Barnsley V Oldham Athletic How I saw it.

I'm sorry, I don't do this deliberately to be contrary, but I have a totally different view of the game to most of the contributors that I have read on here.

I have to be consistent, though. I was a big critic of the way that Mark Robins used to play football with results being far more important than entertainment. What I saw last night, and indeed saw in the previous home performance, reminded me very much of the style of play that I became accustomed to during Mark Robins period at Oakwell. To say that I was surprised by the positive reaction on here would be an understatement. I spent most of yesterday afternoon glossing the hall, and to be honest, there would have been more entertainment value in watching it dry. Two shots on target, one from each team in ninety odd minutes is not my idea of entertainment, and for the second game running, less than 50% of possession in a home game.

When you play 4 central defenders in your back four, you know that retaining possession is always going to be a problem. After we scored, the team was instructed to stay in the 4-4-2 formation. Defenders were not allowed to advance past midfield players in order to run into space, and likewise, midfield players were not allowed to run into space beyond the two forwards. The mantra was to stay in your shape at all times. It meant that Lalkovic and Hourihane could not play their normal games, and it rendered them ineffective. Oldham were not Port Vale. The long ball was not their natural game. Nevertheless, our tactic meant that this was the only tactic that was open to them as we packed midfield immediately in front of the back four and left a big gap between them and the two forwards, who consequently became isolated and reduced to pressurising defenders in possession. The net result was two teams reduced to hitting the ball long over the heads of their under utilised midfield players. Hopes that things would change with the introduction of Winnall were dashed as our midfield went from 4 men to 5 men, leaving me to long for full time when I would be able to go back to watching my paint dry.

I know why Wilson did it. The team has too many players who are not fit. They do not know each other well enough to play the pass and move game and their passing is not good enough at the moment either. But let us not try to convince each other that the game was something that it wasn't. It was a Barnsley team desperate for points and prepared to play in a the pragmatic style that had the best chance of achieving that aim. It was not pretty and I did not enjoy watching it.

Many contributors have accused me recently of being an apologist for the club management. I have asked for patience, and perhaps I should be giving myself a talking to after what I have written above, but then again, I never thought that I would see the day when I was forced to compare the style utilised by Danny Wilson to that offered by Mark Robins during the days, that were at least for me, some of my darkest watching Barnsley Football Club.

 

just to remind you we wont 1-0 last night and now only 4 points of the play offs

We can play like last night every game for me (3 points is all that matters)

Yes you want to be entertained (and me leaving the ground with 3 points is good enough for me)

Trust me feels alot worse playing well and losing/ drawing

 

Your quite right in your assessment but I think the awful run we've had 3 points and keeping things tight defensively is far more important at this moment

 

Demonstrating the danger of taking each game in isolation.

Off the back of a poor run with confidence low, and managing the return of Winnall and the integration of the new players, we had 2 home games that it was imperative to win. Port Vale was an awful game but we got 3 points. Last night showed what value Scowen could bring as a more mobile central midfield meant Ramage & M'Voto hardly had to make a tackle all game.

Yes, at the expense of attacking flair,but get some points on the board, confidence re-installed Scowen established in his role which imho will allow Hourihane to go forward more and Winnall up to speed and we'll se a change in emphasis.

It's easy to pick any 1 game and identify everything (good or bad) from that. This season is and always has been a transitional one, we have 46 games to try and evolve into a stronger unit to get out of this league next year.

 

This

 

I actually agree with most of what you said. If I was an Oldham fan I'd be very disappointed last night that I'd gone home with nothing.

However, results are what really matter and we haven't been pretty or attractive at all in the two home games this week, but we've picked up six points. Job done, well done Danny.

 

Completely agree - I was thinking the same RE Robins last night.

I suppose the difference is we got a glimpse earlier this year about the type of football Danny obviously wants to play. Such a system has a massive reliance on certain personnel - IE Winnall, Jennings and now Lalkovich - and with one unfit and the other fat, we've been unable to do it.

