Barnsley FC Blog | On the Ponty End

A plea to all Barnsley FC fans

wilky@onthepontyend.com (Wilky & Davos) — Fri, 11 May 2012 08:39:53 PDT

The Football Blogging Awards 2012

The awards ceremony, recognising and awarding the best of football blogging.

The FBAs are the only awards designed for football blogs and bloggers which are decided entirely by the public.

OnThePontyEnd.com has been running since 2008, entirely on a non-profit basis. Our content has grown from being simply a personal blog from the perspective of "Wilky", to a host of articles submitted by regular and one-off contributors.

(Ed: A special mention to Michael Roach @MichaelRoach55 for his regular input!)

This year, The FBAs offer us an opportunity in three categories and WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT!

- Male Football Blog #Male
- Veteran Football Blog (Running for at least 3 years) #Veteran
- Football Club Specific Blog #Club

There are two ways you can help and vote. Twitter and Facebook. For a vote to be counted it must follow the simple rules below.

Twitter: To vote for a blog using Twitter, tweet to @TheFBAs with the blogs username @OnThePontyEnd and the relevant #category hashtag

Example @TheFBAs @OnThePontyEnd #Veteran

Facebook: Find polls on the award's Facebook page and vote for the blog on the drop down list. If you cannot see this blog you can add it to the list.

It would be amazing to receive the recognition from our readers for such an auspicious occasion that The FBA's promise to be. It's a chance to look back on the positive material we have brought to fellow Barnsley FC fans, above and beyond that of the traditional or official sites.

Our own highlights have probably been the Podcast, especially our time with Red's Legend, Eric Winstanley, but we've loved to tackle the bizarre and funny inside track at Oakwell too. Do any of you remember the satirical "Remake of Sgt. Peppers"?

Your following, your backing and your votes (in instances like this) give everybody who donates their time to this site the energy to keep going. Please spare just a couple of minutes to lend your voice to the cause of OnThePontyEnd. We're grateful.

Best wishes,

Wilky (Editor)

End Of Season Report

wilky@onthepontyend.com (Wilky & Davos) — Thu, 10 May 2012 17:02:26 PDT

Continuing on from earlier this year, OnThePontyEnd was asked to provide our "End of Season report" on Barnsley FC for The Guardian's excellent Football League Blog.

Whilst the structure of the article and its content are brief, we would love to hear your reports, styled in a similar format, in the comments section to this post.

Read the Barnsley FC End of Season report here.

Robbie Savage and Chris Kamara launch the Fanpower Stadium

wilky@onthepontyend.com (Wilky & Davos) — Thu, 10 May 2012 17:26:39 PDT

Chris Kamara and Robbie Savage are promoting npower's new campaign "The Fanpower Stadium". To claim your seat and win cash prizes for yourself and your team go to Facebook/nPowerFootballLeague

Fanpower Stadium could help Barnsley to win up to £30,000. As you may already know, the app is available on Facebook and is already measuring the power of Tykes fans online.

Some basic info: to sign up and start using the app you just have to enter your name and email address, and whether you’re an existing npower customer. npower will not use this information for promotional offers unless you opt in. After that, any time you mention Barnsley, Keith Hill or the surname of any of Barnsley’s first eleven on Twitter or Facebook, it will count towards your team’s ranking in the Fanpower league table. The team whose fans shout loudest win! Barnsley are currently top of the Championship Fanpower rankings, so there’s a great chance of holding on to that position until the competition’s close on June 1st.

We might win something then!

What Ever Happened To ...

wilky@onthepontyend.com (Wilky & Davos) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 04:31:53 PST

With Barnsley supporters looking for a late assault on this season's play-offs, some of our younger fans may not realise that 15-years ago, the Tykes were playing Premier League football. Even though they finished second-bottom during the 1997-98 season, they earned a famous victory at Anfield, beating Liverpool 1-0 and also knocked Manchester United out of the FA Cup with a 3-2 win at Oakwell.

Here is a reminder of the starting line-up from that glorious Saturday 22 November 1997 at Anfield and a look at what became of those players.

Goalkeeper – Lars Leese
The German goalkeeper traded being third choice at Bayer Leverkusen for second choice at Oakwell but made nine appearances in the Premier League. He played just eight times the following season on the club's return to the first division before and returned to Germany in 2000. He played out the remainder of his career in relative obscurity and has been in charge of SV Bergisch Gladbach since 2005. They were recently relegated to the sixth tier of German football.

Defender – Nicky Eaden
Eaden, a product of the Barnsley youth system, made almost 300 league appearances in almost a decade playing for the Tykes. He made 35 Premier League appearances and went on to play a further two seasons for the club in division one before joining Birmingham City on a free transfer. At City, he played in the 2001 League Cup final and joined Wigan Athletic in 2002 for whom he made over 100 league appearances. An unsuccessful spell at Nottingham Forest followed and Eaden drifted into non league football. He joined the coaching staff at Rotherham United in 2011, linking up with former Barnsley team mate Andy Liddell and is now assistant manager at Kettering Town.

Defender – Adie Moses
Like Eaden, Moses was a junior at Barnsley and played over 150 league matches for the club, including 35 in the Premier League. He joined Huddersfield Town for £250,000 in 2000 and then moved on to Crewe Alexandra on a free transfer in 2003. He arrived at Mansfield Town via Lincoln City and in December 2008 and was named caretaker manager. He graduated from Staffordshire University with a free in Professional Sports Broadcasting and Writing in 2008 and since retiring from the game in 2009 due to persistent injury problems, he now works as a financial consultant.

Defender – Arjan De Zeeuw
Dutch defender De Zeeuw joined Barnsley at the start of the 1995-96 season in a £250,000 deal from Telstar and went on to play almost 140 league matches for the club, 26 of those in the Premier League. He went on to play for Wigan Athletic where he won Player of the Year in 2001 and 2002 and then joined Porsmouth where he was a key player in the team that won promotion to the Premier League. In 2005 and at the age of 35, he returned to Wigan in a move unpopular with Portsmouth fans and performed so well he even received praise from then-Prime Minister Tony Blair. In 2006, he played in the League Cup final and was voted by Latics fans as the best player of all time for Wigan. Spells at Coventry City and ADO'20 followed, before he retired in 2009 to pursue as a forensic detective.

Defender – Peter Markstedt
The Swedish defender arrived in a £250,000 transfer from Vasteraas and made his debut in the Liverpool match but went on to play just six more times in the Premier League for Barnsley. He left the club in 1999 for Helsingborg before rejoining Vasteraas in 2000. He went on to play for Hammarby and then Lyn Oslo in Norway before returning to Vasteraas for a third time in 2005. He was appointed the club's assistant manager in 2011.

Defender – Darren Barnard
Wing back Barnard joined Barnsley from Bristol City for £750,000 ahead of their Premier League campaign and went on to make over 200 league appearances in five seasons at the club, including 35 in the top flight. He left for Grimsby Town for the start of the 2002-03 season and then went on to make over 100 appearances for Aldershot after joining them in 2004. Barnard joined non-league Camberley Town in 2007 where he is now the club's manager.

Midfielder – Neil Redfearn
Following a playing career spanning almost 800 league matches over 24 years, Redfearn arguably had his best playing days at Oakwell. He played 37 out of 38 matches in the Premier League and was the top scorer with 10 goals. After almost 300 league games for Barnsley and over 70 goals, he left for Charlton Athletic in 1998 in a £1 million move. He remained in London for just one season before returning to his native Yorkshire with Bradford City in 1999, before moving onto Wigan Athletic a year later. He moved to Halifax Town in 2001 and had two spells as caretaker manager before joining Boston United for two seasons and ended his Football League career at Rochdale in 2004. Following a spell as Scarborough manager in 2005, he played non-league football in between managerial spells at Northwich Victoria and caretaker at York City. In February 2012 he was appointed caretaker manager at Leeds United following the sacking of Simon Grayson and fans of free bets can back him as the current bookmakers favourite to take over permanently at Elland Road.

Midfielder – Eric Tinkler
It was seen as something of a coup to sign South Africa international midfielder Tinkler in a £650,000 transfer from Serie A side Cagliari ahead of the Premier League season. He played 25 matches in the top flight, scoring twice and spent a further three seasons at Oakwell before moving to Uniao de Tomar in Portugal in 2002. He finished his playing career in Johannesburg-based club Wits and became their caretaker manager in 2006 before being replaced by Roger De Sa as manager.

Midfielder – Martin Bullock
Bullock was another great servant to the club who made 185 league appearances over an eight year period, including 33 in the Premier League. He found himself out of favour during the 1999-00 season and spent time on loan at Port Vale in 2001. That September, he joined Blackpool on a free transfer and went on to make over 150 league appearances for the club. During his time at Blackpool he was named in the PFA Second Dvision Team of the Year for 2003 and won the Football League Trophy in both 2002 and 2004. A two year spell at Macclesfield Town followed before he went on to play for Wycombe Wanderers and New Zealand side Waitakere United. Down under, he won the New Zealand Football Championship for the 2010-11 season.

Striker – Andy Liddell
Liddell began his career at Oakwell and played just shy of 200 league matches, including 26 during the Premier League campaign which yielded one goal. He was heavily involved in the build-up to the winning goal at Liverpool – he could have gone for a penalty after being fouled by goalkeeper David James in the area, but persisted and set-up strike partner Ashley Ward via a deflection off Patrick Berger. Liddell left Barnsley in October 1998 for Wigan Athletic in a £350,000 move and went on to play over 200 league matches for the club, scoring 70 goals in the process which positioned him as the club's all-time top goalscorer. After one season at Sheffield United, he went on to make 125 league appearances for Oldham Athletic before ending his playing career at Rotherham United. He had a spell as caretaker manager at the Don Valley Stadium until the end of last season.

Striker – Ashley Ward
A journeyman footballer with transfer fees totalling almost £8.5 million, Barnsley was club number eight for Ward when he arrived in a £1.3 million transfer from Derby County ahead of the Premier League campaign. Ward was the hero at Anfield that afternoon, scoring one of his eight top flight goals in 32 appearances for Barnsley. He scored 13 goals before December the following season in Division One which persuaded Blackburn Rovers to spend £4.5 million on him in December 2008. Ward was not as prolific at Ewood Park, scoring just 13 goals in 52 league appearances and was allowed to join Bradford City for £1.5 million in August 2000. Three years at Valley Parade produced just 17 goals in 75 league appearances and Ward ended his playing career at Sheffield United, retiring in 2005. He now runs a number of businesses with his wife, including commercial and luxury residential property development.

Golbourne Looking Forward to Barnsley Future

wilky@onthepontyend.com (Wilky & Davos) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 07:42:22 PST

Scott Golbourne

New Tykes signing Scott Golbourne is looking forward to his future at Barnsley and is confident that he can blossom at Oakwell, as he looks to make the Championship Playoffs, which is perhaps a worthy vc bet.

Golbourne was a popular bwin free bet to score on his debut at Watford on Saturday, and he didn't disappoint. The 23-year-old left-back needed just 28 minutes to score his first goal for his new club. after coming on in the second half.

It was the former Exeter City recruits first goal for nearly a year having last scored for Exeter last April in a 2-0 home win over Oldham.

“I’m really pleased with the way I played, I was happy to get on the pitch,” reflected Golbourne, who was introduced with the Reds trailing 2-0.

“As a left-back sometimes when you’re losing the game you don’t expect to get on, it’s usually the strikers that come on to try and make an impact.

“To score capped off a nice debut for me, but playing was the most important thing.

“It was just a shame we couldn’t get the points as well, that would have capped it off nicely.

“I hadn’t scored this season, but I got a couple last season. Hopefully that’s the first of many for the club.”

It's a big step up for Golbourne who has spent the majority of his career in leagues 1 and 2, but he did experience Premier League football with Reading and so the prospect of Championship football doesn't phase him.

“It’s a bit of a step up and I’m sure I’m going to come up against different opposition and a different standard, but I’m looking forward to that,” he said. “That’s the challenge for me. It’s a bit more composed than League One, you get a little bit more time on the ball and the game is more structured.

“It’s not so much about scaring the opposition, but it’s still a very physical level. I’m looking forward to the challenge.”

Case Closed for the Defence?

wilky@onthepontyend.com (Wilky & Davos) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 10:43:06 PST

Regular readers of On The Ponty End may remember an article I wrote earlier in the season, praising Keith Hill’s defensive options (A Case for the Defence). However the tides have debatably turned since then, with the Reds failing to keep a clean sheet for 13 games. That stat is not the only one that might concern Reds fans, with perhaps an extremely alarming stat existing – the Reds have only gained a point all season from losing positions. We ask if the wheels have come off defensively, or if other factors are responsible for the worrying stats, and indeed whether we should be worried by these stats.

Many fans will agree that the recruitment of players by Keith Hill since taking over the reigns has largely been successful, with many examples of improved players, and the creation of saleable assets. Hill has shown that he has the ability to turn around players also, with Jim O’Brien being a glowing example of how a player can go from being potentially lauded out of the club, to being a fans’ favourite and key player.

Of course involved in the creation of his squad was the recruitment of defensive options in Rob Edwards, Jim McNulty, Scott Wiseman, plus new signing Scott Golbourne, who scored a debut goal against Watford on Saturday. However it has perhaps not been the recruited players who have disappointed fans in recent weeks, but the pre-existing options in McEvely, Foster, and even at times Hassell. Both of the former have received increased criticism from fans of late, with both players making mistakes that have cost us dearly.

Whilst I’m not in the business of criticising individuals, the players have caused dilemma recently for their manager, and not the ‘good dilemmas’ we so often hear about in successful regimes. For me, the problem lies not in their ability technically, but in their own perceptions of their ability. There is no doubt that both players are able on their day; Stephen Foster has been a captain and player of the year, whilst McEvely has experience at the highest level – despite what some may think, you DO have to have ability to earn such accolades, with any team. However, it appears both players have their demons, with nervy performances leading to mistakes from both the men. Of course there could be many answers as to why both players seem ‘nervy’ at times, however in my opinion, they don’t need to be, and should they shift their demons, they are both capable of becoming top players.

For now however it appears that in McEvely’s case it least, he will not just have to battle his mind, but a new competitor for his place in Scott Golbourne. Is competition healthy? On the large part, I believe the answer is yes, since in the case of defence, players have each had ample time to prove themselves – with only Scott Wiseman in my opinion not always having the rub of the green in terms of selection. Whilst the competition for places has existed all season, I don’t believe that it has brought with it unnecessary pressure.

