Barnsley FC Blog | On the Ponty End

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) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:11:32 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.

Don't forget to leave any feedback or comments below, and if you haven't already, follow me on Twitter @MichaelRoach55

Thanks for reading!

The Butterfield Effect

wilky@onthepontyend.com (Wilky & Davos) — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 14:58:57 PST

It doesn't take the most inquisitive of Barnsley fans to know that Jacob Butterfield has been attracting a lot of media attention recently. In what will be seen in the eyes of many as a fantastic season so far for the youngster, the former Manchester United trainee has seen himself become a regular in Keith Hill's side, as well as being appointed as the club's youngest ever captain. And last week, seeing a call up to Stuart Pearce's England U21 set up.

But of course none of this has occurred on the quiet, and the midfielder has attracted the attention of a string of championship and premier league clubs, posing the question to Reds fans, how long can we hold on to Jacob Butterfield?

The Potential
Those in the know at Oakwell touted the youngster to really push on this season following an ok previous campaign. The midfielder showed glimpses of brilliance last term, but failed to find a comfortable position within the four man midfield and would often go missing in games, often being shoved out wide to compensate for injuries.

After scoring 2 goals and stinging the gloves of many a keeper, it was clear for many to see that Butterfield could potentially be a big part of the team in the forthcoming season, providing that he found consistent form.

A Hill To Climb
After seldom featuring in pre-season, it became unclear as to what the future held for Jacob at Oakwell, with Reuben Noble-Lazarus and Danny Rose gaining the proverbial ‘exciting youngster’ badges and regularly featuring in the warm up games. However, come the start of the season Jacob did indeed break into Keith Hill’s plans, perhaps with an injury to Noble-Lazarus to thank. And following a successive sequence of fine performances, it seemed that Butterfield was in the side to stay.

The Reds started the season slowly however, therefore causing the manager to dip into the loan market, only to bring in a serious threat to Butterfield’s position in central midfield, with Danny Drinkwater arriving from Manchester United. The arrival caused a dilemma for Hill, with midfield balance the rationale behind the signing, since Miles Addison and David Perkins had provided the defensive outlet, but the Reds had failed to find the creativity required to score goals, with the side only scoring 2 prior to the signing of Drinkwater.

A string of injuries was to make Hill’s mind up for him though, with the manager opting to keep Butterfield in the midfield, whilst also bringing in his new loan signing, which subsequently saw a change in formation.

Making Sacrifices
It had quickly become apparent to Hill that by playing Butterfield he would be advantageous in the creativity that the youngster provided, but would have to compensate for the lack of defensive quality and effort. Hill was searching for balance, and stumbled upon a dilemma of how the team could be more creative, yet be solid defensively.

The answer it seems lay in the 4-2-3-1 formation. This allowed Butterfield to be free of the traditional responsibilities of a midfielder, with the chance to concentrate on his creativity and goal getting, with Perkins and Drinkwater providing the bread-and-butter, knitty gritty midfield work. Initially this proved successful, with a flurry of impressive strikes against Leicester, Birmingham, Derby and Burnley.

However, it is now 4 games since Butterfield has scored and many fans have wondered if the recent speculation has been getting to the player.

The Risk
It appears that for the forseeable future Keith Hill will be faced with another dilemma. Does he dare to drop his captain upon he has heaped so much praise, or does he stick with the man knowing that he is capable of moments of magic?

As pundits will analyse, teams in good form can afford all the luxuries in the world, however now the Reds have hit an inconsistent spell with only 1 win in 4, can the team afford a player who at times can be a passenger?

Hill then faces the problem of replacing Jacob, both in the short and long term. If Hill decides to drop Butterfield, how does this affect future preparation, who steps into the void, and what formation do we play?

If Butterfield regains his form, how do we go about keeping him, and if we’re destined to lose him, who do we buy to replace him, and how much cash do we demand? Of course there is also the player’s contract to take into consideration, which runs out in the summer. Butterfield has been offered new terms, however should he decline to sign and leave in the summer, what financial benefit will the Reds see for taking a chance on a player who could have been so close to leaving the game altogether?

