Media View: Expert insight on Barnsley

Back-to-back defeats at the hands of Luton Town and Hull City have seen Scott Parker’s team slip out of the top two ahead of their trip to Oakwell.

Barnsley and the Cherries have experienced differing fortunes this season since both losing in the Championship play-off semi-finals in 2020/21.

The Tykes picked up eight points from their first eight games before losing seven on the trot, a run which saw the club part company with head coach Markus Schopp.

Although they beat Derby at the start of November, the Rams have since leapfrogged the Tykes with the teams currently eight points adrift of safety at the foot of the table.

Since replacing Schopp, former Sweden under-21 boss Poya Asbaghi has taken the reins for eight games in the Championship, the Yorkshire club drawing three and losing five.

Barnsley’s cause has not been helped by the absence of club captain and leading goalscorer Cauley Woodrow who is expected to be sidelined until March by a knee injury.

Ahead of the clash, afcb.co.uk caught up with Doug O’Kane who covers the fortunes of the Tykes in his capacity as sports editor of the Barnsley Chronicle.

BARNSLEY PROFILE

Ground: Oakwell

Nickname: The Tykes

Head coach: Poya Asbaghi (appointed November 2021)

Club captain: Cauley Woodrow

Current league position: 24th

Leading goalscorer 2021/22: Cauley Woodrow (four in Championship)

Last game: Nottingham Forest 3-0 Barnsley

afcb.co.uk: Sum up the season so far for the Tykes?

DOK: It’s been really difficult. They are on track to beat all kinds of club records in terms of lowest points tally, goals and wins. I don’t think anyone expected to repeat fifth place from last season but certainly nobody expected this.

Key people left in the summer and weren’t replaced. The summer recruitment didn’t go well and they are on their second head coach of the season. They have been unlucky with injuries but also a lot of players have under-performed. It’s never really got going.

They got eight points from their first eight games and then went on a really bad run which ended with Markus Schopp being sacked in November.

Poya Asbaghi came in and, after a slightly promising start, hasn’t really managed to turn it around in really difficult circumstances and they find themselves well adrift.

afcb.co.uk: How have things changed under Poya Asbaghi (pictured above)?

DOK: Not massively, to be honest. He tried at first to shore them up and went very defensive. It worked to an extent. They were a lot better defensively but weren’t really attacking at all.

He’s tried to get that balance in recent weeks but, every time they go more attacking, they seem to leave themselves very open at the back.

It’s been difficult because they had four games called off due to Covid, initially opposition cases but now their own.

It’s been tricky with a lot of players being out through Covid or injury and now Poya is unwell. He missed the Forest game and it’s been a rough start for him.

afcb.co.uk: Did you think Valerien Ismael’s departure would lead to such a dramatic change in fortunes?

DOK: No, not as bad as this. I thought last season would hopefully spell the end of them constantly being in relegation battles but it’s gone straight back to that. I don’t think anyone expected it.

It’s been such a drop-off in performance and results. There have been lots of factors but I didn’t think they would lose Ismael and go straight to this.

afcb.co.uk: Who is Barnsley’s one to watch?

DOK: Callum Styles (pictured above). He’s a talented young player.

He played left wing-back last season but is a midfielder by trade and has been playing as an attacking midfielder recently.

He gets his fair share of chances and has missed a couple in the past two games but he looks the one who is going to get some goals if anyone is.

He’s got a good long-range shot on him and he darts into the box and tries to link play as well.

afcb.co.uk: What’s the mood among the fan base?

DOK: They are really down and angry, as you would imagine. There are quite a few off-field issues as well and the owners are fairly unpopular.

It was massively frustrating for the fans not to be allowed in the stadium last season when they reached the play-offs and had one of the best seasons in the club’s history.

Supporters have returned and they have seen them win two games out of 26 and they have been consistently pretty poor. It’s been tough to take for the fans. There is no getting away from it, there is a lot of unrest.

afcb.co.uk: Are any key players either suspended or injured against the Cherries?

DOK: Cauley Woodrow (pictured above), the club captain and top scorer, will be out for a couple of months with a knee injury which is a big blow.

Carlton Morris tested positive for Covid but we’re not 100 per cent sure when his isolation ends. I think he’s probably unlikely to feature.

Callum Brittain and Josh Benson are also injured. Liam Kitching got concussed at Birmingham on Saturday so he’ll be another doubt.

There are a few other long-term ones but they are more fringes players.

afcb.co.uk: What’s your score prediction?

DOK: It’s very hard to see anything other than a Bournemouth win. I think it will probably be 3-0.

You can follow Doug on Twitter – @dougokane88

Officials: Andre Marriner (referee), Richard West (assistant), Wade Smith (assistant), Gavin Ward (fourth official).