Considering the pressure he was suddenly under after Christmas, the fact we've over a difficult period blooded about 5 young lads to cover for the injuries of Cranie, Ramage, Bailey, Winnall and the loss of Cole, introduced new signings & still won 50% of our games in the last two months, I think I'm pretty happy as we solidify for the short term and then see where the rest of the season takes us.

 

I think that articulate report could have been written for most games this season, but with an inevitable defeat at the end. Im not sure if its annoying, alarming, mystifying or pleasing even, that weve been dog toffee all season ( one or two exceptions) but still mid table. I, personally, havent seen us play anywhere near good all season, and i would use the second half display against Bristol City as the only exception.
If we could manage to click and start playing 'well' then who knows what could happen. But its fair to say this league is poor and we should be doing better. Lets hope a corner has been turned.

 

I was going to reply but you pretty much answered it for me.

It was refreshing to see a back four that never looked like conceding & two lads in front of them that won more than their fair share of 50/50's & covered for each other all night

 

Head on nail

 

It could be argued that a team has to earn the right to play pretty, entertaining football. It depends where you are in the league. Right now we are in the grinding out results phase. All that matters is to win. Only then can we start turning it on. The odd bit of show boating and flash of brilliance, allied to bagging all the points, will do for me. Entertainment comes later

 

I do not disagree with any of the comments on my original post, and judging from the reaction to the game last night, they are pretty much what I would have expected. However, just bear in mind that this is first goal winner football. The first time that we concede first, these pages will be full of comments about how poor we are going forward, how the players are not fit/not trying and how Wilson is tactically inept. Contributors really should not be given any credit for changing their opinion on the team/the manager based solely upon the result, and without reflecting upon the quality of play or entertainment value. If people thing that last night was entertaining, just because of the result, then there is hope for my new business plan of installing seats in my hall and selling season tickets.

 

Agree completely RedRain. We could have quite easily lost last night's game and then everyone would have been moaning.

That's what annoys me about football fans - they react far too much to a win or a defeat, rather than just looking at the season as a whole and accepting that we are what we are.

 

Spot on. Lets have 5 more ugly unattractive wins then everyone can chill the chuff out and we can start playing football

 

The last two games have ben Robins-esque which like RR was one of my real down times supporting the mighty reds. I guess we had dug ourselves into a hole and needed to fight our way out which we have done. Ball retention when playing 4 Centre halves is always going to be an issue and in the longer term needs to be addressed.

I thought Oldham were good value for at least a point myself. In the first half they played some neat attractive fotball before our tactics made them resort to the big boot.

Again RR is right this is a risky strategy because if you concede first you are not going to create much yourself and supporters who can't see the situation or season as a whole will be getting back on the whingeing bus again.

 

My thoughts exactly. Don't get me wrong, I'm delighted we've picked up 6 points and moved away from the bottom 4, playing in league 2 is unthinkable. However, our retention of the ball last night was absolutely abysmal. So frustrating to watch.
It's needs must at the moment but football of this ilk is not going to sell season tickets when the renewal forms land on our doormats in the few weeks.

 

It certainly wasn't pretty, but it was effective.

I thought Oldham were the best of the 4 teams we have beaten on this run of home wins. So to beat them and get a clean sheet was pleasing.

I thought Scowen really made a difference and it was more a "battling Barnsley" performance than we have seen recently, some good tackles etc.

Yes agreed, wouldn't want to watch that style of play week in week out, and not a patch on the home wins of Gillingham and Bradford, or the draw against Bristol City. Maybe when the new players are fully bedded in and Winnall is back to full fitness we'll see an improvement in the style of play. For the last two games though, it's been enough to get scrappy wins and stop the decline towards the relegation zone.

If we can win and be wonderfully entertained great, if we have to choose one, it's always a win for me.