The Replacements
Assuming Butterfield does go, Hill no doubt will have to find a suitable replacement. With the manager being a notorious wheeler dealer, will he opt to spend the entire fee on an established player, or will he gamble on yet more rough diamonds from the lower leagues?

The answer would appear obvious, however who might Reds fans expect to fill the void? I’ve compiled who I might like to see below, however, who would you chose?

Johnnie Jackson - Perhaps at the top end of any budget the sale would free up, the 29 year old is captain of League 1 leaders Charlton and has a proven record of scoring goals. Jackson has made nearly 50 appearances for the Addicks after joining on a free from Notts County, scoring 20 goals in total, including 7 this season, a fantastic return for any midfielder to rival even some strikers’ records.

Anthony Wordsworth - Perhaps a more affordable choice is this 22 year old from Colchester. Wordsworth also has 7 goals this season, with an average goal ratio of 1 in 5, actually beating Butterfield’s ratio of 1 in 11. Wordsworth does operate more on the wing, however would this free up more space in the Reds’ struggling attack?

Dean Cox - Leyton Orient have seen a resurgence of late and might have this man to thank for it. Cox can operate as both a winger and an attacking midfielder and the 24 year old has 6 goals for the season. The former Brighton man has been a stalwart in Russell Slade’s Orient side, with 62 appearances in just over a year.

Danny Drinkwater - Although technically already at Oakwell, might Butterfield’s signing free up the necessary funds to keep Drinkwater and allow him more freedom going forward? Drinkwater has been a fan’s favourite at Oakwell this season, and the Manchester United loanee could be a sign that the solution might be right under our noses.

No replacement - After giving the player a chance following his release from Manchester United, does Butterfield owe it to the club and the fans to sign a new deal? Even if he does intend to go, a deal is on the table and Butterfield has the chance to protect a club who have given him a chance to shine in football.

Should a premiership club come in for him, it’s highly unlikely that the Reds would stand in his way, so what has he got to lose by signing a new deal? If he signs, not only can the club command a larger fee, but he could also benefit in the long term by having more choice in any potential move rather than being palmed off to the highest bidder in January.

Butterfield also need only look at his former teammates such as Adam Hammill, Daniel Bogdanovic and Brian Howard to see how dream moves can quickly turn into nightmares. By spending an extra 6 months at least at Oakwell, Butterfield could be a key part of a Premiership manager’s plans in the summer, whereas a January move might only earn him a spot on the bench and a stalled career to boot.

Only one thing can be certain in this whole saga. Some big decisions are about to be made.

Wrong to comment?

wilky@onthepontyend.com (Wilky & Davos) — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 14:50:05 PST

Hopefully, everybody knows how passionately I and the rest of us feel about our beloved football club, but feel frustrated by comments from inside the club that claim we lack any "football education".

We are fully aware of the so called reality we are in, but basic standards were missing on Saturday, such as closing down the opposition quickly and reinforcing every effort with back-up. We were playing at a pace that was simply not exciting.

It provides no pleasure to anyone to criticise the team when our support is vitally needed, but let's be fair, it's a two way street.

Sometimes the fixture itself gives the occasion the edge, for example a clash with Leeds United or a strong ex-Premier league side and maybe one day again a lowly Sheffield team. But equally, when that isn't the case, the players have to demonstrate that it matters just as much.

Most fans will probably tell you, as they did to me, that four points from the next two games prior to the Bristol City game would be realistic. Now we need three points against Hull City and that might be a bigger ask.

Players will make mistakes, Barnsley FC will concede goals, fans will occasionally be nervous. But overall, if the effort is there, it will always be reciprocated.

Not Good Enough

wilky@onthepontyend.com (Wilky & Davos) — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 14:50:27 PST

I'm going to burst my spleen with vitriol whilst I can still make sense of my feelings ...