So how to solve the problem? For me, it’s about getting the right things out of the right players. As some fans will reluctantly admit – Bobby Hassell is not having his best season at Barnsley. Bobby has been a magnificent servant to this club, and more than deserves the honour of club captaincy, but how can he best contribute to this team given his aging years? A potential solution could be a switch to central defence, a position demanding less pace than right full back, but demanding inch perfect tackles – something that Bobby is certainly capable of providing. Bobby proved his flexibility in the role in pre-season in the 5-0 victory at Scunthorpe. Although the opposition was poor, Bobby performed magnificently alongside McNulty in the heart of defence, and in my opinion, the switch – should it occur, could prove excellent for the club captain.

For Jay McEvely, the answer could actually lie in his supposed new competitor. With both men capable of fleeting forward runs, could the answer be to play BOTH men, rotating between full back and midfield as and when required? Mark Robins tried a similar experiment last season when Matt Hill was around, and Keith Hill may wish to toy with the idea when McEvely returns from injury.

For Foster, it’s a case of building up the confidence. The loan market this season has taken dramatic turns in what it has meant to clubs. In times of old, a loan move was a precursor to a permanent switch, or an option to give more experience to youngster. Whilst this has been true on many occasions this season, examples exist where much more senior players have spent time away on loan and returned revitalized, with West Yorkshire rivals Huddersfield’s Jamie McCombe an example of the recent trend. If Foster spent a month away and helped a lower Championship or League 1 side find some form, that could do wonders for his confidence, and return him to a standard Barnsley fans enjoyed when voting him as player of the year.

Of course the defence can’t take all of the blame, and there can be questions asked throughout the team when trying to defend a lead, or indeed break somebody else’s. The stats show we’ve only got one point from a losing position – against Watford at home back in October. Whilst fingers could and may be pointed at the defence for conceding in the first place, it’s surely not their responsibility to score the goals too?

At times we have shown that we can be a force to be reckoned with going forward, however with the loss of Ricardo Vaz Te and the loss of form with Craig Davies, how will the Reds progress this season? For me, it’s again about mental strength, and leadership. Whilst Jacob Butterfield was arguably our best player in the first half of the season, was he really captain material? Did he bark orders and grab the game by the scruff of the neck? Now, however, it seems the Reds may have found a potential solution in the signing of Leyton Orient captain Stephen Dawson.

Dawson plays as a box-to-box midfielder, grafting for the 90 minutes and aiming to grab the game by the scruff of the neck. His rugged appearance would certainly suggest that he is a ‘grafter’, but does he have the credentials to lead a team? The answer will obviously come in due course, however if you ask any Leyton Orient fan, it would appear that we’ve nicked their best player, a player that will be a big loss to Russell Slade’s side.

It appears that mental strength is the only thing stopping Keith Hill’s side from being a great side rather than ‘just’ a good side. However, Reds fans must remember we have one of the youngest squads in the division, many of which with little or no experience in what is a very difficult Championship this season. We’ve got some good results against ‘the big boys’ and fans need to remember that HillCroft are in a process of building down at Oakwell. I would consistently expect inconsistency this season, but fans also need to remember how worried some were that this season could have been our last in the Championship. While we’re not mathematically safe, we’re on 39 points, and 15 off the bottom 3, a very healthy position at the start of February. Let’s enjoy the wins, and not over-react to the losses. No doubt we’ll have some good results and some poor, but surely it’s part and parcel of any team in this division, and boy do Barnsley fans know about it.

Tykes move forward following Vaz Te exit

wilky@onthepontyend.com (Wilky & Davos) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 04:27:48 PST

It was disappointing to see one of Barnsleys most in form players leave Oakwell on the final day of the transfer window, but Tykes manager Keith Hill believes that Ricardo Vaz Te has made a mistake by leaving the club to join West Ham and warned the striker he might become "a football ghost" once again.

The stan james review shows that Vaz Te only joined the club in the summer after his career went stale after he was fazed out at Premier League Bolton. Hill gave the out of form striker an opportunity to resurrect his career but the Barnsley manager has unfortunately become a victim of his own good work as Vaz Te has turned his back on the club to link up with Sam Allardyce who brought Vaz Te to Bolton in the first place. He joins the league leaders who are the betvictor favourites for promotion.

Asked if the player's switch was inevitable, Hill said: "Not really. West Ham have got a very good player who was a football ghost at the start of the season, sometimes players take what they want rather than what they need and he needed to stay here."

"But he decided to go and I hope he doesn't become another football ghost. He's got a lot of talent, but maybe just a bit-part player down there."

"But we didn't suffer without him, we scored three goals again. It's history now, it's over and we move on."

Hill was speaking after his sides 3-2 win at home to Derby on Tuesday night, and his team showed no signs that they would miss the Portuguese striker.

The Tykes boss added:

"We created their goals for them, we made mistakes and it can leave a bitter taste in your mouth, but I'm really pleased with the three points and the first half performance.

"I'm pleased with the way that we managed the second half to a certain degree, but those two goals were avoidable to a certain degree and we could have been found guilty of drawing or losing a game as a direct result of individual errors."

The Lower Leagues: Diamond Mine, or Coal Face?

wilky@onthepontyend.com (Wilky & Davos) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 02:59:42 PST

At the time of writing the Reds are pushing through deals for Exeter left back Scott Golbourne and Leyton Orient captain Stephen Dawson – the latter commanding a 6-figure fee. Both will arrive in Barnsley from League 1, joining the likes of David Perkins, Jim McNulty, Scott Wiseman and Matt Done in the ‘League 1 crew’ of players currently at Oakwell. As these new personnel arrive, we ask if the lower leagues throw up lumps of coal, or rough diamonds?

Getting it right
What makes a good signing from a lower league? With League 1, not just the championship, now full of sleeping giants, Barnsley have often found themselves struggling to compete financially with opposition from even the top end of the lower division. In fact, all of the teams promoted from league 1 last season eventually finished higher than the Reds, just showing how competitive the game can be financially. This means that not only do Barnsley not always have access to the top players in our own division, but often have limited choice from the top end of League 1 also.

This of course means that Keith Hill has to search deeper within a division he has a lot of experience in, however, how can he guarantee that players from a struggling side in League 1 can make the step up to the championship? Of course the answer seems obvious - he can’t, but judging from the players brought in so far, Keith has a formula to polish players from the lower leagues and sell them on.

Proven track record
Of course Keith’s reputation for making penicillin from mouldy bread isn’t a newly acquired one. Many stars in the Championship and even Premiership have ‘HillCroft’ to thank for kick-starting their career, such as England Under 21 international Craig Dawson, Adam Le Fondre and Will Buckley amongst others, having been sold on for high prices having previously played under the former Rochdale manager.

Of course this does kick up the problem that Hill has a reputation for SELLING players having improved them, obviously buying having been a part of what brought players into the club in the first place, however do Barnsley fans feel this is a stripping of our assets? Has Barnsley always been a selling club? Can the squad truly settle with constant ins and outs?

One in, one out
Whilst the Reds are set to bring in 2 more players before the transfer window closes, taking the tally to 5, they are also subject to a series of bids for Ricardo Vaz Te from championship high flyers West Ham. The Hammers have had a bid in the region of 750k rejected, and are set to up their bid to £1.5 million. Should the Reds accept the bid, they will have effectively lost 3 players, with Butterfield’s injury effectively a loss of a player, and the departure of Drinkwater and possibly Vaz Te, not to mention the fact that Nathan Doyle has been asked to find himself a new club.

For me, this is only a slight issue, however losing a player at this late stage could be deemed as rather annoying, given that clubs interested have had 31 days to table any offer, yet choose to act in the final 48 hours. Although this does in fact speak further volumes for Hill’s transfer policy. Prior to us taking Vaz Te in, no clubs were interested; now that he’s become our top scorer, the Reds could cash in and make a tidy profit.

Earning the shirt
To credit Keith Hill further, the signings he has made thus far have certainly took little or no time to adjust to the Championship, easily keeping the likes of Nathan Doyle and Danny Haynes out of the side, who have since moved on or are about to move on. With the impending signing of Golbourne, could Jay McEvely be the latest to find himself out of the side to a former league 1 player? Without criticizing Jay, there are clearly no guarantees as to whether or not he will be dropped; however this certainly brings more competition to the side.

Wages of course all add to the transfer policy, with strict break even rules set to be enforced by the football league in the next few years, can or should a club like ours pay wages to former premier league players filtering their way down the leagues, or is it best to get players from the lower leagues hungry to impress, at a fraction of the cost?

A new looking side
Whatever happens over the course of the next few months, Keith Hill will have again transformed a Barnsley side in an effort to maintain the momentum and challenge for a decent top half finish. With lower league players being added to seasoned pro’s such as Tonge and Smith, I believe that Barnsley fans could be set for an exciting second half to the season, given that not only will the Reds have a hungry side eager to impress, but the necessary experience to help these League 1 starlets hit the ground running. Will losing Butterfield, Drinwater and possibly Vaz Te derail our season? Last week the answer would have perhaps been yes, but now I have a cautious optimism that we can at least beat our previous points tallies since our return to the division, and perhaps even get beyond the 60 point mark, surely a remarkable achievement on such a tight budget?

Agree, disagree? Have your say on the brand new forum, and don’t forget to follow me @MichaelRoach55 and @OnThePontyEnd on Twitter.

48 Hours To Go

wilky@onthepontyend.com (Wilky & Davos) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 06:18:01 PST

The Transfer Deadline Looms

The next 48 hours has the potential to be one of the most hectic but also one of the most important of Keith Hills first season in charge of Barnsley F.C. Not only will he have to deal with late incoming bids for the clubs better players, he will also have to try and strengthen an already depleated squad with only minimal funds at his disposal. Hill has already demonstrated his eye for a bargain with the early season captures of David Perkins, Ricardo Vaz Te and Jimmy McNulty.

All three of the aforementioned have shown that even in this current climate there are still players available who represent value for money. This transfer window has already seen the arrival of premiership midfielders Michael Tonge and Korey Smith, both will help fill the void left by Danny Drinkwater's recent departure and Jacob Butterfield's season ending injury. The midfield duo have something to prove to their respective parent clubs and this can only help Barnsley achieve there ambitions.

Despite the two new arrivals the squad is still lacking in numbers and Hill himself has recently spoke of his desire to bring in at least 2 more players, This will as always depend on the clubs ambition and there willingness to spend a little money.

The players believed to be on Hills radar are 26 year old Leyton Orient midfielder Stephen Dawson, experienced QPR centre half Clint Hill and former PSG striker Yannick Boli. The young striker is currently on trial at Oakwell and should all go to plan he will join on a deal until the end of the season, not only would this serve Boli in an attempt to try and earn a longer term deal but also to help bolster the sides striking options. Since writing this article Boli has left Oakwell after failing to impress. Keith Hill is now rumoured to be turning his attentions to the possible capture of Motherwell striker Jamie Murphy. The Scottish forward is believed to be priced at around £350,000 meaning Ricardo Vaz Te could be sold to finance any such deal.

Possible exits from Oakwell are central midfielder Nathan Doyle who has been told to find a new club and controversially in form striker Ricardo Vaz Te. Although Vaz Te has only been at the club for a matter of months he is currently able to talk pre-contract terms with suspected interested parties from both Germany and Spain. This would be a massive blow for the Oakwell side as Vaz Te has become an instant fans favourite netting 12 goals including a hat trick against local rivals Leeds United in a thrilling 4-1 victory.

This leaves the club with a dilemma, a new contract has been offered to the Portugese hitman and if he agrees to extend his stay then all is well. However with time running out they risk losing him for nothing at the end of the season so should the club receive a bid matching there value for the player the board will be faced with a hard decision to make. West Ham United, Leicester City and Blackpool have all been linked to the player over the past week increasing the already mounting speculation.

Over the past few seasons several key players have left Oakwell for paltry sums of money, Adam Hammil and Brian Howard to name but two. If the club were to lose Vaz Te under the same circumstances then they face a backlash from the supporters who are fast becoming sick of seeing there prized assets leave for minimal amounts of money.

How much say Keith Hill will have in Vaz Te's future is anybody's guess and with time ticking it would be near impossible to replace him at this late stage.

On a results front the team are proving to be consistently inconsistent, after gaining a memorable 2-1 victory at Leicester City they showed very little against a Millwall team who have been struggling all season long and deservedly lost 3-1 at a fast emptying Oakwell. It is results like the latter which leave the home fans wondering what the rest of the season could hold, after seeing so much promise it would be hard to watch the side slip down the league table.

Such is the importance of the next 48 hours that a whole season can depend on it, if the right players are brought in I can see the club exceeding the 60 point mark in what would be a very promising and successful first 12 months in charge for Keith Hill. However if Hill fails in his attempts to capture the required new blood and the club let key members of the squad leave then it wouldn't come as surprise to me to see the Reds get sucked into the all too familiar relegation fight.

Only time will tell how important and how relevant the next two days will be but you can count on one thing, Keith Hill will be working nearly all of the allotted 48 hours making sure he goes into the remainder of the season with as strong a squad as possible and this can only be a good thing for Reds fans.

This post was contributed by Chris Johnson. A self employed cameraman, who on Saturdays works for the BBC Football League show covering Barnsley FC, Sheffield Wednesday, Sheffield United and Leeds United. Follow Chris on Twitter @RandomFilming, or via his regular blog View From The Gantry

The Keyboard: Mightier Than The Sword?

wilky@onthepontyend.com (Wilky & Davos) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:36:35 PST

Mightier than the sword?

Okay, maybe the headline's wrong - maybe I mean the Pen - but we are of course in the age of Social Media and the Web. When was the last time you hand wrote a letter to a friend?

An observation though from the last few weeks; noises from within and outside of the Barnsley Football Club seem to only espouse the negative effects of social media and its micro-bloggers. Perhaps the worst recent example was the temporary closure of Jacob Butterfield's account on Twitter - after an episode with the Oakwell Boo Boys.

But are supporters, when handling themselves correctly, wrong to voice their opinions?

Managers throughout the game always seem to slam the amateur writers and forum users for their activities. The old line of never having played the game is probably used too often.

Do you need to be a chef to see that your dinner is burnt?

If indeed those were the qualities for commentary and journalism, the good old British public would never have heard of the likes of Kenneth Wolstenholme's "They Think It's All Over", or ever have seen John Motson and his Sheepskin grace BBC TV for all these years.

Surely, well placed, meaningful and hopefully constructive enthusiasm has a place in modern communication, in all its forms, and that includes social media, blogs, fanzines and alike!

Writers Room

OnThePontyEnd.com actively encourages participation from all Barnsley FC fans in our brand new forum. Besides the regular banter on Barnsley FC, General Football and Rumour Mongering, you will find that we've created a Writer's Room, especially to provide tips to budding Football Writers and Bloggers alike.

This week we've loaded: 10 Tips For Providing Good Blog Posts

The forum's features will be already familiar in some respects, whilst we've tried to discourage as much of the off-topic chat as possible in it's design. It even includes an Arcade of 25 flash games, if you're aiming to spend a bit of time catching up with fellow Barnsley fans and members.

