.<br />
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<b>Magic Mamadou</b><br />
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Whatever you think about Mama Thiam's 2017/18, his 18/19 certainly won over the large majority of Reds fans, and secured his status as a somewhat cult hero at Oakwell. Goals against Fleetwood, Charlton and Luton just to name a few where absolutely sensational, and in the case of his goals against the Addicks and Hatters secured vital points in our race for promotion.<br />
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Personally, I believe that despite the wingers we have at the club, the aforementioned duo of Jacob Brown and Mallik Wilks, and the yet to be mentioned double act of Jordan Green and Luke Thomas, Mamadou is the most technically gifted winger at the club, and thus if he adds more stamina and tactical awareness to his game could become an incredible player.<br />
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If he is given the nod on August the 3rd he would resume the role of the left winger who at times becomes an inside forward, very similar to the role that Mallik Wilks would likely take on for the Reds, and with him very capable of pulling something out of nothing, you need them type of players in the Championship so I wouldn't be surprised if he does start against Fulham.<br />
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<b>The second wide arrival of the summer, Luke Thomas.</b><br />
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Arriving from Derby County who have recently had a name change after the departure of Frank Lampard, RIP 'Frank Lampard's Derby County' 2018-2019. Drafted in after a very good season with Coventry City, many Cov fans believe his numbers didn't fairly represent his performances last term, so despite his mere four goals and five assists, he actually had quite an impressive season. Blessed with bags of natural pace, Thomas is exactly the remedy that the Reds have been crying out for with many on the Oakwell terraces believing that we have looked pretty devoid of pace ever since the departure of Harvey Barnes almost eighteen months ago, and Thomas has bags of it, ready to burn. In my opinion, Luke will be used as a right-winger if selected against Fulham and really could expose Joe Bryan who will be low on confidence after a poor year in England's top tier.<br />
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<b>Lastly, Jordan Green.</b><br />
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We haven't seen much of 'Greeny' since his arrival from Yeovil in January, but i for one think he could be a real asset for the Reds. Barring an impeccable pre-season which to be fair started pretty well against Stalybridge Celtic on Wednesday, he will most likely be on the bench against the Cottagers on August the 3rd. However were he to come off the bench he has lots of pace which in the latter stages of games can come in clutch, I for one will be keeping a looming eye on his progress throughout the summer.<br />
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To conclude, having weighed up all the possible options that Daniel Stendel could go with against Fulham on the opening day, I would go with Wilks on the left and Brown on the right, but it is only the 6th of July and 4/5ths of pre-season still remain and my opinion could be very much so swayed depending on how a player may do in our next four fixtures.<br />
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What do you think? All feedback is appreciated, if you want to feed something back to me or merely want a chat about BFC you can find me on twitter, my handle is <a href="https://twitter.com/TomOTPE" target="_blank">@TomOTPE</a>.<br />
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<br />Thomas Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17409158451776910064noreply@blogger.com0Barnsley S70 2JW, UK53.5561331 -1.478918099999987153.553775099999996 -1.4839605999999872 53.5584911 -1.4738755999999871