Not Good Enough ... Against a team that has only recorded 6 points all season, making the trek up North, we simply didn't give them a worry!

Not Good Enough ... Butterfield voted as MOTM, when clearly McEverley appeared to be the only player who had woken from his slumber!

Not Good Enough ... The match announcer who must have forgot to go to Specsavers, when Craig Davies finally recorded his first goal, for it to be accredited to O'Brien?

Not Good Enough ... Ketchup in short supply at half time ... Sort it!

Barnsley and Cardiff Put on a Show

wilky@onthepontyend.com (Wilky & Davos) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 03:17:24 PDT

Barnsley were soundly beaten by Cardiff City, at the weekend, in a showcase that saw the two sides score a combined eight goals. The game, played on Saturday, ended 5-3, in City's favour, with Icelandic player, Aron Gunnarsson, who joined Cardiff on a free transfer in July, scoring twice, to help topple the Tykes.

Cardiff took the lead after just ten minutes, with a Kenny Miller strike that left Barnsley goalkeeper, Luke Steele, grasping at thin air. Joe Mason, also at Cardiff, claimed the Welsh side's second in the 34th minute, just five minutes after replacing Miller at the front.

Undeterred, Barnsley's Danny Drinkwater found the net in the 36th, with a deflected free-kick, to put the game back within the Tykes' grasp. However, the Bluebirds were relentless; Gunnarsson's effort seven minutes from the break was a self-assisted volley from a Peter Whittingham cross making it 3-1 at half time. People looking at the Championship football betting will have been shocked by the goalfest.

Drinkwater came the closest to opening the scoring in the second half, but his strike collided with the crossbar. Cardiff's Don Cowie, a player who has drawn praise for his performance, on Saturday, scored his club's fourth goal on the hour mark, with a superb solo effort.

Gunnarsson's second put the match well beyond salvation for Barnsley in the 71st minute. However, two final goals for the Yorkshire team, courtesy of Jim McNulty and Ricardo Vaz Te, formed part of a rousing fightback for Barnsley. Vaz Te's goal arrived at the death, in the 86th minute. Anyone following the football betting will have known the game was all over.

The result means that Cardiff climb to eighth in the Championship, while Barnsley remain precariously balanced, in seventeenth. The Tykes now only have one point over Birmingham City, in eighteenth, and five over Watford, the highest-placed resident of the dreaded relegation zone.

Noble-Lazarus Tweets Himself into Hill's Bad Books

wilky@onthepontyend.com (Wilky & Davos) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 03:18:03 PDT

Young Barnsley winger, Reuben Noble-Lazarus, has received the hair-dryer treatment from his coach, Keith Hill, for spending too much time on social networking website Twitter.

Noble-Lazarus, who made his first start for the first time on April 25, earlier this year, in a tie with Doncaster tweeted about his ankle injury; more specifically, that he was on his way to meet a specialist. Anyone following the Championship football betting will know this is a blow.

The tweet was posted on October 19, on Noble-Lazarus' personal page, ReubenCNL. The 18-year-old posts regularly, on topics ranging from his activities at Barnsley, to his plans for the day.

"Reuben shouldn't be on Twitter for a start", Keith Hill told The Star. "Reuben should be concentrating on his career, unless he wants one in media. It's typical of youth today."

Hill suggested that Noble-Lazarus should "spend more time" with Barnsley's press officer, Mark Stokes, if he wants to "spend a lifetime Twittering".

Fortunately, for fans of Noble-Lazarus' commentary (all 845 of them), he has not stopped tweeting, despite his boss' apparent disdain for the player's pastime.

The youngster is currently one of a number of Barnsley players to have been ruled out of competition with an injury, Jay McEveley and Bobby Hassell becoming the most recent victims, last week. "We really are down to the bare bones", Keith Hill explained. Fans of football betting will be wondering how the side will get on in the coming weeks.

