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Ian Wilkinson at 18:17:00
Barnsley are enduring an indifferent start to the campaign on their return to League One since the 2018–19 season, following their relegation from the Championship. The South Yorkshire side are unbeaten in their last three games and there is hope they can kick on.

You can follow up on their progress and other betting odds with the top football betting strategies by Overlyzer.



There is desperate need for stability just over a year after Barnsley finished fifth and made it to the EFL Championship Play-offs for the first time in 24 years, with one of the smallest budgets in the league and the youngest squad under the management of Valérien Ismaël.

Yet they began the 2022-23 season with their sixth permanent manager in the last four years, as Michael Duff has led them to 11th place in League One after 11 points from their first eight games.

Barnsley have scored ten times and conceded nine so far and there is much work ahead as they seek an immediate return to the championship.

Slow start to the season

The Tykes marked their return to the third tier with a 1-0 loss to Plymouth Argyle, with Duff getting his first win against former side Cheltenham by the same scoreline a week later. That set the tone for Barnsley’s season as inconsistency has characterised their progress so far, thus, they are yet to string consecutive wins in League One.

Three defeats in the first five league games followed as the squad sought an identity and performances. Things came to a head in that third defeat, a 3-0 bashing against Wycombe Wanderers at Oakwell as Duff suffered his first home loss as Barnsley head coach.

Shot to the arm

That crushing home defeat which came four days after their biggest win of the season (3-0 against Bristol Rovers), seems to have galvanised Duff’s men as the 2-2 draw at Ipswich Town proved a particular turning point.

The Reds recovered from going down in both halves through Jack Aitchison and Callum Styles and had goalkeeper Bradley Collins to thank for some heroic saves late on as they dug deep for a well-earned point at Portman Road.

Denying their hosts three points and top spot worked a treat as Barnsley followed up that result with a morale-boosting 2-0 win over South Yorkshire rivals Sheffield Wednesday, for their first away win of the season.

With real character and grit now apparent in their performances, Barnsley finally gained points in consecutive league games and things are looking up.

The postponement of fixtures in England over the death of Queen Elizabeth II provided some welcome extra preparation time on the training ground ahead of the visit of Port Vale.

Although a late equaliser denied Barnsley sweet victory, the 1-1 draw showed enough desire as they are finally hitting their stride.

Key players so far

Josh Benson
The young midfielder has come into his own this season as he emerged as the team’s top scorer so far. Benson maintains a strong relationship with his manager who also coached him in Burnley’s youth team, and finally scored his first Barnsley goal with the extra-time winner against Middlesbrough in the EFL Cup First Round.

That feat sparked the 22-year-old into a confident streak as he also netted in the next two league games.

Benson’s three goals and two assists already this season have been immense for Barnsley as he hits the most productive form of his career to date.

Brad Collins
The ex-Chelsea goalkeeper has been typically instrumental to Barnsley’s fate this season as they navigated a rocky start to the campaign.

Collins has been key to some of the points won this season due to his important saves in match-defining moments, and is one of Michael Duff’s reliables having let in nine goals in eight games, keeping three clean sheets.

Now in his fourth season at Oakwell, the shot-stopper is growing into his role as the team’s safe hands and at 25, will continue to improve as the season goes on.

Luca Connell
The midfielder joined Barnsley on a free transfer from Scottish champions, Celtic over the summer and has emerged as his new team’s creative force.

The 21-year-old is responsible for three assists already and his performances have steadily improved as he settles into his new surroundings.

Connell is a menace with the quality of passing and set-pieces from his left foot, and those attributes are set to remain a vital asset to the team’s hopes.

What to expect for the rest of the season

Barnsley have done well to steady the ship after loitering in murky waters as they came to terms with the step down to League One.

Michael Duff is finally stringing a tune out of his team after 13 new signings largely on a small budget. The Northern Irishman has seen his team go unbeaten in their last three league games and will be looking to extend that run for a drastic rise up the standings.

The Tykes are showing their ability to score goals, get results and react to in-game situations, qualities that stand them in good stead during the marathon of a gruelling League One campaign. Indeed, there is a boundless margin for improvement as they hope to rally into a playoff place.
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at 21:02:00
 

On Saturday, the Reds suffered defeat at the hands of Sheffield Utd, leaving the Reds having to look at a chasm of 5 points between themselves and Reading, all whilst making a chance of survival that much more difficult. But there is still a possibility of survival, with Reading still to come to Oakwell after the International break. 

But that’s all it is. A chance. 