What's more, it renders beautifully on a smartphone - meaning you don't have to be at your PC or Laptop to dive in and get involved!

Join the forum

Our Goal

Perhaps we're being a bit selfish in the first place, we want as many Barnsley FC fans as possible to get the writing bug! We hope as a result, the quantity and quality of new content arrives on to the site as a result - from a host of new writers.

People always ask, what are we looking for?

We would love to see more content based on observational humour, shared stories, personal memories, top 10's, statistics, best ever ..., worst ever ..., cartoon strips, video content, commenting on material you see in the press, photo galleries, scouting reports .... you probably get the idea!

We think that by encouraging, supporting this community, sharing ideas and giving you access to others you can collaborate with on your articles is the best way forward.

Benefiting Barnsley FC

Like so many advancements, communication technology has expanded and is a tool of the masses. The capacity any individual has to be a publisher and producer are now unrivalled.

Hopefully the club recognises the role that new media and its users can also play in being positive advocates to its own objectives and embrace those supporters who attempt to increase their reach.

Personal recommendations and experiences are being transferred, every single second, amongst communities far and wide. But more importantly, like it's always been - the message is almost always stronger when it comes from a friend and not an official entity.

We're battling on all sides at Barnsley FC, economically and from a lack of accolades from the traditional press. Perhaps, when used in the right way, Social Media can dispel some myths, create some buzz and more importantly, bring more bodies back to Oakwell.

Join our forum. Join the debate. Contribute if you can!

Follow @OnThePontyEnd on Twitter or via Facebook

The Bank of Oakwell - Round Two

wilky@onthepontyend.com (Wilky & Davos) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 04:08:14 PST

Michael Tonge

Today has seen the acquisition of 2 more players through the loan market, with former Blade Michael Tonge joining from Stoke until the end of the season, and the imminent signing of Korey Smith from Norwich City, on a deal expected to last for around a month initially. This follows from the injury to Reds’ skipper Jacob Butterfield, and the departure of on loan Danny Drinkwater, who made the move to Leicester last week.

That wasn’t the only activity expected however, as the Reds had also enquired about the availability of Leyton Orient captain Stephen Dawson, with the Irish midfielder’s contract with the O’s set to expire at the season’s end. The Reds have since been pushed backed however, and will now look to conclude any possible deal in the summer window.

Crisis averted?
Following the combined effects that saw Jacob Butterfield and Danny Drinkwater leave the team, the Reds have struggled to field a full strength midfield, with an injury problem to Jim O’Brien only adding to the worries of manager Keith Hill. The Reds started only one recognised midfielder on Saturday, David Perkins, although Miles Addison has played his entire loan spell in the centre of midfield, despite being traditionally recognised as a centre back. With Addison returning to Derby following the expiration of his emergency loan deal, Keith Hill appeared to be out of options - perhaps until today.

Michael Tonge is the first to arrive, with the former Blade having failed to hit the ground at Stoke since his £2 million move from Sheffield United back in 2008. Tonge certainly adds a wealth of experience to the side having made over 250 appearances for United, including back in their Premiership season in 2006/07. However despite the fact that Tonge must have had undoubted quality to merit such a move, questions must remain over his fitness, and any potential wage demands.

This season, Tonge has failed to make either of Stoke’s 25 man Premier League or 23 man Europa League squads, meaning that he has been limited to only reserve and domestic cup action.

Can a player who has been limited to playing time truly hit the ground running?

Furthermore, a Premier League player comes with evidently high wage demands, much higher perhaps than those that Keith Hill has been accustomed to forking out, compared to players that he has brought in this season.

How much are Stoke contributing to his wages? And is it a big gamble for us?

Korey Smith

Secondly comes the imminent arrival of Korey Smith. Smith brings with him slightly less experience, although he does have a full Championship season under his belt, when he helped the Canaries gain promotion last season.

Like Tonge, Smith has enjoyed little playing time this season, and has been limited to only one game. However, the attacking minded midfielder comes highly rated from Norwich, having signed a deal to 2013, and has captained various youth sides whilst rising through the ranks at Norwich, since being plucked out of Non-League Football.

Whilst Smith may arrive with smaller wage demands [compared to Tonge], how will his fitness serve him having been limited to so little game time?

The loan story so far
These loan signings come as the 5th and 6th of the season respectively this season, with the likes of Cameron Park, Nile Ranger, Danny Drinkwater and Miles Addison preceding them.

In the eyes of many Reds fans, Hill has come up with a mixture of good and bad signings, with Drinkwater in particular standing out as a very good loan acquisition. Leicester City recently spoilt that party, when the intended loan spell would have seen the midfielder remain at Oakwell until the season’s end.

To some, Miles Addison had a relatively poor start, but the Derby man was able to regain the faith of many Reds supporters following impressive performances against West Ham and Leeds United, and therefore may have been seen as a fair signing in the end.

For the likes of Cameron Park and Nile Ranger, their loan spells were perhaps disappointing. Both were greeted with much expectation, particularly in the case of Ranger. However, various injuries limited the game time of both men, and for these reasons, supporters were left wanting, seeking a little more from the loan spells.

On the whole, in my view, the loans have been impressive, particularly that of Drinkwater. I feel that it's important to consider a number of issues when making a deal.

what [squad] problem the signing(s) will address?
how much will their wages cost?
how committed will they be to the club?

Whilst at Barnsley FC, Drinkwater was fully committed and really addressed our midfield problems - it was therefore no surprise to hear that he was in demand, especially after such a decent spell with us and in the end - capable of commanding such a high fee. Unfortunately, none of it going to us!

Is Drinkwater a one off? That remains to be seen. However, I believe that the previous signings we have had all showed potential, but were unlucky with injuries.

My Final View
It’s always difficult to gauge a loan signing, since it can be massively different to a permanent deal in so many ways. For me, Keith Hill has come up trumps in bringing a relatively large name [in Tonge] to Oakwell, and also has brought in 2 players with Championship experience. This, I believe will add to the current squad dynamic, who have done fantastically well to ‘overachieve’ game in game out so far, but have at times lacked that experience.

Smith is young and creative, and has made the step up from League 1 to the Championship himself, something he can surely pass on to the rest of our squad. Tonge has been there and done it all. He's known promotion [to the Premiership], relegation and the mental challenges that those situations create.

Tonge could be 'skipper" material - if he enjoys a good start to his spell. It just remains to be seen whether both players truly have the fitness to hit the ground running.

We would love to hear your comments on this post below, or respond to this and other transfer / loan activity via On The Ponty End's brand new Forum.

Follow @OnThePontyEnd and me, @MichaelRoach55 on Twitter.

FFL Update | 23 January

wilky@onthepontyend.com (Wilky & Davos) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:14:11 PST

It's been quite a while since we last visited the stats, but RealMATrid, Matthew Williams' team is opening up an enviable lead with 341 points in On The Ponty End's Fantasy Football League.

Be sure to keep checking your squad's performance over the coming weeks and make any necessary transfers during the transfer window and to cover any long-term injuries. Maybe the next time we take a look at the league, the picture could have changed yet again?

Howard Eyes Up Barnsley Return

wilky@onthepontyend.com (Wilky & Davos) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:54:06 PST

Brian Howard

Brian Howard the former Barnsley captain has stated that wold love a return move to Oakwell as he looks to revive his career this month, and bwin betting are predicting a move back to Barnsley for the 27 year old.

The Bwin review shows that Howard scored 27 goals in 121 games for Barnsley between 2005 and 2008 left the club in controversial circumstances to join local rivals Sheffield United four years ago.

He might be most remembered for his FA cup heroics at Anfield where he scored a last minute winner, leading them to the semi final, as well as being instrumental in the clubs premotion to the Championship in 2006.

Since then though, moves to Sheffield United, Reading and a current loan spell at Millwall who won 3-1 at Oakwell on Saturday, have seen his career stall over the last couple of seasons.

Prior to his return to Oakwell with Millwall on Saturday where he was unable to play due to a delay in his loan with the lions, he expressed his interest at returning to the club permanently:

“I have unfinished business at Barnsley and would love to come back. I already have offers for next season but I’d definitely think about coming back if Barnsley were interested. I feel I’ve never really had the opportunity to say thank you to the fans and I was very upset in the manner in which I left the club."

"Other players were offered new contracts but despite the club always telling me how valued and important I was, they never offered me one. It was a very tough time. I got perceived as the bad man and the Judas, but it wasn’t like that."

"I left Barnsley for footballing reasons because I wanted to have a better chance of playing in the Premiership. I had a great rapport with the fans and my time at Barnsley has been the best of my career. I came back to Barnsley recently and was with Antony Kay and Paul Reid and we were talking about our time together at the club. We were a bunch of lads who did everything together, on and off the pitch and none of us have ever been in a team with such a spirit since.”

It will be interesting to see how Howards future progresses, and if he will indeed become a Barnsley player once again.

Drinkwater looks forward to Leicester

wilky@onthepontyend.com (Wilky & Davos) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:53:35 PST

Danny Drinkwater

It was a massive disappointment for Barnsley fans to learn that Manchester United accepted a £1 million bid for Danny Drinkwater from Leicester City which ended the midfielders loan spell at Oakwell.

Drinkwater has been speaking out about Barnsley's Bwin free Bet chances in the Championship since his departure, insisting that the club wont suffer because of his departure and the injury to fellow midfielder Jacob Butterfield, and bwin betting agrees.

“There are a lot of good players at Barnsley besides me and Jacob," said the 21-year-old.

"I think they can go on and have a great season. They are a good bunch of lads and I wish them all the best.

“I was expecting to stay at Barnsley until the end of the season but Leicester met the price that Man United wanted them to pay and I was allowed to speak to them. I wanted to sort out my long term future instead of being on loan so I have signed for Leicester. I have to thank Barnsley for helping me massively this season and I will always like the club.

"I hope Barnsley supporters will understand that I worked my socks off for the club while I was there and that I was not looking for a move away.”

Ironically, it has turned out that Drinkwater's last game for Barnsley was against the club he is set to join, as he lead them to a 2-1 win over Leicester at the weekend. He set up both goals in a great performance which might have just made up the mind of Nigel Pearson that he should make a bid for the Manchester United player.

Despite Leicester's ambitions to make the Premier League this season and the budget that they have had this campaign, the win for Barnsley at the weekend put them ahead of Leicester in the Championship table but Drinkwater is hoping to overhaul his former club before the end of the season.

“It was a good last game to play in and a great result for Barnsley. But now I am at Leicester and I want to make sure we finish ahead of Barnsley.

“I see the move as a step on in my career. I wanted to keep playing regular Championship football and now I will be at a club who are genuine promotion contenders rather than a club who were play-off contenders at best.”

He has been a great player in his 18 appearances for the club, and Drinkwater will continue is progress for Leicester in the future.

HillCroft's Hit Factory

wilky@onthepontyend.com (Wilky & Davos) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:27:50 PST

In reference to the likely transfer of Danny Drinkwater to Leicester City today, one disgruntled Twitter user put it thus, "We're the small kid in playground having his dinner money pinched". And perhaps they've got a point, specifically in reference to the Foxes ability to flex their financial muscle over Barnsley FC off the field, despite being unable to overcome us during 180 minutes of Championship Football.

But also, perhaps we should also muse over the fantastic position that the partnership in which Keith Hill and David Flitcroft have now placed our beloved Barnsley FC. As one pop combo once put it, "It aint what you do, it's they way that you do it and that's what gets results".

It's no mere coincidence that Drinkwater has flourished at the Reds this term, alongside the likes of Jim O'Brien, David Perkins, Ricardo Vaz Te, Craig Davies and Jimmy McNulty. As a fellow blogger described earlier in the season, HillCroft have a knack for fixing broken toys and have blended talent together at Oakwell, to make us the envy of many a Championship side.

Whether any of these players will have better careers or fortunes beyond Barnsley, only time will tell. But Keith Hill is a realist, who in his recent interview with Radio Sheffield admits, "It's a short career and as we've seen with Jacob Butterfield, you're one game away from your whole career imploding in", making advancement, with increased financial incentives a real problem for Barnsley FC in retaining talent.

What does this mean for Bansley FC?

My belief is that this can only be regarded as positive evidence to all supporters. The club is being steered in the right direction. The management team is being taken very seriously, inside and outside of our club and that the confidence being built will only open yet further opportunities, to attract new talent, who may have in the past been off the radar!

Maybe Premier League clubs will encourage players to find their way to Grove Street, as an essential part of their development and nurture. Trusting that the correct habits, mindset and performance levels are achieved to a desired standard, on a consistent basis. Even if that means that the wealthier clubs use Oakwell as a sieve to sort out their own wheat from the chaff.

Keith Hill is on record as stating "We've done our job in respect to helping Danny [Drinkwater] and Danny's done his job in respect to helping us as well".

Let's hope Manchester United recognise this also, besides the beneficiaries of this work - if indeed, as is extremely likely, the Old Trafford loan hero departs and joins the Foxes today, Thursday 19 January.

In HillCroft we trust. This will change the game plan temporarily at Barnsley FC, but I doubt this will undermine the success that this management duo have and will achieve at our beloved club.

Is this a fatal blow for Barnsley FC's season? We would love to hear your opinions, add your comments below. Follow us on Twitter @OnThePontyEnd or join the banter on Facebook.

A Gray Day for Leicester (Match Review)

wilky@onthepontyend.com (Wilky & Davos) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:55:04 PST

Andy Gray

To say that Leicester City have spent money this season would be a massive understatement. The Foxes’ overseas owners have certainly aimed to make their mark on the Championship with big name signings, and previously with former England manager Sven Goran Eriksson. Eriksson, however, was unable to deliver the minimum aim of a play-off spot, which has signalled the return of former boss Nigel Pearson in order to attempt to recover any chances of a promotion push.

On the flip side were Keith Hill and birthday boy David Flitcroft’s Barnsley side, who had been assembled for less than the prospective £1.8m deal that would have seen Billy Sharp join the Foxes from local rivals Doncaster Rovers, a deal that has since been turned down by the Sheffield born striker.

Tactically Speaking
The Reds welcomed new signing Chris Dagnall into the side and subsequently changed formation to accommodate the forward, who appeared to operate just behind Andy Gray and Ricardo Vaz Te on the Reds’ front line. The Reds appeared to go narrow in a formation that you might call ‘The 4-4-2 Dagnall Diamond’, with Perkins and Drinkwater operating in the heart of the midfield, and Miles Addison protecting the defensive line. The aim was to pressure the Leicester defence and midfield into long balls, with the likes of Dagnall and Perkins chomping at the bit to grab the ball at every opportunity.