Noble-Lazarus, who has not had much of a season since scoring his first goal for Barnsley at the end of the 2010/11 campaign, said that his injury was "depressing", on his Twitter page

Reds make it two in a row at home to expel away day blues

wilky@onthepontyend.com (Wilky & Davos) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 11:40:22 PDT

After an impressive unbeaten run to match any top team, the Reds finally capitulated on Saturday in front of the Sky cameras after a long ride to Portsmouth saw David Norris and Luke Varney fire home only 90 seconds after one another to end the Reds' 7 game unbeaten triumph. There was no time for sulking however, as with a gap of only 3 days it was the turn of Burnley to visit Oakwell, where the Reds were looking to string together a run of impressive performances following the convincing win over Coventry City prior to the international break.

Image via Wikipedia

Eddie Howe named a former Oakwell favourite in his starting line-up, with former Manchester City loanee Kieran Trippier making his return to Barnsley little over 4 months after the expiration of his loan deal, which saw impressive performances at both Right Back and on the wing, in addition to key goals against Leeds United at Elland Road as well as against Doncaster at home. In addition to the appearance of Trippier, with former loanee (this time from Burnley themselves) Jay Rodriguez supporting Charlie Austin in attack alongside former West Ham youngster Junior Stanislas.

The game began in an end to end manner, with Barnsley and the Clarets trying to get a feel for each other, largely down to the fact that both managers have in fact never faced the opposition team previously. It was the visitors however who were to provide the first action within 4 minutes, as Kieran Trippier made a fleeting run from the defence to take a shot causing Steele to go down to attempt to make a save, Stephen Foster getting the block in. The Reds were then at panic stations somewhat, as Steele had not regained his stance when Ross Wallace pounced on the rebound, Rob Edwards this time providing the heroics on the goal line.

It was again end to end football for the foreseeable future, with Trippier continuing to make attacking runs all too familiar to the Oakwell faithful in order to try swing a cross in to Charlie Austin in attack. Trippier was to be quickly silenced however, as instructions from the bench saw Craig Davies and Jim O'Brien switch wings with O'Brien given the task of diluting the danger provided by the former loanee. Following the switch, not only did O'Brien provided the silencer on Trippier, but he continued to make threatening runs into the opposition half, with only the final ball lacking on several occasions. O'Brien was to get a reward for his efforts soon however, when a 21st minute cross found the head of Craig Davies, who nodded down for skipper Jacob Butterfield, who couldn't miss. 1-0 Barnsley. The remainder of the half saw Barnsley gain more confidence and grow into the game further, with only free-kicks and the occasional corner providing any attacking options for Burnley.

The second half saw the visitors come out firing on all cylinders, with Brian Easton and Andre Amougou (formerly known as Andre Bikey) making runs out from the defence in lieu of the man marked Trippier. Junior Stanislas and Charlie Austin provided tests to Steele, although the Burnley attacks were quickly to be silenced, when a change in formation saw Craig Davies join Andy Gray upfront, with Jacob Butterfield and Jim O'Brien tasked with containing the Burnley attacking full backs out on the wings. This allowed the Reds to regain footing in the game, with the Reds nearly doubling their lead on 55 minutes when Craig Davies was found one-on-one with Lee Grant, only for him to shout wide of the post to the surprise of the crowd. Davies created another chance for himself shortly after, when he outmuscled the towering presence of Andre Amougou to gain possession just outside the box, however his balance and starting position again caused him to shoot wide.

With just over quarter of an hour left, Hill opted to bring on Ricardo Vaz Te for the tiring Davies, who had made his first start following a two month layoff. Vaz Te was given the chance to redeem himself for a poor performance at Portsmouth which saw him replaced at half time, and he certainly didn't disappoint 5 minutes into his appearance when Andy Gray hit the perfect pass into the box. Vaz Te needed no second invitation and fired the Reds' second with a first time shot. 2-0.

