‘DON’T be flaky’ is the message from Darrell Clarke to his Barnsley players before they visit Burton Albion tomorrow, following a difficult week.
The Reds were beaten 3-0 at Stevenage in the league on Saturday then 7-0 in the EFL Cup at Manchester United on Tuesday, after which Clarke criticised his players. They are seventh in the early League One table with ten points from six games.
Clarke told the Chronicle: “We have technically good players but what’s under the bonnet? What’s the heart and desire? Don’t be flaky.
“We haven’t done it consistently because we’ve had a solid start but there have been some performances this season where we have been flaky in game management and decision-making, going through the motions when we’re having a bad game.
“I don’t manage flaky teams but it takes time with individuals and they either get it or they move on.”
Clarke wants his team to repay the more than 6,500 fans who travelled to Old Trafford in midweek with a better performance at Burton.
“The fans are the reason I get up in the morning. I love working for football clubs with passionate fanbases. It can be challenging and you get stick when things aren’t going well but I would rather work for a passionate fanbase who are dying for success.
“I want a team that will always do this club proud. Some players are getting it and others haven’t got it yet but need to get on board very very quickly.”
Clarke was keen not to be too negative. He said: “Let’s put things into context. We’re seventh. We got knocked out of the third round of the cup by Man United. With a new group of players, a lot of them who were here but didn’t play last season, it’s been a solid start.
“The last two games have been disappointing. Man United was my heaviest defeat and I will probably take it at Man United away.”
The Brewers are one of just seven teams in the EFL – and two in League One along with Cambridge United – who are yet to win in the league this season.
But they have drawn their last four, leaving them 20th.
After starting with a 3-2 loss at home to Lincoln City then a 3-3 draw at Mansfield Town – conceding after the 85th minute in both – they drew 0-0 with both Stevenage, at home, then at Northampton. They also drew 2-2 at Rotherham United on Saturday.
Burton brought in 23 new players in the summer after replacing former Reds coach Martin Paterson with Mark Robinson, having avoided relegation on the final day at the expense of Clarke’s Cheltenham Town.
Clarke said: “They got a good point against Rotherham. It’s a new group of players with a lot of transition and a new manager. They are getting that cohesion going. They are a good possession-based technical team.
“It’s about us and our reaction.
“We look at the opposition’s strengths and weaknesses but I am not interested that they haven’t won. It’s 11 men against 11 men. We have to be at it.”
The Brewers brought in former Barnsley goalkeeper Harry Isted from Charlton this summer.
He started the first league game but has since been on the bench.
They also recruited winger Tomas Kalinauskas who was at Barnsley from 2021 until last year without playing a first team game. The Lithuania international spent last season with Den Bosch in the Dutch second tier, then reunited with Brewers boss Robinson who was his academy manager at previous club AFC Wimbledon. He has played in every game so far.
Centre-back Jason Sraha, another former Barnsley under 21s player, signed in the summer from Shrewsbury Town and was on the bench on Saturday after injury.
Barnsley’s Davis Keillor-Dunn played the first half of the 2022/23 season at Burton, scoring five goals in 19 games including a hat-trick. Defender Josh Earl played eight games on loan to Albion from Preston North End in 2021.
The clubs have met 13 times, all within the last decade, with the Reds winning six, drawing four and losing three.
Barnsley did the double over the Brewers last season.
