Sides we can realistically finish above this season...

In my opinion, we have the potential to pick up more points than the following teams this year;

Leeds, Huddersfield, Brentford, Bristol City, Preston, Wigan, Burton, Rotherham, Reading, Forest, Fulham, Wolves, Blackburn, Cardiff.

Manage to come on top of them all and we'll finish 10th.

None of those sides above are in any more promising shape than us on paper at the moment. Many of them are full of journeymen players on a downward spiral who have secured big contracts on reputation and have not actually delivered in years. Many of them are riddled with instability, maverick owners and foreign managers and players who have no idea what to expect in the Championship. We are managed by local people with a genuine affinity to the club and supporters and an up and coming, hungry, talented young playing staff.

It will be a tough old season and it's a huge step up from League One. But there's a lot of mythmaking that goes on due to the finance in football in the state it's in. I bet there'll be a hair's breadth between 12th and 20th most of the season, regardless of budgets and 'size' of the clubs involved. Steven Fletcher will be on ten times Sam Winnall's salary. Is he ten times the player? No. Ipswichs midfielders are probably on three times what Conor earns. Are they three times as good? Certainly not. I hope, (and I'm sure Hecky and the lads won't) we don't lapse into the Keith Hill mentality of the un-fur-ness of it this time. As rotten as it is, I'm sure we'll get on with it and concentrate on showing what we can do rather than worrying about the opposition's credentials.

We may end up in a relegation slog all year that we might lose, but let's worry about that when we have to. I feel like there's plenty of cause for optimism and going into today with excitement about what we can do this season.

Come on You Reds!!

 

Aside from Wolves I'd agree with all of those teams and I'd add Birmingham to the list.

 

Rotherham, Burton and Blackburn.

 

Troutman made to eat his words again

 

I hope you'll be pleasantly surprised by the mediocre of standard of a few teams in this league.

 

Me too. My concern is that the league is tougher than it was the last time we were here.

 

Lucky that we're immeasurably better than last time we were here too then, isn't it!

 

Been watching Barnsley for too long now to be optimistic but this is the first time in a long time that we've had a settled team, when's the last time that possibly 9 of the players who played in the last game of the season could play in the first game of this season?

 

Wasn't it our Cardiff poster who said he felt that the standard had fallen?

I'm optimistic we will certainly stay up. Plenty of goals in this team.

 

Are we though? The players we had last time were a mixed bag. Some were pretty good, a lot were toss. We currently have two players in the team (three in the squad but forget about him), who have Championship experience. We have no idea how many can make the step up but judging by their CVs, it looks a step too far for some. The difference between this squad and the last one is that we like the players, we see them as honest, committed, enthusiastic, hard working, loyal, and team spirited. They have every personality trait you would want to see in a squad of players, but is that enough?

The last squad had gutless tossers like Kennedy and cart horses like Dawson. I'm not convinced this squad is immeasurably better though.

 

Look at this thread from the other day:

http://bbs.barnsleyfc.org.uk/showthread.php?246886-Team-relegated-last-time-around
Steele, McLaughlin (Rose 81), Kennedy, M'voto, Cranie, Etuhu, Dawson, Lawrence (O'Brien 60), Jennings, O'Grady, Pedersen (Proschwitz 60).

O'Grady and Steele the only 2 starters would get a sniff in this team and O'Grady would just be in rotation. Stronger all over the pitch IMO. Don't think it'll be easy for a second but if we can capture just a bit of last season's spirit we're laughing.

Which precisely that are likely to be starters? Half the squad would have gone to Championship teams anyway if we'd not been promoted IMO

 

We had virtually the same side for the first match in 2006/7. Our playmaker had gone and had been replaced by Togwell, but otherwise I think the players who completed the playoff final were in the side that played Cardiff City.

 

Sheff Utd, Donny

 

It's difficult to look at this squad objectively at the moment because anything that's not 100% positive is seen as unfair criticism. Look at Yiadom. 24 years old and never played above League Two. We all hope he can make the step up but it's a huge leap for him and he's come in to start so there's a lot of pressure on him. We hope Winnall and Watkins can make the transition but we don't know if they will or their peak is being top end League One players.

From that last squad I would take Steele, Cranie, O'Grady, O'Brien, McLaughlin and - people won't like this - I'd have Lawrence over Scowen and probably Proschwitz over people like Payne and Tuton.

 

Going by that starting lineup in the other thread:


Davies - Steele
Yiadom - McLaughlin
Mawson
Robbo - Cranie
White
Watkins - O'Brien
Scowen - Lawrence
Hourihane
Hammill
Winnall - O'Grady
Bradshaw

Got to hand it to you-you've definitely made the team worse on paper.

 

All 23 of them

 

The thing is... how does anyone know a player can play and effectively at a higher level until they actually do?

We've seen awful experienced players down the years, awful players on loan who have then gone on to have decent Premiership careers, and awful players from low levels. We've also had good ones too.

I understand uncertainty can create doubt and negativity. But until we've seen how we set up, the way we play and the quality we show with and without the ball, let's not judge.

Let's hope and encourage, and maybe... just maybe that additional belief and support creates something these young lads can build on.

If they don't turn out to be good enough in the coming year and after, then so be it. But let's not shun them from the get go before we get an idea.

 

I think you've misquoted me slightly, but let's say they were the changes I would make, you are honestly saying that team would be worse? On what basis?

 

I put in the players you said you've take and took out the players you had reservations about where's the misquote!

Game of opinions I suppose isn't it!

 

Young no fear I think we,ll do well once we get up to the pace of it.