The Foxes appeared to go 4-5-1 with the aim to play direct balls up to David Nugent and Paul Gallagher. The Foxes were dangerous with their attacking full backs Peltier and Konchesky, who continually made forward runs and aimed to get balls into the box. Unlike Barnsley, Leicester had no debutants; instead, Irish international Sean St Ledger made a surprise appearance on the substitute bench however, after reportedly being transfer listed following a spat with Nigel Pearson.

Soaking up the pressure
Leicester immediately looked to upset Barnsley with direct play, gaining early corners, as well as throw-ins deep into the Barnsley half. The Foxes were certainly aiming to hit the ground running and might have had an early chance when Steele saved well from a Paul Gallagher free-kick in the 5th minute. The Foxes continued to push but were contained to the long balls only, with pressure from Dagnall forcing the defence and midfield into early balls, offering them little time on the ball.

From impressive midfield play the Reds were able to get an early goal, when Miles Addison nicked the ball and produced a superb pass under pressure for Ricardo Vaz Te to run onto down the left hand side. The Portuguese forward managed to hold the ball near the goal line just outside the box, before Drinkwater was able to hit a cross, hard and low into the penalty area. Andy Gray popped up to get his first goal since November, putting the Reds ahead early – a fantastic team goal from Barnsley.

A quick reply
It was to take the blues all but 3 minutes to reply to Barnsley’s opener, when a defencive mix up allowed a high ball from Lee Peltier to find Lloyd Dyer unchallenged right outside the penalty area. Steele had expected much better from his defence, and had no time to react to a shot that was slotted home simply by the Foxes’ winger. Had the cracks of previous defensive mistakes began to show?

It was then the Foxes who were to be on top, almost giving the Reds no time to lick their wounds when they continued to push into the Barnsley half, gaining yet more set pieces. The Reds were able to counter on occasion however, although Andy Gray was continually flagged offside, as was Ricardo Vaz Te, who was perhaps unlucky on a couple of occasions.

Midfield magic?
After calming down from the Leicester equaliser, the Reds were able to grow into the game more, taking their time in passing the ball and finding a man. The Reds midfield appeared to be playing with glue on their boots, with the ball sticking to them constantly despite numerous challenges from the men in blue. Passages of play from the midfield were impressive, with Leicester often unable to cope. It was often the final ball lacking, although Foxes’ skipper Matt Mills was notably impressive in cutting out potentially lethal passes from Dagnall and Drinkwater in particular.

The Foxes were always on their toes with the tenacity of the entire midfield unit, who appeared to be enjoying their new formation. A few criticisms came from the travelling support regarding the lack of width, however both Dagnall and Vaz Te were able to get out wide when necessary, with supporting runs coming from Hassell and McEvely on numerous occasions, although both full backs might have been slightly disappointed with a couple of their crosses.

The Reds were to be rewarded for their efforts just after the half hour mark, when Andy Gray sealed his double from an almost identical piece of midfield play, the only difference apparent was the fact that Gray was to finish with his head this time, sending the travelling support into raptures.

The second half
Leicester were to be fast out of the blocks in the second half, looking to put immediate pressure on the defence and gain early set pieces once again. The Reds were having none of it and soaked up the pressure well initially.

The Reds could have only been the architects of their own downfall it seemed, and a couple of mistakes were allowed to creep into their game, when McNulty did a poor short ball straight to the Leicester man, and Jay McEvely cleared a set piece straight across our own box.

The Reds continued to hit Leicester on the break, and afforded Leicester little time on the ball. Particularly impressive was the hold up play of the frontmen Gray and Vaz Te, which brought Dagnall into the game on a few occasions. The former Scunthorpe man might have wanted a few more aspects of his game to click today, although he appeared to tire early after an impressive workmanlike performance, with Keith Hill deciding to rest the forward and bring Matt Done into the fray on the hour mark.

Having been booked in the first half, Miles Addison performed a slightly rash challenge on Richie Wellens, which might have seen him receive his marching orders in the 64th minute. Despite a good performance from the defencive midfielder, Hill perhaps made the sensible decision in substituting the man who ran the risk of being sent off, interestingly opting to send Craig Davies into the fray, signalling a change of formation to a traditional 4-4-2, with Done operating from the right and Vaz Te dropping back into his left wing role.

The Reds continued to press the centre-halfs, and arguably had the best chances of the game. Leicester began to become frustrated, as did the 22,000 strong crowd, and subsequent bookings were received by Peltier and Mills in quick succession. Leicester were desperate to push for the equaliser, although the reds hung firm until the end. Ricardo Vaz Te might have made the scoreline even more convincing from the Reds very late on, when he impressively got past the 2 remaining Leicester defenders who had not pushed up, to send him one on one with Kasper Schmeichel. The forward couldn’t finish the game off though, and had become visibly fatigued, with Schmeichel doing extremely well to keep him out. The chance was to be the last real one however, and the Reds wrapped up 3 points in Leicester for the first time since their move from Filbert Street 10 years ago, a pragmatic performance from the Reds.

Player-by-Player review
Barnsley
Luke Steele – 7 - Didn’t have much to do but did it well. Could have done nothing about Leicester’s goal, which came from poor defensive play.

Bobby Hassell © – 6 – Solid in the first half but tailed off in the second half slightly due to fatigue. Bobby did nothing in particular to be disappointed of, and with an increase in match fitness will surely be back to his former self.

Stephen Foster – 7 – Did a couple of key tackles and blocks, which made up for slight errors from his teammates.

Jim McNulty – 6 – Did play a few silly short passes in the first half but recovered in the second half by playing a simpler game and simply putting the ball out or into the opponent’s half when under pressure. By taking his second half performance forward, he could regain some of his earlier form.

Jay McEvely – 5 – Had a relatively poor game and could have cost the team with foolish clearances into our own box. Needs to gain confidence and play a simpler game at times, which would surely iron out his inconsistencies.

Miles Addison – 7 – Another solid performance in what appears to have been resurgent form from the Derby loanee. Tackles hard and well and allows nothing to get past him aerially. Could have been sent off, although his performance in general more than made up for that.

David Perkins – 7 – Tenacious as always and continued to pressure the Leicester midfield, often stealing the ball which then laid the foundations for our attacks. Should have had a shot when on the edge of the 18 yard area in the second half, and perhaps with more confidence in going forward would have put the game beyond doubt.

Danny Drinkwater – 9 – Assisted both goals today to cap off a very impressive midfield performance. Danny put in the performance Barnsley fans had grew to love him for in his first loan spell, and looks set to have a bright second half to the season

Chris Dagnall – 7 – A decent debut from the attacker, who appeared to grow into a neat little role just behind the strikers. Showed decent spells of creativity, and worked his socks off to continually close down the Leicester defence. As he develops some match fitness and grows into the side, we may just see a nice little coup from Keith Hill, at a reportedly nominal fee.

Ricardo Vaz Te – 8 – Creative and held the ball up well. Had his part to play throughout the game, but perhaps should have took his late chance, although considering his general play today, that has to be forgiven in my eyes.

Andy Gray – 8 – 2 chances, 2 goals. A very efficient performance from the striker who impressively managed to last the 90 minutes, continually pressing the centre backs with fellow forwards Dagnall and Vaz Te. Deserves his place next week.

Subs:
Matt Done for Chris Dagnall – 6- Didn’t really grow into the game although countered well and created a couple of half chances for his team mates.

Craig Davies for Miles Addison – 7 – Had to press the centre halves and did it well, making up for his lack luster performance in the last game. Despite playing well and carving a chance for himself, he may struggle to break into the side given the performance of the rest of the front men today.

Wiseman for Vaz Te – N/A

Leicester
Kasper Schmeichel – 8 – Hero of the day for Leicester, saving well from Davies and Vaz Te.

Lee Peltier – 6 – Got forward well but perhaps struggled a little defensively, performing a couple of rash challenges.

Matt Mills © - 8 - Another shining light in the Leicester side, Mills was able to intercept extremely well today and was a very vocal leader, you can see why the defender was able to command such a large fee in the summer.

Alexander Tunchev – 6 – Could have perhaps done a little more on the goals, and was clearly overshadowed by Mills throughout the game, also was responsible for the mix up right at the death.

Paul Konchesky – 7 – Got forward very well and provided one of the main threats down the left hand side for the Foxes.

Neil Danns – 6 – Didn’t do a great deal, given the direct nature of Leicester’s play.

Richie Wellens – 6 – Likewise with Danns, had little to do, and seemed to have little reply to the Barnsley passages of play.

Lloyd Dyer – 7 – A relatively good performance from one of the ‘old guard’ at Leicester. Was threatening on a couple of occasions and didn’t panic to get his goal.

Andy King – 6 – Like the majority of the midfield, had little to do and couldn’t really get into the game.

Paul Gallagher – 6 - Threatened from set pieces, but was unable to do much more to the Barnsley defence.

David Nugent – 6 – Like Gallagher, pressured from set pieces but provided little else on the day.

Subs:
Jermaine Beckford for Paul Gallagher – 5 – Didn’t get into the game and did little to prove the point of his huge summer price tag.

Man of the Match – Danny Drinkwater – An all round impressive performance from the midfielder, providing a lot more than the 2 assists. The ball appeared to stick to his feet today, and he summed up the tenacity of the side today, a job well done for Drinkwater.

Don’t forget to follow @OnThePontyEnd and me @MichaelRoach55 on Twitter, and don’t forget to comment below. We want your feedback on the game, whether you were able to get to the game or not. Agree with my report? Disagree? Have your say!

Half Season Review

wilky@onthepontyend.com (Wilky & Davos) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 03:55:11 PST

The cliché goes ‘New Year, New Start’, however many Reds fans will not particularly be asking that of their Barnsley side this year. The season so far has contained everything, with calls for the manager’s head after just 3 games and flirtations with the play-offs towards the end of the year, if the side had held on to their half time lead against Ipswich they would have gone 6th that evening.

Within the year 2011 Barnsley Football Club saw the last of the big spenders at this club with Mark Robins attempting a play-off push with big names such as Marlon Harewood and Paul McShane signing on loan. The play-off push failed and the club decided that it should perhaps be more prudent in its operations with new Football League financial rules on the horizon.

The answer was new manager, Keith Hill, who brought with him a plan and a structured training regime designed to get the club results, whilst playing an appealing style of football. Without any analysis at this point, I’m sure many Barnsley fans would agree that Hill and his assistant, David Flitcroft , or HillCroft as they are affectionately known, have certainly achieved that so far.

Although technically 25 games have been played, therefore we are just past the halfway point, now feels an appropriate time since we are out of the busy Christmas period, and the league will be brought to a temporary halt when the side faces Swansea in the FA Cup this weekend. This run-by-run analysis looks at the games gone by, compares it with last season’s efforts, and previews what might be to come in the remaining games this season.

Action Report

No win in 3
The Reds started the season with a 0-0 draw against Steve McClaren’s Nottingham Forest side, a positive result on the day given the two clubs’ respective spending power. It is said that good away draws are only good if they can be backed up by home wins, however the Reds lost 2 in a row, firstly 1-0 at the hands of Southampton, and 3-1 at the hands of Middlesbrough. There were early calls for the manager’s head, following the inability for Barnsley to score for 3 games, since even the Barnsley goal in the Middlesbrough game came off their man.

Kick—starting the season
Sometimes the best medicine to relieve the pressures of home is an away trip. The Reds got not only one, but two in a row when they faced Reading and Millwall. Despite giving away 3 penalties, the heroics of Luke Steele, who was later nominated for player of the month, kept out 2 of the 3, and Matt Done and Andy Gray applied the finishes to get the Reds off the mark. The following week the Reds played out their second 0-0 draw of the season, taking the side to 5 points from 5 games.

The Reds returned home to a more optimistic support following the two away results, from which the Reds had failed to register a point from the respective games last year. It was the turn of big spending Leicester to come to Oakwell, who were dominated throughout the game by the newly confident Reds. Only a short lapse in concentration within 20 seconds of the commencement of the second half let Barnsley down. A long ball appearing to be sailing out for a goal kick was stopped on the touchline by Jermaine Beckford, who then crossed into the 6 yard area for Andy King to slot home. Watford were next for the Reds at home, and this time it was the away side who would open the scoring, with Marvin Sordell, who had impressed at Oakwell for England Under 21’s, scoring a gift of a goal. The Reds weren’t to give up, and brought the game back through Andy gray and created enough chances to have won the game, unfortunately it was not to be.

Injuries were piling up for the Reds in this sequence, and coming into the Birmingham game had youngsters Jordan Clark and Danny Rose on the bench, as the Reds were without Rob Edwards, Danny Haynes, Craig Davies, Ricardo Vaz Te, Luke Potter, Reuben-Noble Lazarus and Goran Lovre. The injury problems could only get worse for the Reds, with Matt Done withdrawing early to be replaced by youngster Jordan Clark. That wasn’t to spoil the Reds’ day however, with a stunning Jacob Butterfield strike giving the Reds the first half lead, only for Birmingham to equalize in the 86th minute. That was the Reds’ third 1-1 draw in a row, but more importantly, they were unbeaten in 5.

Derby was the Reds next away trip on the following Tuesday and an injury to David Perkins during the game saw the side become yet more youthful, with 16 year old Paul Digby getting his Barnsley debut. Butterfield again applied the strike to give the Reds the lead, but a second half penalty drew high flying Derby level. In the end the Reds hung on but more than deserved the point for their efforts.

The final game of the run saw struggling Coventry come to Oakwell in search of vital points. Keith Hill’s side were not to be the charitable ones, and footballed Andy Thorn’s side from the park, running out 2-0 winners in a comfortable manner. 7 games unbeaten.

A mixed October and Early November
Following the international break, the Reds were to appear in their first Sky TV game of the season at Fratton Park. The cameras haven’t been kind to Barnsley in recent years, and this wasn’t about to change with Portsmouth undoing the Reds’ game plan in a matter of 2 minutes around the hour mark, scoring the goals in quick succession, it was the first time in 5 that the Reds had failed to score.

The Reds had only 3 days to lick their wounds before Eddie Howe’s Burnley came to Oakwell. Like many occasions, the Reds enjoyed an impressive first half, with yet another Jacob Butterfield goal seeing them in front. Following a slightly nervy second half, Ricardo Vaz Te put the game beyond doubt with ten minutes to go in this highly entertaining game.

This game was to be followed by another away day nightmare, where poor defending saw Cardiff run out eventual 5-3 winners. One positive from the game was that the Reds weren’t about to go down without a fight, with 2 late replies reducing the deficit, although it just wasn’t enough on the day.

Barnsley were then to be the charitable side at Oakwell with Bristol City coming to Oakwell, who had just appointed new boss Derek McInnes. The Reds were one down at half time, and thought they had a point when Craig Davies got his first Barnsley goal with 15 minutes remaining, but Nicky Maynard popped up in injury time to give Bristol a vital win.