Thus, being the curious person I am, I thought I’d run the numbers, and see what the chances of the Reds’ survival are, whilst simultaneously running them against my gut feeling. But more on the latter later. 

So, the numbers. According to ‘Twenty First Group’ analytics, following the latest round of Championship fixtures, the Reds’ chances of survival are 30%. Okay it’s not a huge chance, but it is a chance. 

Believe it or not, (you probably will believe it to be fair), after the 2-1 defeat to Luton Town in early February, the chances of Barnsley surviving in England’s second tier were 8%. Data scientists reckoned that there was a 92% chance that we would have to suffer the indignity of standing on the roofless terraces at Gillingham and Accrington. But all jokes aside, the fact that in the space of 7 games Poya’s Tykes have increased their chances of survival by upwards of 22% is pretty good, and it gives us a real chance. The magnitude of April 2nd’s fixture against Reading cannot be understated and 3 points are a must. In terms of the entire picture, my gut tells me that it will go to the final day at Mowatt and Dike’s Baggies. But who knows. 

Onto the Royals though. We genuinely need to hope and pray that they don’t have a royal flush. For the non-poker players out there, that is where you have the best possible hand, and effectively win by default. Because if players like Lucas Joao, Junior Hoilett, Scott Dann and most scarily John Swift, perform like they can, I worry deeply for our safety. However, it would be silly to say that said players’ form is good, and if anything it’s poor. Particularly Junior Hoilett, who, according to the experts at Canada Sports Betting has failed to set the Madejski alight this term. I’m sure they would’ve been expecting more from their international star. 

However, following their 1-0 victory over a slightly haggard Blackburn Rovers side, ‘Twenty First Group’ have the Royals’ chances sitting at 70% for survival and 30% for relegation. 

That gives me hope. It gives me hope that we could even have survival tied up going into the last couple of fixtures, and the importance of April 2nd’s fixture against Reading is cataclysmic. 

Obviously the Reds have to keep winning games of football, but if we win that game in particular, I think that the Three Little Birds’ lyrics will ring true at Oakwell - and Every Little Thing Gonna Be Alright.
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at 11:45:00
 

Any Barnsley fan knows that it has been a tough season so far in the Championship. Sitting towards the bottom of the table to date, relegation into League One is becoming a bigger worry with each passing week. However, there are enough games left to pull off a miraculous escape and catch teams who sit just above them in the table.

If this were to happen, it would surely be one of the biggest stories in English football this season. It could also pay off handsomely for any Barnsley fans who like to bet on games and are backing the team to stay up. If you do like to wager on games, a good tip is checking out the football betting stories at Premiership Bets first. This is a trustworthy site which brings the latest football news to help you make more informed bets.

Regardless of whether the team stays up or sadly goes down to League One, there will be certain key players manager Poya Asbaghi should be looking to build around to improve next year. But who might they be?

Liam Kitching

It is obvious that the defensive side of Barnsley’s game needs to get a lot better moving ahead. A major part of this could be 22-year-old centre back Liam Kitching. Initially signing from Forest Green Rovers in January 2021, an injury kept him out until the final game of the 2020/21 season. He has played a bigger role in this campaign and showed he certainly has the ability to play at a decent level. When you also add in his versatility (he can play left-back as well as centre back), he looks to be an excellent young player to keep hold of and build around in the future.

Josh Benson

Josh Benson's arrival from Burnley in 2021 was a great move by the club and he certainly looks like a signing with great potential. He, like Kitching, is also in his early 20s, and this makes him another young player to build around. A skilful midfielder, his passing and experience of playing football at a high level should all make him a vital player in future years. He is also pretty good from set-pieces and brings a valuable youthful energy to the side.

Callum Styles

Also playing in midfield, many Barnsley fans will want to hang onto Styles in the future and build a team around him. If he can really strike up a good partnership with Josh Benson in that area of the pitch, it could spell something magical. At 21, Styles also has time on his side plus a very competitive nature and eye for goal.

Barnsley need to hang onto key players

Whatever happens come the end of the season, there is no doubt that Barnsley need to hang onto key players like those above. We would, of course, include Cauley Woodrow in that list – but who knows if he’ll still be around beyond 2023! If the side can build for the future around the players above though, it could work out well for them.
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at 16:21:00 0
On the 17th of November 2021, the Reds announced the appointment of Swedish-Iranian head coach Poya Asbaghi as the club’s new gaffer. With Spaniard Ferran Sibila, (who we’ll get onto later), as his assistant.

