WHAT are Barnsley this season?
That is the question at the moment – both in terms of their style of play, but also where they fit into the League One mix. Fifteen points from ten games is something to build on, in theory, but recent performances have been poor.
Ten games is too early to jump to conclusions but there are myriad problems which need solving fast.
The Reds are making silly mistakes at the back, offering very little going forward for long spells of games and struggling to keep hold of the ball.
They have won one in seven in all competitions, and none of the last four, while they have conceded in the final 15 minutes of each of the last seven games. They are second in the division for ‘unsuccessful touches’ which will not be a surprise to anyone who has watched them regularly.
Barnsley are easily in the bottom half of the stats table for possession and pass completion rate while they have played the second most accurate long balls and won the third most headers.
That suggests a direct approach but, on the pitch, they are not exactly embodying the identity of a hard-to-beat, long ball side. At least that would be an identity. The Reds don’t appear to have one yet.
Head coach Darrell Clarke has admitted he is ‘searching for answers’ – in terms of a formation, style of play and the right fit of personnel.
He arrived at the club with no fixed philosophy, an adaptable and practical head coach who would work out what best suited his squad and roll with it. But, when you have such inconsistent performances collectively and individually, that can become a weakness. Barnsley need to find their way, and fast.
The belief around the club is that it is early days with a new-look squad and the attacking connections will take time to develop, with the two weeks between league games crucial for work on the training ground. They want Clarke to be the long-term head coach after a brutal turnover of managers in recent years.
But the belief on the terraces, at least for some, is that there has been dilution of quality in the squad for several seasons and now, in possibly the hardest League One ever, Barnsley simply do not have the capability to compete for the top six.
The truth is probably somewhere in the middle but we shall see in the next few weeks and months.
LACK OF GOALS UP FRONT A BIG WORRY, BUT NOT THE ONLY ONE
Clarke said he wanted 40 league goals from strikers across the season and, after ten games, he has four.
Stephen Humphrys is the only striker to really impress, or score more than once, but he is still working his way back up to full fitness and has often been marginalised on the wing or isolated up front.
Sam Cosgrove has netted once in eight starts and one substitute appearances in the league this season, as well as two cup games.
He is struggling to build on his excellent displays in the play-offs last season, and his impressive finish at Lincoln in August, despite getting many more minutes this campaign.
In total in the league for the Reds, the tall targetman has four goals in 41 appearances, with most of them off the bench. In the English leagues throughout his career, the 27-year-old has 16 goals in 147 games. Cosgrove has committed the most fouls in the division this season and is the top four for headers won.
Max Watters, now injured, has one league goal with academy products Fabio Jalo and Aiden Marsh being restricted to substitute appearances in the league.
The strikers are far from the only department struggling – the defence has been poor for large spells of the season while the midfield is not consistently living up to its potential.
It is also up to the coaching staff to find the right system and combination up front, which has not happened yet.
The top-scorer is midfielder Adam Phillips, who has been recently out with injury, while Luca Connell – although not at his best overall – looks more of a goal threat than in previous seasons, and the centre-backs have been chipping in occasionally from set pieces.
SUMMER SIGNINGS YET TO MAKE AN IMPACT IN GENERAL THIS SEASON
This is roughly the time of year when we can start assessing the impact of the Reds’ work in the last transfer window. Of course it is still early, and some new arrivals are not fully fit, but the campaign is almost a quarter of the way through.
Barnsley signed nine new players in the summer window, more than half of whom have had very little playing time in the opening ten league matches. Conor Hourihane returned to great fanfare but has been much more of a coach than a player, Jackson Smith has been third choice goalkeeper and is now on loan, while Georgie Gent has only started three of ten league games despite being the only natural left-back and Kelechi Nwakali has not played a minute in the league.
Stephen Humphrys has only started twice in the league, after not having a proper pre-season, but has generally impressed and, once fit, is a real candidate to lead the attack with few other strikers making strong claims.
As for the other four who have played more regularly, their contribution has been mixed.
Gaga Slonina and Matty Craig were seen internally as clever coups after signing on loan from Premier League giants Chelsea and Spurs respectively and, while they have shown glimpses of talent, have also been exposed at times as inexperienced youngsters in the demanding positions of goalkeeper and holding midfield respectively. Slonina deserves credit for his last three performances.
Davis Keillor-Dunn, after scoring 22 goals in League Two for Mansfield last season then netting on his Reds debut, has been quiet and it is difficult to see where the Reds are trying to play him.
Marc Roberts has arguably been the most impactful signing so far, adding experience and putting in some excellent performances – but he has also made mistakes as part of a very inconsistent defence which sometimes lacks pace.
Clarke has begun to talk about the lack of experience in his side which, along with disappointing midfield performances, will only increase calls for Hourihane to play more.
NEXT FEW GAMES COULD BE CRUCIAL
The next two games are vital in different ways, as the Reds will be desperate to show an improvement after two weeks spent mainly on the training pitch.
They visit Blackpool a week on Saturday, October 19 – a popular away game at the seaside with usually a large Reds following.
The games at Bloomfield Road have often dictated the mood of the Barnsley fanbase in recent seasons.
The following Tuesday, the Reds host Charlton Athletic in their first home game in three weeks.
They simply must improve their form at Oakwell, where they have won just once this season in five league games and once in 11 in total since February, collecting just ten points in that time. Charlton just ended leaders Birmingham’s unbeaten start to the season.
After that, the Reds complete their October league games at Shrewsbury Town who are third-bottom with five points from ten.
A couple of wins from those three games would start to ease the pressure on Clarke, but if the poor run goes well into the second quarter of the season, it could get nasty.
In November, Barnsley visit bottom club Cambridge United while their next home league games are trickier in theory – a local derby with Rotherham United on Monday, November 11 and then matches with Wigan Athletic on November 23 and Reading later that week.
The autumn schedule is always less busy with cup games and international breaks which may either give Barnsley the chance to get things right in training or the lack of regular league games could increase a sense of stagnation.
