Big Val played to the strengths and weaknesses of his players.

Remind me who - can’t remember!

That first leg at home was dour. A nothing game really. We’d been found out prior to that - I remember the final games of the season being tricky and no tactical change either.

 

I can't either but I'm not imagining it!

 

And then there was me,,,,, I moaned about his tactics when we won!!

 

You really think val played a part in ******* those players careers up? I'd argue we didn't have the players to try play football with the likes of romal palmer in the middle so the tactic to keep the ball in the opposition half worked well. It was also one of the most organised barnsley sides I've ever seen and every player gave 100% and knew the script which is more than what's going on under Collins.

 

They had some good players...Hourihane, Ayew, Jamal Lowe, Routledge, Naughton, Bidwell...a young Guehi.

 

Matty James became surplus to requirements with a two man midfield. Tells you all you need to know. That along with Mowatt hoofing it rugby style over his shoulder into the flanks.

 

We don't agree which is good.

The football under Val was poor, the football under Collins is poor. Val had better players and our style football was replaced by lumping it up front as quick as possible.

Palmer Mowatt Styles wee footballers who were instructed not to play football.

It had short term success but I would not want to watch that season after season. Surely not many people would.
If anyone does then it's not football they like.

Val jumped ship so we don't know how a second season would have gone but the latter end of the season Vals organised 100% effort was sussed out by other teams and we limped out of the playoffs without laying a glove on Swansea.

Let's hope Collins can get in the playoffs and give it more of a go. As it hasn't happened yet no one can say we won't.

 

No, I’m saying he had better players with which to implement his direct style.

 

Not sure how you’d describe Collins style of play, we play a lot of long hopeless balls from defence still

 

I agree, but we don’t have the players to implement a direct style. If we had Carlton Morris alone, it would have helped.

 

It's funny how we perceive it...we outshot Swansea 11-9 at Oakwell and 12-4 at their place and lost 2-1 on aggregate. The big difference in stats was fouls given over the two ties 15 to us, 29 to them.

 

The football under val wasn't great to watch neither is Collins, vals got results and we had one of if not the smallest budget in the division so to finish 5th was massively over achieving.

Styles had the best 6 months of his career under val at wing back.

I would have loved to watch my club one more time in the premier league. Which every season looks less likely.

Val jumped ship while his stock was high, similar to duff and Collins would do the same given the chance. No loyalty in football, that's why I have little patience now with poor results and football.

We lost to Swansea 2 goals to 1 over 2 legs hardly got hammered and Swansea were a club who then were getting parachute payments and wage bill was massive in comparison to ours.

 

Cosgrove?

 

Football is a results business and Val got results.

Got the side to do the basics very well. Was it fluid beautiful football? No, but unless you have a massive budget that style won't work. I'd also argue a lovely tippy tippy style is not good for working up divisions. Look at Burnley for example. Outplayed everyone in championship last season, absolutely terrible this season in higher league as they try and play out from back etc.

Under Val, we were organized, hard to beat and awful to play against. Teams regularly altered how they set up just to come play us as we were so awkward to play.

Also focused on things like set plays which we have neglected for some time now. We concede from so many nowadays but don't score from many. We did have a rise in goals from corners when Pines played but before he came we barely scored any.

 

I wouldn't say it was dour, exactly, and that we didn't turn up etc.
The two things I do remember are that the Swanny goal was questionably offside, and that their keeper was their man of the match.

 

Cosgrove is no Carlton Morris mate, not by a fair way. He was actually brought in to give us that option this season, Collins is on record as saying so. Sadly it hasn’t happened.

 

Us been ‘found out’ under Ismael gets brought up from time to time but I don’t really think it stands up to any scrutiny.

We were far better in the second half of the season than the first.

Swansea bet us home & away in the league campaign. We actually performed better against them in the play offs than the league games. I remember saying at the time that I wanted either Brentford or Bournemouth in the play offs as we were better suited to playing sides that tried to pass through us.

Our league campaign finished with a 2-0 defeat at Preston & then a 2-2 draw with Norwich which Mowatt was rested for. We were already confirmed in the play offs when these two games took place & couldn’t go up automatically. There was literally nothing to play for. Just games where we had to avoid injuries & suspensions.

Of course we were direct & physical but it was completely different to the standard hoof ball that Pulis, Allardyce & others were known for. We literally camped in the oppositions half. We didn’t give them any breathing space. I personally thought it was great entertainment.

 

It’s all about opinions.

I enjoyed the football under Val - we got results and battered teams. No question.

But imo we did run out of options as the season came to a close. He had no Plan B. And I remember this board at the time during the playoffs - he just couldn’t switch it up against Swansea who were very average. And most saw that.

Him leaving wasn’t a bad thing - I think we’d have actually struggled the season after (although not as much as we did under Schopp). Problem being that Val took everyone with him!

 

No offers received for players during the summer after Val and that clouds the judgement of people like Cryne junior so despite other .mitigating factors such as drastically reduced income because of COVID. a decision was made at board level that the team must play a certain way (tippy tappy) whether or not the players are capable of playing that way doesn't matter its the increase in player value they think they'll get that matters.