Again, the Reds had a quick turnaround, and the following Tuesday Hull were the opponents. Davies got his second goal for the Reds, with Andy Gray doubling the lead around the hour seeing the Reds ahead. The game might have had a nervy end when Matty Fryatt replied with 10 minutes to go, but the Reds held firm for the 3 points in what was another highly entertaining game with both sides playing some attractive football.

Next up was the Reds’ first trip to Brighton’s new Amex stadium on the day following bonfire night. It was Brighton who were to let off the fireworks though, running out as what on paper looks like comfortable 2-0 winners, however the score line doesn’t tell the whole story as Barnsley played well and can count themselves unlucky to maybe have not come away with a point.

Play-off contenders?
The Reds had been inconsistent of late, and were eager to put together a good run of results, and put together a run they did. First up were Doncaster Rovers with their interesting transfer policy surrounding Premier League veterans such as El Hadji Diouf. Keith Hill’s lower league rough diamonds were to embarrass the Rovers however, turning them over in impressive fashion and not giving them a sniff throughout the game. Doncaster’s previous ‘Arsenal of the North’ accolade, it appeared, was coming to Oakwell, thanks to a Craig Davies double.

A trip to Elland Road was to make it a Yorkshire derby double header for the Reds, with Hill’s men again showing the ‘big boys’ how it was done. It was all over by half time it turned out, with Davies getting his 4th goal in as many games after a Ricardo Vaz Te strike early on. Leeds hit the post at the start of the second half from a great attempt from Snodgrass and probably thought it wasn’t going to be their day but they persevered and had a goal with a stunning Ross McCormack’s freekick, and they could have snatched a point late on, but Luke Steele was there to save the day. It was a deserved Barnsley victory and we were the better side with more quality in midfield but it was a hard fought victory with Leeds being forced on by the Elland Road faithful, however their effort did lack some quality with probably only Snodgrass being the one player Barnsley had to keep under wraps, which they did limiting him to long range efforts and defending well against his crosses into the box.

Next up was a trip to free scoring Peterborough, but it was the Reds who were to triumph in this goal bonanza. The Reds gained a 3-0 lead through O’Brien, Butterfield and Vaz Te but Peterborough brought the game back to 3-3, only for Craig Davies to seal his 5th goal in 5 games with a tremendous first time strike which rocketed into the top corner when running on to a through ball from Butterfield providing a fantastic win for the Reds.

Following two heroic away trips the Reds came home, and didn’t even bother to unpack, with Ricardo Vaz Te getting a goal quicker than you could say ‘Crystal Palace’, with an 8 second strike. Jermaine Easter replied in the first half, and with the Palace looking for a draw, the Reds took the game to them. Late on Ricardo Vaz Te punished the negative Palace tactics, getting his second of the game, and the winner.

Next up was the potential banana skin of struggling Ipswich who had failed to win in 7, who came to Oakwell looking to put it right in front of the sky cameras. If Barnsley were to win, earlier results indicated that the Reds would have gone into an unprecedented play-off spot in 6th place. The Reds looked comfortable in the first half and showed the nation just what the side was made of, going 2-0 up thanks to a Craig Davies penalty and a Ricardo Vaz Te strike, perhaps showing one of the league’s greatest strike pairs. Within a matter of minutes in the second half it was all to become irrelevant, as Ipswich brought it back to 2-2. The Reds were unable to get a grip and it quickly became a drubbing from Ipswich, who based on half time’s result could well have lost their manager. 5-3 the final score – the play-offs proving just a little much for the Reds, for now.

The Reds followed up their second half capitulation with a tough trip to West Ham. Barnsley were to be undone by a corner in the 8th minute, which effectively singled the end of the game, with the Hammers playing out the remainder of the game in a direct style. The Reds held firm, but had no reply at the other end.

Although no-one had expected much at West Ham, perhaps a more realistic game to pick up points in was the Boxing Day bout against Blackpool? The Reds took the lead in the 18th minute, but were unable to capitalize further on the open tangerine defence in the first half. The Reds were to pay for it, with a Matt Phillips hat-trick sealing the win for Blackpool. It appeared that the Reds just couldn’t hold onto leads.

Derby Double – Round 2
Following the impressive win at Elland Road for the first time in nearly 2 decades, the Reds were looking to do the double over Leeds. It was all under threat when captain Jacob Butterfield was to be injured early on, but on came Ricardo Vaz Te, who was to be hero of the day following an impressive hat trick. The Reds dominated the Whites throughout and made it look easy. Craig Davies was to get back on the scoring trail, with Leeds’ only reply being a header from a late free kick.

Finally, less than 48 hours passed after the Leeds triumph, and the Reds travelled the short distance to the Keepmoat, where Doncaster made 6 changes from their previous outing. Barnsley had a depleted squad, and were now without the transfer listed Danny Haynes and captain Jacob Butterfield, who picked up an injury which is set to see him out for the remainder of the season.
Doncaster appeared to have more energy and consistently put the Barnsley defenders under pressure whilst defending deep when Barnsley had possession. Barnsley were unable to unlock the defence after an early goal, and instead were punished by a 2-0 score line which flattered an unremarkable game.

Stats at the 25 Game Mark

(Click the image to zoom in)

What’s required?
Points per game (play offs) 1.63 average for the season
Points per game (automatic) 2 average for the season
Target points 42 points from remaining 21 games

Weighing up the stats
On paper, the difference doesn’t show through, per se, however if you compare Hill’s budget with Robins’, it surely has to be considered a great achievement by the current man at the helm to match those of a manager who spent 5 times as much in transfer fees alone, as well as paying higher wages to players such as Garry O’Connor and Jason Shackell. It appears that having a manager like Keith Hill has been a great asset to the club; not only has he got the best out of his budget in terms of new acquisitions, but he has also worked exceptionally well with existing players such as Jim O’Brien and Jacob Butterfield, who have almost undergone a ‘zero to hero’ transformation. In addition to this he gives interviews that actually emit some energy and positivity, a welcome change from the interviews given by his predecessor, Mark Robins, which were uninspiring, and frankly, boring.

Last year it appeared to be “Fortress Oakwell” with 7 wins, which perhaps could have been 9, had we capitalized on wins that were there for the taking against Cardiff and Watford. This season, the Reds have relied less on their home form, having attained 4 additional points away from home. Some may consider home form this year poor, having lost 5 out of 13 games, compared with 3 last year, taken from 13 home games. One has to consider perhaps the results that could have and should have been put to bed at home this season, with the Reds having thrown away 3 winning positions, against Leicester, Ipswich and Blackpool, with the Reds only taking a point from the game against Leicester. Had the Reds held on in these games, the points tally at home would beat last season’s record by 4, taking the home points tally to 28. Crucially, when these 28 hypothetical points are coupled with the 13 away points accrued; this gives 41, and a play-off position in 5th.

Away from home the Reds have been more promising with Keith Hill stating from the off that poor away results since our return to the championship would be something that would be the subject of his address. Despite only having 4 more points, the tactics haven’t been negative like in previous regimes, and the Reds have been in with a shout of taking something from the games, whereas before, the games were effectively over before the first whistle. You also have to take into account our defending from set pieces, which has seen a great improvement, especially with the confidence of Luke Steele. Previously, conceding a corner almost condemned the side to eventually leaking a goal.

On balance, the only criticism of the current regime therefore would be that the team appear to lack a bit of belief in themselves, which I believe boils down to a lack of leadership. The team has lost from winning positions and perhaps more worryingly, have not won yet from a losing position. The solution? The captaincy, and experience. Whilst Hassell is unarguably one of this club’s greatest servants in recent times and an extremely experienced player, he is not vocal enough for the team captaincy. Although we shouldn’t take away from his role in the dressing room as club captain, I believe that an experienced and vocal midfielder would be a key signing, with the midfield appearing to be the section that goes missing when our position is under threat.

What’s to come?
Obviously it’s difficult to predict what will happen over the course of the future, however Keith Hill will have to ensure that this season doesn’t fade away like previous campaigns. Thanks to the loss of Adam Hammill, a talisman in the side, the side appeared to lack creativity and the ability to score a goal. Not only were the team a let down, but as individuals, the players have to be seen as having let themselves down, with nobody stepping to the fore to get goals, with Hammill finishing top scorer despite only having played in half of the games. The signs do look more promising this campaign however, with more key cogs in the system than there perhaps were before, since 2 players have already beaten Hammill’s tally in the same number of games he played, and Andy Gray, who finished 2nd highest goal scorer with 4 last season, find himself in 4th already this season, again with 4. Not only were goals hard to come by but the side finished with relegation form, only 23 points from 21 games – despite having spent more in the 2nd half of the season than the first.

It’s great to see 2 strikers in Vaz Te and Davies out performing Hammill at this stage of the season, and if we can keep hold onto these two in the transfer window then the signs look promising for the rest of the season. Unfortunately however, the side has now lost Jacob Butterfield to an injury that will see him out for the rest of the season. Although I have perhaps been harsh on his performances (perhaps due to his unwillingness to sign a contract), I fear that the side could lose a lot of creativity, making it imperative that we find a suitable replacement in this window. This however leads me onto another praise for Keith Hill, where I am confident that his ‘layering system’ will come up trumps in providing adequate acquisitions, short term or long term, in order to replace the missing pieces of the puzzle that have become unavailable, or have been transferred.

On the other hand, keeping the whole squad happy is a key job for the manager and one has to observe the loan departure of Nathan Doyle, and the transfer listing of Danny Haynes, who appear to have fell out of favour with Keith Hill following alleged disagreements regarding their respective lack of first team appearances. It appears that the Football League’s ruling of reducing the bench from 7 to 5 could have been partly responsible, since the manager has appeared at times to have been without options from the bench. It has to be observed however that players should appreciate the manager’s position and work hard in order to earn their place and keep it, whether starting or on the bench. At times it also appears that the team could have done with changes due to tiredness and fitness, but the apparent lack of co-operation from a few has often forced Hill’s hand, which has no doubt been an influencing factor in deciding to trim them from his plans. The manager does have to rule the roost, and even Wayne Rooney has been sidelined for breaking a pre-match curfew, which cost him not only his place, but also his wages from the Blackburn game.

Red army (or lack of?)
By looking at the stats you will have no doubt compared not only our on pitch performance, but also our off pitch performance in terms of attendances. The figures do not read well, as by comparing the total home attendances from this season and last (both from 13 games), you will notice that 20,000 less fans have attended Oakwell this season.

Despite complaints last season in regards to the categorization system, the commercial team have not only opted to persist with it, but increase adult category A prices by 20%, aswell as designate more games as category A, with 16 initially named, which has since been reduced to 14 following a re-shuffle.

Whilst revenue has increased on match day tickets, despite a reduction in fans, it cannot be observed whether the club has suffered from the loss of merchandise sales, programme sales or food and drink sales, due to the loss of around 2000 to their potential target audience. Yes you can buy a membership card, stand on one leg, wear one red sock and pay the same as last year, but fans want things plain and simple, a notion clearly not shared by the management at Oakwell.

There are a good deal of fans who for some reason can’t attend every game and hence wont buy a season ticket, these 2000 fans have gone away and found something else to do on a Saturday afternoon.

Final Notes
On the whole, all that remains to be said is keep up the good work Hillcroft and the team, and let’s play for all 46 games this season. Let’s overachieve and show what ‘little old Barnsley’ is capable of. At this point I say this to our fans: Let’s really be that 12th man this season and replicate the team’s efforts by singing for the 90 minutes, whether that be from the Ponty End, West Stand or East Stand. Let’s not leave early, and let’s not give up when the going gets tough. Let’s fight to the very end, as the team will too.

Is this blog a bit of a moan, an attempt at football philosophy and management or a rallying call? I’m not sure…it’s possibly all 4!

From this point onwards I believe that: a result would be staying up, mid-table would be fantastic, the top 10 would be brilliant and the play-offs would be dreamland. But let me leave you with a quote from Apple’s ‘Think Different’ campaign – ‘The ones who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are often the ones that do’

Typhoon over Barnsley

wilky@onthepontyend.com (Wilky & Davos) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 05:54:55 PST

An unwelcome storm has hit Barnsley FC this week, in the shape of the alleged abuse aimed at Billy Sharp, during the recent Keepmoat clash between Donny and the Reds.

Let me be very clear from the outset, I was unable to attend the game in person and I am not attempting to provide any witness account or third party version thereof.

Writing on subjects such as this alleged incident has also been an area I have vehemently avoided in the past, regardless of the cynical ability it may have to create debate and web traffic. But as a parent and football supporter, I feel compelled to add some of my thoughts and would welcome your feedback.

Latest reports suggest that a very small minority or an individual amongst the Barnsley FC support began a disgusting chant aimed at Sharp, but were immediately silenced by fellow Reds fans.

Accounts from the Doncaster Rovers management, directors and Billy Sharp also suggest that any offensive chants were not heard.

As I cannot provide a personal account, the story has already been widely reported and perhaps that it's best that I leave further detail to others.

Turn the clock back only two months, when Sharp appeared at Oakwell, in the season's first encounter between the sides and personally I can vouch for the warm welcome and sympathy extended to Sharp, by the vast majority of Barnsley fans. A gesture acknowledged by the player himself and one that was NEVER to be reported nor did it make any appearance on Forums.

Whilst this does not exonerate one potential individual or others, if they were responsible of such a sickening and abusive act, the earlier events should be seen as testament to the good will, feeling and human nature of the majority of Barnsley folk. The community seems to be being demonised.

This next concept certainly belongs in another post, but there are many questions now being raised in general about fan behaviour and the protection of players, even within our club itself, recently from Keith Hill.

Others have addressed the fact that imprisonment is in their opinion, the only solution for any guilty culprit, again referring to the Sharp incident.

Will we see an end to Leeds United's use of "Munich" references directed at Manchester United fans as a result?

The Celtic/Rangers sectarian divide is equally publicised too.

Both are highly emotive scenarios which can not be aggregated as better, worse or irrelevant to the Sharp incident or the wider debate.

Personally, I wish to extend my sympathies as a father, husband and a football fan to Billy Sharp and his family.

Hat-trick hero Vaz Te sinks Leeds – Match Review

wilky@onthepontyend.com (Wilky & Davos) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 04:03:21 PST

Barnsley have enjoyed great success over Leeds since they returned to the Championship, having played out a fantastic 5-2 drubbing at Oakwell last September, a 2-2 draw at Elland Road in the latter half of last season, followed by an impressive 2-1 win just a matter of weeks ago. The Reds were looking to go 6 unbeaten against Leeds earlier when they pitched up at Oakwell, with both sides having not won in their last 3, Barnsley with 3 losses, Leeds having gained a point away at Watford.