With an appointment that certainly seemed more spreadsheet focussed from the club than his predecessor Markus Schopp (the less said about him the better), a lot of the discourse around Grove Street quickly shifted to; ‘How is this guy going to set us up to play?’.

Well, I’m going to try and explain just that. But firstly, I’m sure I echo the thoughts of many fans in welcoming Poya and his team to ‘Tarn’, I wish them all the best in hopefully bringing back the good times to Oakwell.

 

Tactics


The first thing that has to be acknowledged about Asbaghi’s ‘typical’ tactics is that whilst the core principles of his game tend to remain relatively consistent, he likes to shift between a few different formations. 

His three most favoured set-ups in Sverige were; 3-4-3, 4-2-3-1 and 4-1-3-2. With the latter of the tripartite being the formation he used to beat Malmo FF in the Swedish Cup final.

However, due to personnel and Asbaghi’s recent success with his Sweden U21’s side, I’d expect the Reds to favour the 3-4-3 and 4-2-3-1 under Asbaghi. The former being due to the Reds’ gluttony of Centre-Halves and the latter due to Asbaghi’s superb success with Sweden U21’s, where he deployed the 4-2-3-1 to perfection as he guided them to 6 wins from 10 games. 

With the 4-2-3-1 certainly, Asbaghi has favoured a team press, with the press of his Göteborg side being most interesting, where he mostly committed five players high and with a man-orientated scheme. The most important man-marking part was the midfield, where a midfielder would drop deeper to mark the opposition’s most advanced midfielder or second striker, while two other two targets (often the midfield two) were marked by the far-side winger and another midfielder. The ball-side winger should close the ball-side full-back, while the strikers were pressing the centre-backs in a 2-2. That may sound very complicated, I know - but visually it would look like a much more coordinated press than what we have seen for a long while, where every player would be given a specific role to perform in the attacking unit.

Personnel wise, I’m pretty confident in making a prediction that whoever the left-sided attacker is in Asbaghi’s system is going to be pretty fruitful, whether that be Aaron Leya-Iseka or Carlton Morris. I’d also imagine that we may finally see a Callum Brittain that somewhat resembles the player we all watched on iFollow last season, with Asbaghi liking his full-backs to bomb on high up the pitch, whether that be in the 3-4-3 or 4-2-3-1. Finally, I can also envisage a world where Claudio Gomes is afforded masses of time on the ball, due to the system the Swede favours, to pick out some real Hollywood passes.

Wombles

This is where I’m going to get onto Asbaghi’s assistant, 33 year-old Spaniard, Ferran Sibila.

An exponent of the Ekkono method, (it has been mentioned this may sound very similar to Orinoco the Womble), Sibila has some really bright ideas about the way that footballers should be coached, so I’m going to briefly cover what said Ekkono method entails.

The Ekkono Method is a training methodology in which the objective is to ensure that players are capable of correctly interpreting the game and finding intelligent solutions in the field. It has four major guidelines which I’ll outline here; 

Games: Design and continuous readjustment of the training tasks to make sure that players are embedded in the learning context. 

Perception: Perceptive training is included in the content planning to ensure players have strong in-game perception mantras. 

Questions: When training, the players are confronted with problematic situations and they are asked to answer questions. 

Concepts: Training contents is not enough; concepts need to be trained as well, a concept may be for example the concept of ‘Gegenpressing’ or ‘Tiki-Taka’. 

Thus, coaches often specialise in improving a players’ physical and technical aspects because these qualities are perceived as the most important. However, there is a third key part to the game that is often overlooked. 

This is the cognitive aspect of the game – the way players perceive the game and make crucial decisions in the field. 

This is as much psychology as it is sport, but I’m really excited about the prospect of Ekkono at Oakwell, especially as it has been mentioned to me many times on the terraces this season that we are possibly lacking a ‘psychological edge’ that we once possessed. 

Unfortunately I don’t have a looking glass in which I can tell you where we’re going or where we’re bound, but hopefully Poya & Ferran can turn our world around and guide us into a much more comfortable position in the Championship table. 

Whatever happens next, I think we should strap ourselves in for another Magical Mystery Tour. 

What do you think? All feedback is appreciated, if you want to comment on this article or chat about Barnsley Football Club, you can find me on Twitter, my handle is @TomOTPE.
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at 15:00:00 0
The new Championship season is around the corner and our EFL pundit and co-host of podcast 'There Is a Floodlight That Never Goes Out', Tom shares his 21/22 season preview, with his 1-24 predictions.


