Good to see and nice to hear......

From the BBC Sport Website</p>

<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="629" border="0"><tbody><tr><td colspan="3"><div class="mxb"><div class="sh">Tykes' sights on top two places </div></div></td></tr><tr><td valign="top" width="416"><font size="2"><div class="mvb"><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="416" border="0"><tbody><tr><td valign="bottom"><div class="mvb"><span class="byl">By Paul Fletcher </span></div></td></tr></tbody></table>
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<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="208" align="right" border="0"><tbody><tr><td width="5"></td><td class="sibtbgq"><div class="o"> </div><div><div class="mva"> We are heading in the right direction <br clear="all" /></div></div><div class="mva"><div class="mva">Andy Ritchie</div></div></td></tr></tbody></table>Barnsley manager Andy Ritchie believes his team can still achieve automatic promotion to the Championship. </p>

With eight games left Ritchie's team are in sixth place in the League One table, three points behind second-placed Brentford. </p>

&quot;Six or seven wins from our last eight games is a big ask but that might just get us to second - you never know,&quot; Ritchie told BBC Sport. </p>

&quot;But if we make the play-offs, it will still have been a superb season.&quot; </p>

Since relegation from the Championship, Barnsley have finished 19th, 12th and 13th in the League One table. </p>

Boardroom changes, financial struggles and on-pitch mediocrity has been the staple diet since Barnsley's Premiership fairytale ended in 1998 - but Ritchie feels the club have finally turned a corner. </p>

&quot;We are heading in the right direction,&quot; added Ritchie, who took over at Oakwell in March 2005. </p>

&quot;There has been a lot of problems, a lot of movement behind the scenes. </p>

&quot;We have just now managed to get a more stable background. We have a good set of youngsters eager for success. </p>

&quot;All those things together have contributed to what has been a super season up to now.&quot; </p>

Ritchie started his managerial career at Oldham, the club he served so well as a player, and was in charge at Boundary Park from May 1998 to October 2001. </p>

He learnt a lot about his trade and developed a relaxed, thoughtful approach to management. </p>

&quot;My style of management is not dictatorial at all,&quot; said the 45-year-old. &quot;I try to be as philosophical as I can. </p>

<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="208" align="right" border="0"><tbody><tr><td width="5"></td><td class="sibtbgq"><div><div class="mva"> To a certain extent we have over-achieved in our first season together <br clear="all" /></div></div><div class="mva"><div class="mva">Andy Ritchie</div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></p>

&quot;If we don't play well I try not to just throw my dolls out of the pram. </p>

&quot;If I get out of my blocks and raise my voice then the players know that something is drastically wrong.&quot; </p>

Ritchie has had occasions to shout this season, but not as many as he might have expected when his first full season in charge at Oakwell started in August. </p>

With a young squad Ritchie had limited expectations but has been impressed by what his players have achieved. </p>

&quot;To a certain extent we have over-achieved in our first season together as a side,&quot; said the Tykes boss. </p>

&quot;Traditionally young sides suffer from lack of consistency.&quot; </p>

Ritchie is close to becoming the first Barnsley manager to remain in charge for a full season since Dave Bassett in 1999/2000. </p>

Since then Eric Winstanley, Nigel Spackman, Glyn Hodges, Steve Parkin, Gudjon Thordarson and Paul Hart have all been in charge at Oakwell between Bassett's departure and the arrival of Ritchie. </p>

It speaks volumes of the instability that has undermined the club. </p>

At the last Christmas party a long-serving member of the laundry staff quipped to Ritchie that he had done well to make it to his second one. </p>

He intends being around for many more. </p></font>
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very fair-a well reasoned article-nt

 

It does make out as though we've had millions of managers since.......

but two of them were caretakers, one for only a couple of games!!

 

8 permanent since Wilson-far too many-nt

 

It's ok saying he beleives automatic promotion is still possible, but his team have had 3 oppurtunuties to move in to 2nd place and on each occasion have failed. As I didn't see any of the games I'm not going to criticise for a change but reading other people's comments, in 2 of the 3 they "bottled" it