The goal gave Vaz Te an apparent new lease of life and the Portuguese forward threw everything at his performance with impressive attacking and defensive runs. Burnley were to take his frustrations out on the scorer however, when Amougou conceded the foul on him after a rough challenge, only for another Burnley man to appear to stamp on his head. It was the last action of note however, as the Burnley attacks began to fizzle out. To be fair to Burnley they had chances and good passing sequences, however might have had more possession than the Reds would have liked, if it were not from some uncharacteristically sloppy passes in the midfield. 2-0 the final score.

Man of the match - Jim O'Brien - Not only did he contain the impressive former Oakwell starlet in Kieran Trippier, but he continued to run and fight for the cause whilst carving out chances for his teammates. A top performance and a man of the match award to boot which was much deserved due to his continued graft

Teams and ratings -

Barnsley - Steele (7), Wiseman (6), Foster (7), Edwards (6), McNulty (7), Doyle (6), Drinkwater (7), Butterfield (c) (8), O'Brien (9), Davies (6), Gray (6)

Subs: Vaz Te for Davies (7)

Burnley - Grant (6), Trippier (8), Edgar (6), Bikey/Amougou (7), Easton (6), McCann (6), Wallace (6), Bartley (5), Rodriguez (6), Stanislas (6), Austin (6)

Subs: Treacy for Stanislas (6), Hines for Wallace (n/a)

Competition: Win a Savile Rogue cashmere football scarf in Barnsley colours

wilky@onthepontyend.com (Wilky & Davos) — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 07:04:16 PDT

On The Ponty End has teamed up with Savile Rogue to give you the chance to win one of the world’s finest cashmere football scarves in Barnsley colours.

Savile Rogue scarves give a nod to football terraces of yesteryear, shunning in-your-face logos and cheap nylon in favour of a traditional bar design and the comfort, quality and warmth of top grade wool. It's the sort of scarf you would be happy to wear even when you’re not at the match.

For your chance to get your hands on a Barnsley cashmere scarf simply Sign-Up to our Newsletter to enter before midnight on 31st October 2011. One lucky subscriber will be selected entirely at random and will be notified via email, no later than Friday 4th November 2011.

Read: Full Competition Terms & Conditions

You can follow Savile Rogue on Twitter or Facebook

FFL Update | 8 October

wilky@onthepontyend.com (Wilky & Davos) — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 07:57:37 PDT

Taking a breather during the International break, we thought we would bring you bang-up-to-date with the latest news from On The Ponty End's Fantasy Football League.

It's been 2-3 week's since we last visited the stats, but a new Leader is in place with Richard Wordsworth (Tarby's Tykes) now taking top spot from Kieran Bestall.

Enter Your Team in to OnThePontyEnd's Private League

First register at Texaco Fantasy Football 2011/12 and pick your squad.
Click "Private Leagues", scroll down to "Joining Private Leagues"
Enter Pin Number 1431 in to the box below and hit 'Find League'. If you are sure you have the right league, you must then click 'Join This League' to apply.
Once the League Chairman has accepted you in to the league, you will be able to view your table by clicking on the relevant Private League name on your team screen.

You can now keep up to date with the brand new iPhone App here

A Case for the Defence

wilky@onthepontyend.com (Wilky & Davos) — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 08:57:05 PDT

Since Barnsley's return to the Championship in 2006, the team has clearly lacked in defensive options. Year on year, the Reds have ended the season with a negative goal difference, often only just staving off relegation from the league.

It was perhaps Mark Robins, the Reds' former manager who departed in the summer, who was the first to give the defence any credibility, when for two seasons in a row under his stewardship the Reds finished well clear of the relegation places. However under Keith Hill, the Reds have found arguably some impressive defensive form, with Barnsley currently on a zero goal difference for the first time, even at this stage of a season, for a long time, which has gone a long way in the eyes of many to push the Reds on for what has been a rather impressive unbeaten run.

This brief report will analyse exactly what the Reds are doing in order to close the floodgates of seasons gone by.

The Formation
This season Keith Hill has adopted a formation which has brought many a good team, and bad, the results. 4-2-3-1 is clearly the way forward, which Reds' fans might have seen used effectively previously by the German and Spanish national teams in the 2010 world cup. The formation relies upon the tested formula of a back four, however perhaps the genius of it lies in what happens ahead of the defensive unit.