Peterborough Utd- Darren Ferguson is back in the second tier with Posh and I believe he’ll lead them to survival…. Just. Jonson Clarke-Harris scores lots of goals, and the addition of serial League One assist-machine Jorge Grant to go in tandem with him will keep Posh up. I really like Peterborough’s side in general, actually. But they will ship a lot of goals with a defence that, barring Josh Knight and possibly Mark Beevers, isn't really Championship standard.
Prediction: 21st

Preston North End- Frankie McAvoy is not the one, North End. I have to concede that he did a marvellous job at the back end of last season in a temporary role but how many times have we seen managers who were the temporary boss fail to be successful full-time? A solid core with Liam Lindsay, Alan Browne & Ched Evans will keep them clear of the drop zone but nowhere near enough quality is in that squad to jump into the top-half.
Prediction: 17th

Queens Park Rangers- Mark Warburton is a solid gaffer at this level, but nothing more and nothing less. Many EFL followers are tipping the R’s for a Top 6 berth but I just personally don’t see them making such a huge step up. It is undeniable that the duo of Dykes & Austin will score goals. Plus when you factor into the equation that Rob Dickie is one of the best CB’s in the division with Midfield Magicians Stefan Johansen and Ilias Chair possessing magic in their boots you may ponder why I don’t have Rangers in a play-offs berth but unfortunately I just think over 46 games they are not play-off standard. But a class season for the men from Loftus Road nonetheless.
Prediction: 8th

Reading- Vejlko Paunovic did an albeit underwhelming job with the Royals last season following their magnificent start. And with the loss of Michael Olise along with the fact of being yet another club who has had to reign in their spending, I feel as if mid-table mediocrity looms, with only the odd piece of magic from Ovie Ejaria being anything of any note at the newly re- named ’Select Car Leasing Stadium’.
Prediction: 13th

Sheffield United- Slavisa Jokanovič just knows how to win games of football in this league doesn’t he. I think he really has a job on his hands turning round the mentality of this Blades squad but if he successfully does so then a cracking season is in store for them. Brewster, McBurnie, McGoldrick, Sharp, Mousset & Jebbison is an outstanding forward line. The midfield and defence are high standard too and I back a certain Luke Freeman to finally prove his worth in a Sheffield Utd shirt. A solid play-off finish.
Prediction: 5th

Stoke City- Michael O’Neill has to get it right with the Potters this term. Souttar, Wilmot, Brown, Campbell & Powell just to name a few are incredible players in this league and they must push very hard for the Top 6. However, I don’t quite trust them to get over the line for the play-offs. But still a big improvement from the last three seasons. Tyrese Campbell to bag 15+ if he can stay fit.
Prediction: 7th

Swansea City- No gaffer as of yet whilst recording for the Swans so I’ll just talk about the squad. Guehi, Ayew & Hourihane have all left the Liberty and tough times are on the horizon in my opinion. Not as bad a season as some are predicting but quite the drop-off from the highs of reaching the P/O final last season. But for those Swans fans who are purists the emergence of Liam Cullen as their number 9 may be something of note in what may be an otherwise average season.
Prediction: 14th

West Bromwich Albion- Big bloody Val. WBA have an outstanding gaffer in Valerien Ismael- and if the players bit into his philosophy the Baggies will do very well. Karlan Grant to score A LOT of goals. I know awfully too well how good Alex Mowatt is & what a signing for WBA. But it’s the defence which is really too good for this league. Ajayi, Clarke, Bartley, Townsend, Furlong & O’Shea. Wow. Big problems lay ahead for WBA if the players don’t buy into VI’s way of playing and I can see a change of manager mid-season if that does happen, but with the quality they have even if they are languishing in 10th at Xmas I can still see them finishing T2 in the end. Boing Boing.
Prediction: 2nd


Read Part 1: AFC Bournemouth > Coventry City

Read Part 2: Derby County > Nottingham Forest
Read more »

at 14:00:00 0
The new Championship season is around the corner and our EFL pundit and co-host of podcast 'There Is a Floodlight That Never Goes Out', Tom shares his 21/22 season preview, with his 1-24 predictions.


Derby County- Wayne Rooney has a thankless job with the Rams, and I don’t see him lasting at Pride Park beyond October. With, using common sense, Derby having only around 14 first-team players, with two of them being ‘Goalies there is no doubt they will fall into the Third tier in my eyes. Not to mention the complete lack of a Centre-Half. The only reason they will not prop up the Division is the little bit of magic they possess in Louie Sibley & Kamil Jozwiak plus the possible Winter return of Krystian Bielik. Time to face up to reality, Rams, and unfortunately for those of a ‘Dorbeh’ persuasion, that means impending relegation.
Prediction: 24th.