Tactically speaking
Barnsley made 3 changes to the side that played out the 3-1 loss to Blackpool at Oakwell on Boxing Day, with Bobby Hassell, Stephen Foster and Miles Addison coming in for Jim O’Brien, Rob Edwards and Ricardo Vaz Te.

The Reds lined up in their favoured 4-2-3-1 formation, with Hassell, Foster, McNulty and McEvely at the back, anchormen Miles Addison and David Perkins, with Scott Wiseman, Jacob Butterfield and Matt Done supporting Craig Davies in attack. The team sheet came as a surprise to many, who had perhaps expected Jim O’Brien to play, who dropped out of the squad due to injury, and Scott Wiseman was deployed on the wing despite being a natural right back, evidently to provide cover to Bobby Hassell.

Within 15 minutes Jacob Butterfield was substituted for Ricardo Vaz Te, following a crunching challenge from Michael Brown early in the game, changing the emphasis slightly, with Done and Vaz Te continually rotating between the central and wide left positions.

Leeds lined up in a 4-3-3 formation, and were without talismanic winger Robert Snodgrass following an operation on his appendix, as well as captain Jonny Howson. Ramon Nunez and Mika Vayrynen came in for them. Leeds’ tactics hardly endeared themselves to the Oakwell faithful, with chants of ‘same old Leeds scum always cheating’ reverberating around the terraces perhaps summing up the whites’ game plan, which allowed them to injure Barnsley skipper Jacob Butterfield in the early stages, aswell as hold on to Craig Davies for the majority of the game.

Action Report
The first 15 minutes got off to a scrappy start with Leeds appearing to use every opportunity available to have a pop at Jacob Butterfield, with the ball seeing a lot of time in the air. Both sides were nibbling at each other trying to find ways into the game, with hoofed clearances from Leeds continually finding the head of Miles Addison in the middle of the park. Barnsley also played the opening sequences in an uncharacteristic manner, playing a few long balls looking for the head of Craig Davies who continued to be held by Leeds captain Paddy Kisnorbo throughout the game. The 15th minute saw the withdrawal of Jacob Butterfield, who following Michael Brown’s challenge had played tentatively. On came Ricardo Vaz Te, who just loves making an impact.

Within 2 minutes of coming on, a Reds counter attack found Craig Davies outside the penalty area. Following some hustling and bustling, the ref waved advantage when the ball came to Vaz Te, and the Portuguese forward needed no second invitation. 1-0 Barnsley.

Leeds continued to pop at the Reds, earning 2 yellow cards around the half hour period, with Vayrynen and O’Dea receving yellow cards for unsporting conduct. Miles Addison and Perkin continued to provide good cover in the middle of the park, with the head of Addison in particular continuing to keep Leeds in their own half. Leeds perhaps created a couple of half opportunities with Ramon Nunez getting several shots away, although it would have taken a serious mistake from Luke Steele for any of them to have found the net.

The second half came, and determined not to let the lead slip like the previous 2 home games, the Reds came out in a determined and dogged manner. Barnsley pushed up early and were awarded with several freekicks and corners. It would take but 5 minutes for the Reds to double their lead, when a Matt Done corner was partially cleared only to find the feet of Ricardo Vaz Te, who smashed home the Reds’ second.

Simon Grayson had seen enough and decided to make a double substitution, with Luciano Becchio replacing Andrew Keogh, who’d had a quiet game, aswell as Adam Clayton replacing Mika Vayrynen, who was at serious risk of earning a second booking.

From that point on it was just too easy for Barnsley, who dominated possession through Perkins and Addison, continually bringing Matt Done and Ricardo Vaz Te into play as they rotated on the left flank. Wiseman also continued to have impressive runs at the defence, perhaps lacking the final ball on one or two occasions.

10 minutes after the last goal, it was the turn of Craig Davies to get in on the spoils when he was finally found unmarked, the ball dropped to him to the left of the goal, and the striker picked his spot perfectly for the ball to sail into the top corner, with Whites’ keeper Andy Lonergan left with no chance of saving it. The scoreline signaled enough for many Leeds fans, who began to make their way out of the stadium.

Following the 3rd goal the Reds well and truly turned on the style, racking up a final stat of 56% possession. Addison and Perkins were dominant throughout, giving the Reds a defence tighter than Fort Knox. The early New Year celebrations weren’t to end there though, with guess who, Ricardo Vaz Te hitting a shot into the bottom right corner of the goal in the 72nd minute, a hat-trick from what Keith Hill would surely love to claim was an inspired substitution.

Leeds clawed one back with Luciano Becchio heading home from a late free kick, but it was merely a consolation to save the total embarrassment of the strong travelling away support. Final score, Barnsley 4 – 1 Leeds.

Player-by-Player Review
Barnsley:
Luke Steele – 8 – He earned the sponsor’s Man of the Match award, perhaps to the surprise of many at Oakwell, with the obvious choice being the superb hat-trick of Ricardo Vaz Te. Nonetheless Steele has performed magnificently at times this season, and most certainly deserved a clean sheet today, which he was unlucky not to get. The stopper pulled off some great saves, which perhaps could have changed the game on another day

Bobby Hassell (C) – 8 - Beaten for pace on occasion by Nunez, but epitomized the spirit of this Barnsley side with his determination to get back, and occasionally run forward. His tackling was superb, and surely has to earn him a start next week.

Stephen Foster – 7 – Didn’t have much to do, but did it well. Won every header and made tackles when he needed to. Another solid performance that we’ve come to expect this season from the defender.

Jim McNulty – 6 – Perhaps the weakest of performers today, which does appear to be quite a harsh accolade in a fantastic team performance. He defended well, but let himself down with a couple of sloppy passes which might have let Leeds in. His worst game for a while, but certainly not particularly poor overall.

Jay McEvely – 8 – Defended well and got forward well, linking up in impressive fashion with Vaz Te and Done on several occasions. Particularly impressive was his tracking of McCormack, with signs of McEvely starting to be comfortable with ditching the rigid left back position and coming to his man, allowing him not to get past.

Miles Addison – 10 – Did everything that he should have done today. The key to Addison’s performance was playing to his strengths and allowing others to play to theirs. Not one header went past him in the midfield and his superb tackling ability, both when standing and sliding continued to break up play, with simple passing bringing the more creative players into the game. His performance gave all around him confidence, and he was key to the performance today.

David Perkins – 9 – Worked incredibly well with Addison, also breaking up play and working well with others. Like an efficient engine, he continues to run and run for the 90 minutes, and even began to look confident running forward today, linking up with the frontline well when the opportunity arose.

Scott Wiseman – 7 – Scott has a lot of pace, which certainly helped out defensively with his wing partner Bobby Hassell. He continued to make threatening forward runs, but perhaps lacked a bit of a killer final ball, although that would be understandable considered he has been brought up a defender. Today’s performance however showed just how versatile the player can be.

Matt Done – 7 – Left Paul Connolly at right back for dead on several occasions today with his blistering pace. Does perhaps needs to improve on his shooting, but managed to play several killer balls to Davies, who having not been held for 90 minutes might have capitalized further.

Ricardo Vaz Te – 10 – Although not in the starting line-up it appears only appropriate given that Butterfield was subbed off so early. Vaz Te had a barnstormer of a performance and continued to create opportunities for himself and others around him. Aswell as going forward, he occasionally provided help to Jay McEvely defensively which was surely appreciated by the left back. His hat trick was taken superbly, and the Reds have perhaps found themselves a true bargain, who looked composed and creative throughout.

Craig Davies – 8 - Was unlucky not to truly get into the game thanks to Kisnorbo man handling him for the majority of the fixture, however played incredibly well with his back to goal, allowing Ricardo Vaz Te to get into the game. Thanks to his perseverance the Reds were able to get off the mark, and when the opportunity fell to him later in the game, he took it well. More to come I predict from this fantastic summer signing..

Subs – Butterfield subbed OFF early for Vaz Te (N/A), Gray ON for Done (7)
Unused- Preece, Edwards, Noble-Lazarus

Leeds:
Andy Lonergan – 7 – Made a few decent saves, but conceded 4, although his responsibility in those 4 is questionable.

Paul Connolly – 5- Beaten for pace every time, had a nightmare.

Darren O’Dea – 6 – Got booked for unsporting conduct, which summed up his game.

Patrick Kisnorbo (C) – 7 –Did what he had to do well and kept Davies quiet for the majority of the game, also provided some aerial threat from set pieces.

Mika Vayrynen – 5 – Questionable contribution at best. Didn’t appear to offer anything offensively or defensively.

Michael Brown – 4 – Did nothing to change his reputation as a dirty player.

Danny Pugh – 6 – Managed to bring in Nunez on a few occasions.

Ramon Nunez – 7 – Threatened with a few shots and has some decent wing play. Was let down by the rest of his team who were unable to get into the box.

McCormack – 6 – Kept quiet all game by McEvely.

Keogh – 3 – Zero contribution, subbed after the second goal.

Subs: Clayton for Vayrynen (6), Becchio for Keogh (6)

Man of the Match – For me it’s joint between Vaz Te and Addison. You have to give credit to Vaz Te for a magnificent hat trick but much of the performance pinned on Addison bossing the middle of the park, giving the defence a lot of confidence within the game. After a tough loan spell at Oakwell, with a few early season jeers aimed at him, in one single performance he might have earned an extension to his loan spell, in what was a quality team performance all round.

Related articles

Championship Half Term Report

wilky@onthepontyend.com (Wilky & Davos) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 04:04:10 PST

From a recent invite we received, OnThePontyEnd was asked to provide our "Half-Term Report" on Barnsley FC for The Guardian's excellent Football League Blog.

Whilst the structure of the article and its content are brief, we would love to hear your reports, styled in a similar format, in the comments section to this post.

Read the Barnsley FC Half-Term Report

Related Post: Championship season 2010-11 preview

Reds Rudely Awoken from Dream Run

wilky@onthepontyend.com (Wilky & Davos) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 05:59:45 PST

Without a doubt the Reds have put together a fantastic run of results in recent times. From the first win in a generation at Elland Road, to a 7-goal thriller at Peterborough, Barnsley fans have certainly not been short of entertainment throughout the early winter months, with 4 wins in a row teeing up a potential play-off spot if Keith Hill’s surprise package side could have capitalised in front of the Sky cameras.

Saturday, however, signaled the end of this great run, with the Reds toppling to twelfth after a nightmare second half at Oakwell, following a typically dominant first half performance. We analyse this recent run, game by game, and speculate; just how far can this Barnsley team go?

Barnsley 2 – 0 Doncaster Rovers
Dean Saunders’ and Willy McKay’s experimental squad of mercenaries were put well through their paces by Barnsley, who were looking to bounce back from their disappointing away trip to the Amex stadium the week before, where they had suffered a 2-0 scoreline at the hands of Gus Poyet’s Brighton. Lining up in their traditional 4-2-3-1, the Reds made a slight change, with Matt Done fulfilling Jacob Butterfield’s role behind the striker for the first time since following Keith Hill to Barnsley from Rochdale in the summer. Done was one of the Reds’ highlight performers on the day, with his incredible trickery providing the assist for Craig Davies, who scored his second of the match, his 4th in 4 games. The performance signified everything positive Tykes’ fans have seen this season, with hard graft, heroic defending and positive attacking play all being highlights of this thrilling Yorkshire derby. Barnsley were heading to Elland Road the next week on a high, whilst messers Saunders and McKay referred to their contact list again in order to recruit new hit men to try and turn Doncaster’s fortunes around.

Leeds 1 – 2 Barnsley
Barnsley were looking to break the habit of over two decades when they lined up against Simon Grayson’s Leeds United. The Reds had not won at Elland Road since 1990, the year in which Leeds were last promoted to the Premier League. It was Barnsley who were to look more like the Premier League side however, with Keith Hill’s unchanged side putting Leeds’ answer to the Olympic diving squad to the sword. Ricardo Vaz Te got the Reds off the mark in the 27th minute, with Craig Davies’ 5th in 5 effectively ending the game just before half time. Leeds threw the kitchen sink at the Reds in the second half following a stunning Ross McCormack free kick, but the Reds held tight, perhaps with Luke Steele to thank for a stunning save from Ramon Nunez right at the death. The Reds could have perhaps left Elland Road with a slight sour taste however, with David Perkins’ red card late on keeping him out of the next weekend’s tie down in Peterborough.

Peterborough 3 – 4 Barnsley
Peterborough were to give the Reds something different to deal with following the derby day delights of the past fortnight. Darren Ferguson’s men had not seen a 0-0 scoreline in nearly 100 games, and this game could not have been further from the scoreless draws Peterborough have happily shunned for quite some time. The Reds went into half time 2-0 up and within 10 minutes of the second half were seemingly out of sight when a stunning Ricardo Vaz Te effort sent the standing Reds support into raptures. But 3 substitutions signaled the start of a superb Posh comeback, and within 6 minutes the Reds’ efforts had been all but undone. Barnsley were certainly not about to give up 2 points however, and (guess who) Craig Davies scored a fantastic winner 10 minutes from time making it 6 goals in 6 games for Barnsley’s number 9 – an unbelievable scoring run.

Barnsley 2 – 1 Crystal Palace
After 3 wins on the bounce, of which 2 had come away from Oakwell, Barnsley looked to turn over a Palace side who had occupied an early play-off berth. Barnsley certainly could not have been accused of hanging about, with Ricardo Vaz Te hitting the fastest goal in Oakwell history – an 8 second belter. Palace threatened to crash the party though, with Jermaine Easter equalizing in the 33rd minute. It appeared that the Reds had gone to pot, haemorrhaging confidence and looking a shadow of the side they had been for the past 3 weeks. The half time whistle was to be the Reds’ savior, and come the second half the Reds were able to get back in the game. Davies had numerous efforts, but was unable to add to his goalscoring run, although Ricardo Vaz Te’s second made Reds fans think that the Portuguese forward might be about to go on a run of his own – 4 goals in 3 games. Vaz Te’s strike would eventually be the winner, and a well deserved one at that, with the Reds holding firm against Palace’s counter attacking football.

Barnsley 3 – 5 Ipswich
Finally, onto Saturday. Barnsley aimed to make it 5 wins out of 5, and thanks to a pushed back kick-off for the Sky cameras, the Reds by then knew that they could gain a play-off spot should they have won the game. It took only 14 minutes to get the early Christmas party started at Oakwell, with Craig Davies ending his dry run before it started from the spot. The Reds continued to press, and camped inside the Ipswich half for the majority of the first period, showing just why Paul Jewell’s men had not won for over 2 months. Vaz Te scored his 5th goal in 4 games with a pinpoint header to keep the Reds on a high leading into half time.