In the past, the given formation if you were not to use 4-4-2 was most likely the traditional Barcelona 4-3-3, with a static defensive midfielder protecting the back four, and certainly in Barcelona's case, the rest going forward. However, in recent times, even Barcelona have scrapped the 4-3-3 in favour of 4-2-3-1, which brings a greater balance to the team. Why? The answer is simple - movement.

When Keith Hill joined the club, he said he wanted to recruit hungry and intelligent players, which appear to have more than arrived in the form of David Perkins, and Manchester United loanee Danny Drinkwater. Although naturally a more attacking midfielder, Drinkwater is key to the Reds in terms of his intelligence and positional awareness, with the ability to make tackles high up the pitch to turn what can be a calm passage of opposition possession into a threatening Reds' attack.

With him in the holding midfield roles is the tenacious David Perkins, who has impressed many since his arrival from Colchester, where he picked up last season's club player of the year award. Perkins is not the most skilful of players, however he is key in Hill's plans for the team. His main attributes are his work ethic and his tenacity to win the ball. Despite being a midfielder, perhaps Perkins is one of the most important aspects of the Reds' defence, as when he has the ball he can spread several varieties of passes, both quick and slow, as well as hold onto the ball to send to a more talented and creative teammate. It is out of possession where Perkins comes into his own however, where he immediately closes down the man with the ball, and will continue to chase the ball until the Reds are in possession.

No one man is bigger than the team, however it appears to have been Perkins' work ethic which has really rubbed off on team mates such as Jim O'Brien and Andy Gray, who despite having poor seasons last term, have found a new found determination and confidence, giving everything for the cause, both offensively and defensively.

The most beautiful part of the new formation is the balance. The formation relies on one thing, hard work, however it allows something that others seldom do, which is the quick transition from defence to attack. With Keith Hill valuing clean sheets very highly, the hard work involved in the formation allows for the constant pressing of the opposition high up the pitch, with quick turnovers into Barnsley attacks, with the added protection of the holding midfielders who can contribute to the attacks but also get back and press the opposition when we lose the ball, to add yet another turnover to allow us to attack again.

The Competition
Perhaps another main contributing factor to the Reds' defensive success this season is the competition for places. In the past, the Reds have had relatively few defensive options, with usually only one or two options in the remainder of the squad to fill the voids created by injuries and suspensions. Now however, the Reds have not only the strength in numbers but the versatility of the players in the squad to fill in gaps within the defence.

Keith Hill has more than plenty of choice in all of the defensive positions, with Bobby Hassell, Jay McEvely, Rob Edwards, Stephen Foster, Scott Wiseman, Jim McNulty, Miles Addison and Luke Potter available for selection as natural defenders, as well as Nathan Doyle and David Perkins who can both slot into the defence when required. All but one of the players are multi-positional also, with Wiseman and Hassell able to play across the whole back four, as well as McEvely, Mcnulty, Foster and Addison being adept at more than one position in the defence. Rob Edwards is the only player who has not been described as multi-positional, although this may prove false in the future.

The Reds have definitely needed the multitude of options this season, with an injury crisis plaguing the Reds early on. Jim McNulty and Bobby Hassell have proved to many why versatility is key, with several impressive performances coming from both players in multiple positions. McNulty, who was signed from Brighton in the summer is traditionally a left back, however has had the majority of his game time in the centre of the Reds' defence filling in for the injured Rob Edwards. Although Edwards is expected to be soon fit again, McNulty has more than staked a claim for his place in the team, which he may look set to keep alongside Stephen Foster, who looks to be having his best season since claiming the player of the year award back in 2008. The defence are certainly providing Mr Hill with plenty of selection headaches when the injuries are relieved.

What about the lack of clean sheets?
By looking back at the last few games, Barnsley fans will see a lot of 1-1 draws, which had been described in my reports as having being down to sloppy defensive errors. On reflection, it does seem harsh when you look at the goals that Barnsley did not keep the clean sheets.