Fulham- I really like the appointment of Marco Silva. A manager who is tactically astute and knows how to get the best out of continental players. They have all the right ingredients to storm the league with Harrison Reed, Aleksandr Mitrovic,, Ivan Cavaleiro, Harry Wilson & Joe Bryan just to name some of their stars leading the charge. I back them to blow many teams away. My only concern is if they don’t start well, but even then the squad they have surely has too much for this League? Either way I back the Cottagers.
Prediction: 1st

Huddersfield Town- Carlos Corberan is a student of ‘El Loco’, Marcelo Bielsa, with his relentless pressing game and yet has built an ageing Terriers side with a seeming inability to press. Jordan Rhodes, Ollie Turton & Matty Pearson are absolutely shocking signings, not to mention that they probably have the worst Goalkeeping roster in the league with Lee Nicholls and Ryan Schofield. The only shining light for the Terriers is their young lads, and Levi Colwill excites me for certain- a central defender with class. As does Josh Koroma who is far too good for the Terriers, and will undoubtedly play in the Premier League in my view. Time to start preparing the ‘Welcome to League One Huddersfield Town’ banners for the train station.
Prediction: 22nd

Hull City- Grant McCann is actually quite a decent League One manager, but just not quite up to the Championship standard in the view of my red tinted spectacles. The summer signings for ‘Ull provide me with a distinct sense of dread for their upcoming season, George Moncur, Randell Williams & Andy Cannon are bad signings. With the not-affectionately labelled ‘Crab-Man’ George Moncur being a particularly porous addition. Mallik Wilks & Keane Lewis-Potter may provide some spark for The Tigers but a defence which consists of largely League One level full-backs (Lewis Coyle, Josh Emmanuel & Callum Elder) and no Championship level centre-backs will concede goals for fun. In the spirit of fairness I have to mention how good George Honeyman was last season but losing his partner in crime Regan Slater will be a big loss. Sorry Hull fans, but this is the reality of the Championship.
Prediction: 23rd.

Luton Town- Nathan Jones, I salute you sir. What a job the Welshman has done since returning to Kenilworth Road, and this next season I can really see the Hatters having a lot of fun. Luton’s forward line is really exciting, with Cameron Jerome, Admiral Muskwe, Elijah Adebayo, Harry Cornick & Carlos Mendes-Gomes set to make a few Champ defenders look silly. This isn’t even a ‘hipster’ prediction- Luton’s recruitment has actually been very good. In ‘Moneyball’ Peter Brand describes the recruitment process as buying runs in Baseball- and effectively thus, Wins. Luton are doing exactly that with their signings, Henri Lansbury, Allan Campbell, Cameron Jerome, Carlos Mendes-Gomes & Admiral Muskwe will score you goals and win you games. I’d be very excited if I was a Luton fan right now.
Prediction: 4th

Middlesborough- Neil Warnock, I love that man so much. He’s the promotion specialist but I sneakily suspect yet another promotion will evade his grasp this term as his Boro side don’t have quite enough in the tank. Uche Ikpeazu is such a Warnock player and I think the Summer signing will bag a hatful. Warnock merely lacks a magician, a Michael Tonge, an Adel Tarrabt, a Junior Hoilett. Secure in the Top half.
Prediction: 11th

Millwall- Gary Rowett has built a Lions side that now looks as if it finds it impossible to drop beneath 16th and yet not finish higher than 8th. Odd. Jed Wallace and Jake Cooper are as always two Blue-Chip players in this league. Only the lack of a reliable goalscorer such as a Woodrow or a Solanke will prevent ‘Millll’ from finishing Top 6. Another good season for Rowett’s men.
Prediction: 9th

Nottingham Forest- Chris Hughton is an outstanding manager in this league, but he doesn’t have a ‘Hughton team’. By that I mean his NFFC side isn’t the finished article, with only the two Joe’s, Worrall & Lolley being archetypal Hughton players. But I do back them to be a very good team in patches and Brennan Johnson really excites me- he’s a bloody magician. In a nod to a track from the Beatles’ white album, I shall refer to him as Bungalow Brennan from now on. A solid, nonetheless underwhelming season for the two-time European champs.
Prediction: 10th


Read Part 1: AFC Bournemouth > Coventry City

Read Part 3: Peterborough United > West Bromwich Albion
Read more »
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