It is said that you can never have too much of a good thing, however the Reds were unfortunate enough not to stick to that old adage. Within 5 minutes of the second half, Ipswich had drawn level, following a 26 second effort from captain Keith Andrews, and his second coming only 3 minutes later. The Reds were evidently suffering from altitude sickness following their incredible climb up the table, and sloppy defending continued to gift Paul Jewell a lifeline. Collins added another two thirds through the game, with former loanee Michael Chopra effectively ending the Reds’ impressive run 2 minutes later. As if 4 weren’t enough, Jason Scotland made it embarrassing for the Reds in front of the Sky cameras, scoring Ipswich’s 5th in the 83rd minute. Perhaps the only consolation was to come just before the end of normal time, with a cracking Craig Davies free kick resuming his scoring run, making it 7 goals in 7 games. That was not enough for Barnsley however, with their winning streak coming to a dramatic end.

The Goal Rush
Perhaps to thank for the Reds’ impressive run has been the form of two outstanding forwards, Craig Davies and Ricardo Vaz Te. As of Saturday, both had reached the 8 goal mark, matching the tally of last year’s talismanic winger Adam Hammill, who held on to his top scorer accolade for the rest of the season despite heading for Wolves in January, with Andy Gray coming closest to toppling the record with 7. For the first time in a long time, it can be said that Barnsley has an attacking force to be reckoned with, for which it has not paid a single penny.

Perhaps the most obvious signing might have been Craig Davies, with the Reds’ number 9 joining on a free from League 2 Champions Chesterfield, where the Welshman had earned the accolade of the League’s top scorer, netting an incredible 23 times. Keith Hill beat off competition from a number of Championship suitors to get his man, and Davies has certainly not disappointed with his rich vein of scoring form, hold up play and incredible eye and endeavor for goals.

Perhaps less obvious however was the signing of Ricardo Vaz Te. It’s safe to say that the Portuguese winger-come-forward has had a largely inconsistent career, in which he had become a potential Premier League star prior to injury at Bolton and capped for his native Portgual, before being released from Hibernian in the summer. Keith Hill knew that Ricardo had a lot of potential, but also a lot to prove, and following an impressive trial in pre-season, Hill gambled on the forward, and signed him up.

Built on solid foundations
Of course there’s no use in scoring goals at one end if you can’t keep them out at the other. The Reds held solid on several occasions throughout the run, with impressive form from the 2 central defenders McNulty and Foster to thank. The Reds defended from the front however, constructing their runs from impressive midfield performances full of graft, endeavour and creativity. David Perkins has been the stand out star for many, with the 29 year old continually running his blood to water in order to help out both the attacks and the defence.

Jacob Butterfield for 2 of the games had been asked to drop back slightly from where he had perhaps been used to, but still added to the attacks from the heart of the Reds’ midfield, getting a goal and a few assists during the run. Matt Done had a slow start to his Barnsley career however has collaborated fantastically in recent times, impressing on numerous occasions. Finally, who could have forgot the fantastic Jim O’Brien, who has truly grabbed this season by the scruff of a neck, going from zero last season, to hero this season, with his graft and teamwork typifying everything positive about this Barnsley side.

Reality Check
Whilst the Reds have put together an impressive sequence of results, the Ipswich performance on Saturday was to typify in my opinion the perhaps overlooked negatives that had gradually been creeping into the Reds’ performances.

Whilst the Reds had held tight defensively on a number of occasions, the fact remains that Barnsley have only kept 1 clean sheet in 5. Of course this can be happily overlooked during a winning spell like the one we’ve enjoyed, however the Reds have conceded 9 goals in 5 games, nearly 2 a game. Of course the Reds got 4 wins in this period, although on average had to score more than 2 goals a game in order to win. Obviously a win is a win, however one has to question whether we can rely on Davies or Vaz Te’s form for prolonged periods in order to continually score more than twice a game in order to win.

Perhaps it is forgivable that the defence isn’t the best in the division given that it cost so little to assemble, however what is surely inexcusable is the arrogance that had perhaps begun to creep in to Barnsley’s performances, which might have been responsible for the shock result on Saturday. The Ipswich result wasn’t the first time in the would-be 5 game sequence that the Reds let a considerable lead slip, with Peterborough somehow managing to recover a 3 goal deficit in little over 6 minutes, Craig Davies saving Reds fans’ woes on that day. Fans attending Oakwell against Ipswich might have wondered just how such a dominated performance turned into such a nightmare.

Of course I don’t like to point fingers at individuals however one has to question the captain’s performances in spells throughout the sequence. During the Leeds game, overplaying let the Whites in on numerous occasions, and whilst we all like to see fancy footwork, it has to be at the right time. Leeds wasn’t the only occasion, with numerous times cropping up in the Peterborough and Palace games, perhaps with goals and assists overshadowing the sloppiness.

How far can Barnsley go then?
In short, the Ipswich game was a reality check, but that doesn’t have to be a negative thing. The game showed that the Reds have to be perhaps more pragmatic in their approach and more professional in holding onto leads. One can have no qualms in creative play that is easy on the eye, however when we have the lead, players out to impress bigger sides, such as Jacob Butterfield, need to realise that they would in fact appear more impressive in working with the team to hold onto the lead, rather than performing Messi-esque tricks outside our own 18 yard box. Barnsley can be who they want to be this season, and I firmly believe that when we work as a team we are as good as anyone. However when going on runs, the players have to remember what started the runs was grafting team performances, not just glamorous football.

Barnsley are well clear of the bottom 3, with 10 points separating us from Nottingham Forest in 22nd, and 17 separating us from bottom. Therefore, it feels only appropriate to look up, with just 5 points keeping us out of a play-off spot. Pundits have started to take notice of this team, however if we can make this performance a blip on the landscape whilst remaining under the radar, surely there’s nothing to stop this team replicating the heroes of 1996?

Why not answer that question yourself in the comment box below?
Or you can follow me @MichaelRoach55 and @OnThePontyEnd on Twitter. Thanks for reading.

Reds Triumph in Goal Bonanza to Make it 3 Wins in a Row - Match Review

wilky@onthepontyend.com (Wilky & Davos) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 10:54:27 PST

Image via Wikipedia

Peterborough United can certainly not be called a boring team to watch. The Posh, managed by Darren Ferguson, have failed to see a 0-0 scoreline in nearly 100 games, a run that has continued longer than their manger’s tenure. The Reds have also not seen a 0-0 scoreline in a while, with Barnsley having not drawn 0-0 since the stalemate at Millwall back in August. Of course these respective runs could only mean one thing, goals were a given.

Tactically Speaking
The Reds made a change from their favoured 4-2-3-1 formation, instead opting for the classic 4-4-2, perhaps due to the suspension of anchorman David Perkins. Of course Keith Hill was immediately forced into one change due to the midfielder’s suspension, however made a further change, with Newcastle loanee Nile Ranger getting his first start in a Red shirt, whilst sporting what can only be described as a rather comical hairstyle inspired by Princess Leia, coming in for Ricardo Vaz Te. The aim was to get the ball into wide areas with Matt Done and Jim O’Brien providing crosses in from the flanks, into target men Ranger and Davies.

Peterborough lined up in a fluid 4-4-2 diamond formation with key midfielder George Boyd regularly joining in the attack. The aim was to counter attack and get the ball forward quickly and regularly, in keeping with their notorious reputation of being a team who will always try to outscore the opponents. This was further illustrated in their manager’s triple 60th minute substitution which saw United go for broke, opting for just 3 at the back and a packed midfield to see the game out. Pace was key for Peterborough, with both front men, Emile Sinclair and Paul Taylor having pace in abundance, with the aim of catching out the full back and bringing Boyd into play.

Flying High
The Reds enjoyed much of the early possession, with Peterborough looking to draw the Reds onto them and launch a counter attack, despite full backs Jay McEveley and Bobby Hassell having none of it. The Reds continued to push, knowing that keeping Peterborough out for the game’s entirety would be an unrealistic expectation, and got their goal when a Princess Leia, sorry Nile Ranger cross found Jim O’Brien on the edge of the area in the 17th minute, with his effort deflecting off Gabriel Zakuani to give him his first goal of the campaign.

Peterborough saw out much of the possession in the remainder of the half, however the Posh had turned up to find the Peterborough born Luke Steele in inspired form, with the stopped keeping out both George Boyd and Paul Taylor. The Reds were then to give Peterborough a taste of their own counter attacking medicine in first half stoppage time, with Matt Done picking the ball up deep in the Barnsley half, to find a Jacob Butterfield run which just wouldn’t end, the skipper needing no second invitation to fire away the shot and claim his 5th goal of the campaign, making him the Reds’ joint top scorer, for the time being.

The second half began in rather end to end fashion with both sides gaining free kicks and corners, with both sides defending from them well. The game was to see it’s first substitution early in to the 2nd period, with the impressive Matt Done departing in the 53rd minute to be replaced by Ricardo Vaz Te, who had opened the Reds’ account last week at Elland Road, the reasons behind the substitutions unapparent, although appearing to be merely tactical. The winger-come-forward would take no time to introduce himself, with a stunning effort from well outside the area hitting the back of the net in front of the vocal travelling support. This signalled the final straw for Darren Ferguson, who opted to make all of his available substitutions 5 minutes later, signalling the end of former Red, and now Peterborough captain, Grant McCann’s game.

6 Minutes of Madness
The substitutions were to signal the end of the Reds’ dominant scoreline, with the Posh opting to ditch a defender and go for broke, with the new captain and key man George Boyd joining the all out attack. It would take little more than 3 minutes for the substitutions to have an impact, with the aforementioned Boyd bringing the deficit to 2 with a shot inside the penalty box.

Undeterred, the Reds continued much in the manner they had done previously, trying to get the ball to Craig Davies who had held the ball up well all game. However it was a series of free kicks which would see United regain possession, allowing the Posh to push up. The kicks were cleared however Ryan Bennett, who had stayed up from the set pieces was found inside the penalty area to reduce the deficit even further to 1. Game on for Peterborough.

Now with everything to play for, the goals saw Peterborough continually gain in momentum, and before the team, or indeed the travelling support could lick their wounds, the scoreline was levelled by Lee Frecklington. It appeared it was going to be a nightmare finish for the Reds, and many of the travelling support could have been forgiven for predicting an impressive Peterborough come back win.

Grand Finale
It is evident the Reds are made of sterner stuff these days and Keith Hill’s men were certainly not going to go down without a fight. Despite Peterborough still pushing for the win, the Reds regained the ball and Danny Drinkwater found Craig Davies to the right of the box. The ball was to drop perfectly for the in-form striker, and the Barnsley supporters had only one outcome on their mind. The Welshman hit it first time and the ball whistled in to the top corner. The Reds hadn’t made it easy for themselves, but they were in front again with little less than 15 minutes to go. The fortress had held strong.

The Positives
The game was played in fantastic spirit with neither side particularly enjoying extensive spells of dominance. It was end to end throughout and the Peterborough fight back certainly made for an exciting game to watch. Barnsley scored 4 goals of the highest quality whilst staying in the game throughout, something which is very important against the free-scoring Peterborough. Steele was in inspired form and was perhaps largely to thank for us staying in the game during the home resurgence. The game was played in extremely good spirit also, with neither side gaining a single booking. With tickets costing less than half than those at Elland Road, and more than twice as many goals being dished out, is it too early to call that game a true Christmas cracker?

The Negatives
It certainly has to be noted that the Reds could have made it much easier for themselves, with early signs of over-confidence perhaps creeping in following the 3rd goal, which might have been blamed for the moments of madness. Of course the events of the game made for a grandstand finish, however Keith Hill’s young side must remember to remain professional throughout, which perhaps was the missing piece with David Perkins’ suspension. Foster and McNulty could perhaps have communicated better on one of the goals, and McEvely had to be substituted late on in order to not give away a penalty which many fans could see brewing, however it feels pretty harsh to criticise the players following what was one of the most entertaining games I have ever seen. Although as stated in last week’s report, Butterfield must do more than just glory hunt in order to become the established Premier League star he clearly aspires to be, and must lead the side with his mouth as well as just his feet.

Line-ups and Ratings
Barnsley: Steele (9), Hassell (6), Foster (7), McNulty (7), McEveley (6), O’Brien (7), Drinkwater (6), Butterfield (7), Done (6), Ranger (7), Davies (8)

Subs: Vaz Te for Done (7) [53], Haynes for Ranger (7) [74], Wiseman for McEvely (6) [74]

Peterborough: Lewis (6), Bennett (7), Zakuani (5), Alcock (6), Kennedy (6), McCann (5), Rowe (6), Tomlin (6), Boyd (7), Sinclair (6), Taylor (5)

Subs: Kearns for Kennedy (6), Frecklington for McCann (7), Tunnicliffe for Sinclair (5) [All 60]

Next Game:
Barnsley v Crystal Palace
Oakwell, Tuesday 6th December - 7.45pm

Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @MichaelRoach55 and leave any comments or feedback below. Thanks for reading.

Davies Completes Elland Road Rout (Review)

wilky@onthepontyend.com (Wilky & Davos) — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 16:45:52 PST

Following last week’s derby delight against Doncaster, many Reds’ fans like myself will have switched on Radio Sheffield for the post match reactions. It was said by the presenter at the time that whilst Barnsley had played well during the game, Doncaster had certainly put up a less than desirable fight, and most certainly deserved to be beaten. The presenter also added that the true test for the Reds was to come against Leeds United in their next game, which would provide a completely different challenge to Doncaster on the basis of their respective league positions, both past and present.

As discussed in my last post, “The Bank of Oakwell?”, Nile Ranger joined the Reds this week and was pushing to start in the Reds’ first on the road derby of the season, but only made the bench. Keith Hill also perhaps surprised fans with another selection, with Danny Drinkwater only returning to the bench following the suspension which kept him out of last week’s home tie against Donny, leaving the side unchanged from last week’s win.

Tactically speaking
The Reds, as they have done for the majority of the season lined up in 4-2-3-1 with unchanged personnel from the last time out. This meant that skipper Jacob Butterfield remained in a deeper midfield role than he has become accustomed to this season, with Matt Done fulfilling the ‘role in the hole’ for the second game in a row following a barnstorming performance against the Rovers last week. The Reds’ game plan naturally had to change from last week however, with Leeds providing much more threat going forward than Doncaster, albeit without getting the relevant number of shots away. As always with the Reds, the key was the collective with the side working for one another, aiming to pass into space and get behind the Leeds defence.

Leeds lined up in their traditional 4-4-2, making one change from last week’s Sky broadcast game v Burnley, with Tom Lees coming in for Darren O’Dea in the centre of defence. The key to Leeds’ game was the Scotsman Robert Snodgrass, with the wide man regularly coming inside from the right flank onto his favoured left foot in order to try and test Luke Steele between the sticks. In terms of passing style, the aim was to get the ball forward quickly into wide areas in order to try and provide tests to the Reds’ defence, which remained resilient throughout. Another key part of Leeds’ game were the evident endeavours to try and win free kicks in key areas of the pitch, with both of Leeds’ front men in fact receiving yellow cards during the game for various attempts to deceive the officials.

