The Keyboard: Mightier Than The Sword?

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.

The Bank of Oakwell - Round Two

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.

FFL Update | 23 January

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

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.