In all honesty no one man can be blamed for the majority of the goals conceded, with luck coming into play for the opposition on many occasion and the majority of the Reds' defence enjoying the form of their lives. Taking the four 1-1 draws in a row prior to the Reds' 2-0 win over Coventry, you could say that the Reds have in fact been robbed, on 3 of the 4 occasions at least, of 3 points.

Firstly was the Leicester game, where the Reds dominated the first half, only for the Foxes to send a high ball to Jermaine Beckford from the 2nd half kick-off, which appeared to be going out, only for it to be sent to goal poaching midfielder Andy King to slot away. Next was Watford, where Marvin Sordell appeared from nowhere to have the ball drop right in front of him, where he couldn't miss. Then was Birmingham, where Chris Burke scored a stunning goal, although it did take a massive deflection, meaning Steele was unable to get to it. Finally was Derby where a dubious penalty was awarded, one has to ask themselves, would that have been awarded at home?

The key contributing factor to many of the Reds' concessions in the past few games has boiled down to one thing - luck. However with the Reds' defence tightening up to keep a clean sheet against Coventry to take the unbeaten run to 7, who knows what could happen if luck was to be on the Reds' side?

Loyalty
Despite having the strength in depth, the right formation and the determination to remain unbeaten without having the rub of the green, the key to this season's defence in my opinion is loyalty. Both to the team and the club.

Keith Hill's recruitment in my eyes is some of the best seen in years at Oakwell. Hill has certainly not bought the most gifted players available to the club, but instead has bought determined and loyal players. Some of the most impressive performances have come from players such as Perkins and McNulty, who at many clubs had been overlooked. However with their determination and willingness to work for each other, the team have battled and ground out results, with some impressive football in the process.

Most importantly though he has added these new recruits to three loyal servants to the club in the form of Stephen Foster, Luke Steele and Bobby Hassell.

Everyone knows the loyalty of 'Sir Bobby' who has made over 250 appearances for the club overall. Despite what might have been a shaky start to an Oakwell career, as well as a spell out of favour under Simon Davey, Hassell has flourished into one of the Reds' key assets and now has a more than deserved club captaincy. He is certainly not the club's best defender in terms of skill, however Hill has quickly discovered like many managers gone by that the 31 year old has plenty to offer, and has quickly become one of the hardest players yet again for the manager to drop.

Despite not being immediately touted as loyal players, much credit has to go to Luke Steele and Stephen Foster, who themselves are under their 3rd manager. After impressing on his debut - a famous win against Liverpool, Steele signed the following season only to find himself down the pecking order behind Heinz Muller. After a season in waiting, Steele became the Reds' number one keeper the following campaign, although faced criticism from many fans for a spell of mistakes throughout the season. Despite the criticism, Steele has gone on to become a fans' favourite also, who is now seen as one of the best goalkeepers in the championship as well as a key player for the Reds.

Another player who has impressed this season is Stephen Foster, who again had an impressive start to his Oakwell career only to fall by the wayside slightly. Despite being a regular throughout his stay, Foster's place became seriously under threat in Mark Robins' first season when Ryan Shotton managed to stake a claim at centre back alongside Darren Moore. However an injury to Hassell at right back saw Shotton move into the right back's position, with Foster regaining his place and keeping it ever since. Foster has consistently performed well this season and has appeared to regain his confidence, which was lost when he had a bad spell as Mark Robins' first captain, leading him to being dropped as skipper following the arrival of Jason Shackell last summer.

This article I hope has served as somewhat of a tribute to both the loyalty of club stalwarts and the work ethic of new recruits alike. With this impressive defensive mix and a little more bite upfront, I believe this team has what it takes to be successful, and it all stems from the back.

As always feel free to leave any thoughts below in the comment box, or you can add me on Twitter @MichaelRoach55 as well as via @OnThePontyEnd on Twitter.