The Positives
The Reds remained resilient throughout, with Keith Hill’s side enjoying the majority of the quality possession during the game. Following Ricardo Vaz Te’s curled goal in the 27th minute, which arguably the White’s on-loan keeper Alex McCarthy should have saved, the Reds were certainly comfortable, and within the first half at least looked like the only probable winner. After what had been a quiet first half for Jacob Butterfield, the midfielder fired a shot just before the stroke of half time, which was saved by their keeper. However, when the rebound fell to the in-form Craig Davies, there was clearly going to be only one outcome, putting the Reds two up within the surprisingly quiet Elland Road to make it 5 goals in 5 games.

When the second half came, Leeds naturally had more edge to their game and made every effort to get the Leeds faithful on their side. The game fired up with a series of fouls from both sides, with cards and free kicks being handed out like sweets from the man in the middle. Leeds were able to get back into the game in the 55th minute from a stunning Ross McCormack free kick, however barring an over the bar shot from Snodgrass, Leeds were kept out for the majority of the second half.

The 66th minute saw the introduction of new loan signing Nile Ranger, who had an impressive impact on the game, consistently holding the ball up and bringing the impressive Done into the game. It was clear to see that the striker had both strength and pace, and that fans could expect to see a lot more from the youngster in the near future. Through tireless work and endeavour the Reds were still able to carve several chances throughout the second half, with Ranger providing essential hold up work on many an occasion. The Reds might have felt aggrieved with their last chance of the game, with Matt Done being slightly slow in sliding into Jim O’Brien’s impressive cross, which with any contact would have almost certainly hit the back of the net to see the Reds out of sight.

The last ten minutes was to typify in my opinion the commitment that the current group of players has shown. Leeds continued to grind away at the defence but were unable to get past the roadblocks, with tackles continuing to fly in all over the pitch. The home faithful could have been right to think that they were right back in it at the end, when David Perkins collected his second yellow card of the game, giving the tireless midfielder his marching orders. The sending off allowed the potential of a grandstand finish, when a series of attacks caused a Jay McEveley mistake to allow them in, with the ball falling to Ramon Nunez. Luke Steele, who had a rather quiet afternoon, was certainly not going to give Leeds the share of the spoils however, and made the incredible decision to leave his line and then block the shot from Nunez in stunning fashion, signalling a deserved chant of “England’s number 1” from the ever vocal travelling support. Undeterred, Leeds persisted in desperately trying to get their essential equaliser throughout the final moments of the game, with tackles continuing to fly in from all areas of the pitch. The final whistle blew and the Reds were perhaps left relieved, but had gained no more than they had deserved.

The Negatives
Clearly within so many positives it would be difficult and almost harsh to point out any negatives within the performance, however in order to mount any serious challenge this season the Reds will know they will need to cut out a few mistakes within their game.

The first negative was the Perkins red card. The tireless midfielder, who received much acclaim from the travelling support throughout the game, might have been slightly disappointed with the manner in which he received both his yellow cards, in which he gave away two crucial free kicks. Of course another disappointment in Perkins’ dismissal is the fact he will miss the next game against Peterborough United, which will be a shame for the 29 year old, as his performance would have almost guaranteed the retention of his place within a midfield that has proved impressive in recent times.

Secondly was the lack of marking on Robert Snodgrass on the Reds’ left hand side. The Reds’ allowed him too much time and space, which on another day could have reaped much more reward. Snodgrass might have felt unlucky not to have scored at some point during the game, with a couple of efforts flying just over the crossbar. With Ricardo Vaz Te clearly lacking defensive quality, the Reds must find a way to help out Jay McEveley at the back when right wing threats such as Snodgrass come to town.

Finally was the skipper’s performance. It is obvious that Jacob has quality in heaps, however must add the mental maturity to his game in order to go any further this season. At times the skipper bit off more than he could chew, and let Leeds in at least 3 times, with one of the occasions leading to the passage of play which required heroics from Luke Steele to keep out Ramon Nunez. He also needs to work harder defensively within a midfield ‘2’, and without David Perkins next week, Butterfield could have a real tough test on his hands if he doesn’t add the defensive side to his game quickly.

Ratings, line-ups and man of the match

Leeds – McCarthy (6), Connolly (6), Kisnorbo (6), Lees (5), White (5), Sam (5), Howson (6), Clayton (6), Snodgrass (7), Becchio (4), McCormack (6)

Subs – Nunez for Sam (6) [57], Keogh for Becchio (6) [68], Pugh for McCormack [N/A]

Barnsley – Steele (7), Hassell (6), Foster (7), McNulty (7), McEveley (6), Perkins (7) [sent off], Butterfield (5), O’Brien (8), Done (8), Vaz Te (7), Davies (8)

Subs – Ranger for Davies (7) [64], Drinkwater for Vaz Te (6) [64], Wiseman for Done (ET) [N/A]

Man of the match – Matt Done. It was certainly difficult to pick out any stars in what was a fantastic team performance, however Done constantly caused the defence problems and provided some great hold up play in the midfield to take the pace out of Leeds’ game on several occasions. Done has made it 2 great performances in a row, and might have got the award last week at Oakwell if it weren’t for Davies’ brace.

Out Of This (Twitter)verse

wilky@onthepontyend.com (Wilky & Davos) — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 14:15:00 PST

I'm just loving Twitter at the moment. The ability it provides to have banter and feedback with fellow Reds fans and the opposition is almost limitless and instant.

Today proved again why OnThePontyEnd relishes the games against the so-called bigger teams, especially as we've just taken another notable scalp.

Starting this morning, I latched onto a ridiculously inaccurate post from the Leeds blog 'The Scratching Shed', The Arrogant Ramblings Of Deluded Barnsley Manager. Take a look at the post yourself, but that set my day up. I knew that Barnsley FC had the capacity to outplay Leeds United today, especially when the opposition take up such a pathetic superiority over our 'Little Club'.

Next up Andrew Tinkler (@andytinkler) piped up with his tweet, making the whole of Leeds slump and put their head in their hands (more likely, if they removed them from their arses first).

Despite the wonder strike from McCormack on 55 minutes, Barnsley continued to frustrate the home team and potentially gain more from their spoils. Nervously, as an armchair supporter on this occasion, we made it to the finish with all three points and Chris Thompson (@10christ) summed up the feeling perfectly.

Quickly followed up by a very sarcastic Steve Harris (@dcsteveharris) ...

Yes we've gained the bragging rights today. And rightly so, Barnsley FC fans should gloat, not just at the result but the manner in which we played and outclassed Leeds United today, in their own back yard.

For too long over the last few seasons, the media have Barnsley as automatic relegation certainties. Minnows in the Championship? Certainly not. Not only have we played more games and retained our status in the second tier longer than any football league club in the country, the statistics back it up.

The All Time League Table demonstrates we have more points earned in the second tier also. Whilst we may not be awash with stars or cash, we have always and will have a credible football club at Barnsley who should never be taken lightly. In Keith Hill, we have a top class manager who will have an excellent managerial career both here and beyond Oakwell. This is just the start!

But to top my day off came this from the account of a Pseudo Keill Hill (@Not_Keith_Hill)

Now whilst I know this did not come from the genuine man himself, it kind of sums up his sense of humour in a nutshell. Maybe a point that the Scratching Shed Blogger should have realised before he posted this morning.

Follow (@onthepontyend) on Twitter. Keeping up the banter since 2008.

The Bank of Oakwell?

wilky@onthepontyend.com (Wilky & Davos) — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 11:14:39 PST

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

This Thursday marked the end of the current loan window in which clubs could sign players on short-term ‘emergency deals’. The Reds took full advantage of the impending deadline, signing troubled striker Nile Ranger from Newcastle and former Barcelona youngster Gai Assulin from Manchester City, which was called off the day after it's announcement. However what must have come as a shock for the Oakwell faithful was not the ins, but the outs, with Nathan Doyle, who was in the running for player of the season last term, signing for Preston until Mid-January.

We take a look at the current loan activity, and in some parts lack of, at Oakwell.

The Ins

To say the Reds have struggled with injury problems this term would be an understatement, with the majority of the first team squad, including the goalkeeper, having picked up at least one injury this term.

Not only have individual injuries been a problem, but there have been times where nearly 10 players have been unavailable for selection, particularly during September and October. So far this season, the Reds have used a total of 4 loan signings, not including the cancelled loan spell of the aforementioned Assulin. This has included Miles Addison, Cameron Park, Danny Drinkwater and as of this week, Nile Ranger.

It’s safe to say that loan signings have been rather hit and miss, with Addison only adding to the injury list for the lion share of his loan spell, and Cameron Park returning to Middlesbrough following a relatively unimpressive spell in which he failed to gain any credible game time. On the other hand, Danny Drinkwater has endeared himself well to the Oakwell faithful, and many have called for the extension of his loan deal which runs out at the turn of the year following a string of impressive performances which many argue have been key to the Reds’ campaign thus far.

This week, Hill had signed both Nile Ranger and Gai Assulin, who had believed to have been on the Reds’ radar since the Israeli U21 international played at Oakwell for his nation against the England U21 team, however due to an injury sustained by the Man City man, the deal was disappointingly called off, with many Reds' fans looking forward to seeing the Israeli following an impressive performance the last time he graced the hallowed turf.

Nile Ranger took up his post as expected, following a troublesome spell with his current club Newcastle which has seen a series of criminal charges be brought against the 20 year old and strained his relationship with both the clubs’ fans and manager Alan Pardew. To many fans the signing was well met, with the Reds having struggled to score goals this season, largely due to injury problems. However now the majority of the squad is fit, some fans have questioned whether this loan signing should have come sooner, since Craig Davies has now found form and is fulfilling a lone striker role, with 4 goals in as many games.

One also has to question Miles Addison’s perceived value within the squad also, since the midfielder has struggled heavily for game time at Oakwell and is reportedly receiving a healthy chunk of his salary from us rather than his parent club.

The Outs

The questions can only continue when you take a look at the other end of the spectrum in who we have sent out on loan. Despite having received more game time than Miles Addison and being a fans favourite, Nathan Doyle has surprisingly joined League 1 Club Preston on loan, who also signed Jamie McCombe from West Yorkshire rivals Huddersfield Town at the end of the current market. It is reported that Doyle and manager Keith Hill have not exactly seen eye to eye this season, which may have been the reason behind the move, however when taking into account the previous injury crisis and the comparative size of the squad with others in the division, was sending a former player of the year contender out on loan the wisest option?

This hasn’t been the first time this season that Hill has baffled fans with loan market decisions this season, with Jay McEveley being listed for loan due to a bad run of form, only for him to require selection the following Saturday due to injuries which saw the alternative left back – Jimmy McNulty, move into the centre of the defence. Whilst you can say that McEveley didn’t leave and therefore the decision is irrelevant, it has to be remembered that McEveley has played every game when available since then, begging the question as to why someone who is now seen as a member of the starting 11 was made available for loan and was subject to a number of enquiries which could have spelled the end for him at the club.

The importance of loans

Of course many people share different views on the loan market, with some saying it is beneficial and others saying it is not. However, what has to be considered the important view at this time is does a loan move signal the beginning of the end of a player’s tenure at a club?

When sending a player out on loan, it can show a player is surplus to requirement and in some cases significantly lower the value in the forthcoming transfer market should the club decide to move the player on permanently. Can a club the size of Barnsley afford to devalue their players in such a way, especially when only 6 months ago many fans, and the former management team couldn’t imagine a Barnsley without Nathan Doyle?

You also have to analyse what remains within the squad, in which arguably some players have certainly gone missing. For example, Goran Lovre and Reuben-Noble Lazarus picked up injuries at the start of the season which were expected to keep them out for between 2 weeks and 2 months, that time has long gone, and yet no sign of the players has been recognized for quite some time, with only the emergence of Hill warning the 18 year old Noble-Lazarus about his conduct on the social network Twitter.

Perhaps the Serbian Lovre is not every Reds’ fan’s immediate priority, although it has to be noted that whilst a popular player in Nathan Doyle has left the club – albeit temporarily, a rather unpopular player who is yet to gain a second of game time (albeit having had a run of reasonable performances in pre-season) remains at the club, and is likely to see out his contract and be released, when in reality only a quarter of his expensive wages have been earned in terms of game time.

Would it have been a better option to send Lovre out on loan, if fit of course, to another club in the hope they would be interested in signing the player permanently in order to free up a massive chunk of the wage budget? Furthermore, if Noble-Lazarus, who was touted to be a pivotal star for the Reds in pre-season prior to his injury, is deemed not mentally ready for the championship, where is the harm in the player gaining professional experience at a League 1 or 2 club, where he could realistically carry the majority of sides?

You also have to look at youngsters such as Jordan Clark, Paul Digby, Danny Rose and John Stones and ask why they haven’t been given crucial professional game time to develop their careers. You might say that there is a lack of interest from lower league clubs, however an unheard of player from the Bury academy has just joined Grimsby on loan. Obviously Grimsby certainly aren’t the biggest club in the world, however they’re a semi-professional club playing within a proper league structure, with the Blue Square Premier realistically only being ‘non-league’ in name and not by nature.

Our youngsters could gain valuable experience from these clubs, yet between them have less than one game’s worth of minutes played (barring Noble-Lazarus). You can understand the view that we have to protect our youngsters however there’s got to be a balance. The current group are either currently 18 or will be 18 within the next year, which is usually the age at which players begin to earn professional game time. Without loan spells, can we realistically expect our youngsters to step into our team within 1 or 2 year’s time and have the experience which would be vital for our survival in the division?

The conclusion

You have to understand that I’m not criticising Keith Hill here, merely speculating as to whether things could be further improved under his stewardship, which as you will know I have been largely impressed with. He knows the challenges at Barnsley and has largely met them and even rose above them, however a club of our size cannot afford to carry what some might consider as deadwood in Goran Lovre, yet get rid of (if only temporarily) a former fans’ favourite in Nathan Doyle. I’m a big fan of transparency and don’t actually mind that Doyle has been loaned out if it were for the right reasons. However I believe it’s crucial to the fans to know where we are with the squad, and who actually is still in existence, and of the few minor hiccups in Hill’s spell at Barnsley, this deal may be considered as one of them.

Obviously it's difficult for managers to be completely open, and one has to thank Hill's transparency thus far, especially within his short term plans. However going forward, I believe Keith Hill could further his current popularity with the fans in discussing his plans for the rest of the season during the January transfer window and how certain players fit into that and what any recruitment, or possibly exit policy might be for potential and/or current players.

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