What has changed?

Barely 2 months ago, we had lost 8 games in a row and had been kicked out of the FA Cup by Altrincham. Back then I was one of the few who called for patience. I acknowledged that we had made mistakes in the summer transfer window, but I was not convinced that the mistakes had been made by Lee Johnson. Above all, I was fed up of the managerial merry-go-round and I liked Lee Johnson. I liked the fact that he took the time to explain his decisions. Whether you were prepared to accept those explanations was down to the individual, and it largely depended upon whether you saw them as excuses or reasons.

This is not an “I was right, and you were wrong” posting, because I am fully aware that the football gods when roused can once more decide to kick our team in the “short and curlies”, and I am very concerned about the number of injuries that we have taken recently and the number of players who are not tied down for the rest of the season. Nevertheless, I have decided to comment on the reasons for the improvement in form as I see them.

Danny Wilson signed both Sam Winnall and Connor Hourihane. They were the players that he intended to rebuild the team around after relegation. However, there was something wrong with the balance. Winnall could not function in a 4-5-1 system and Hourihane was exposed defensively in a 4-4-2. There seemed no way to get the best out of both. It cost Danny Wilson his job, and Lee Johnson struggled to find a solution. The constant tinkering with systems was not Lee Johnson being stubborn as some would have it. It was an attempt to find a system that worked for those two players. Johnson says that they have worked with Hourihane on his defensive weaknesses in a 4-4-2 system, and I believe him. I believe him because I see it with my own eyes. Hourihane has had to forego some of his attacking flair, and in that respect, he is not the player that we saw a year and a half ago. However, he is now more disciplined, and he is contributing more to the team, meaning Winnall is able to concentrate on what he does best. Scoring goals.

Many posters claim that 4-4-2 was the right system all along and that the obstinate Johnson has simply come around to their way of thinking. They have totally ignored the fact that we have not had the wide players to play the system until Hammill and, to a lesser extent, Isgrove arrived at the club. It is yet another example of the failure in the summer transfer window. It is another example of the fans failure to acknowledge the real problem and the work of the coach in finding a solution.

A team is only a team if it is more than the sum of its parts. It takes time to build a team. It means that the right players have to be found. The right players are not necessarily the best players, they are players whose mix of skills complement each other. A sort of mental telepathy develops when you bring together the right players so that they recognise what their team mate is going to do, where he is going to be and how he would like to receive a pass. They cover for each other’s mistakes and they enjoy each other’s successes. The team creates its own aura of good fortune. Teams only come together with time and with patience. There is plenty of evidence that Lee Johnson has the quality of patience. He has defended his players and has protected them from the consequences of their errors. Taking the blame is part of a football coach’s job spec, as is getting the fans to unite behind the team and getting them to be patient. I am sure he is only too happy to accept the lion’s share of fan abuse, just so long as the fans get behind the team on match days. It is all part of the job.

The biggest job of a director of a football club is to hire or fire the club coach. They have more information than the fans, and hopefully, more knowledge too. The current directors of Barnsley Football club have fired more managers than they should have done. Given their past mistakes, I do not know why they have stuck with this one in the face of bad results and fan pressure, but I am glad that they did stick with him. They deserve to be rewarded for their patience.

We will not get in the play-offs this season because our squad is too thin, and I do hope that the fans do not turn against the manager again if this prediction comes true, because for some, the need to be proved right totally governs their decision-making processes. Johnson has always said that it will take three transfer windows to turn the club around. I agreed with him then and I continue to do so. The summer transfer window is the really important one. I hope that we have a good conclusion to this season, and that the fans will continue to support the team when it is time to renew season tickets, because that will influence our summer spending, and that will influence the sort of season will can expect in 2016/17.

 

well said fella, great post

 

Good in depth observations.
It is my opinion that the young inexperienced (in the main) players we are blessed with have settled into a system of playing. Just like Danny had to when we were in the premier, there is a certain way for certain teams to attain points. Way back Wimbledon had a style of play that suited their players and coach. Jonno has realised that this is a "mesters" league, there is very little room for 6 or 7 young uns (all at once) to be cutting their teeth here.
The arrival of Long and Hammill has also gone a long way to the recent success. I do hope now Jonno can keep up this form going. He has done well to keep his job for the losses and poor performances...now we have a different scenario.
Up to recent my dad, who has been involved in football, for a good 50 years plus remarked how our passing and shooting were woeful and needed smartening up on the training pitch, this is what good coaches do in any sport they put in the hard yards, try get some team spirit and then employs half decent tactics (btw not sure he is a good coach yet) this IMHO has happened.

 

Im hoping its going to be a similar situation that was seen at franchise dons. Stuck with the Karl Robinson, steadily built a decent team over a few seasons and improved year on year and eventually got promoted. Last year when they battered us at home was a result of a settled team knowing exactly what to do and what everyones strengths were.

 

Can't argue with that analysis, Red Rain. I'd only echo what I said at the start of last week, which is namely that the requirement to get the wage bill down by fishing in smaller pools meant that recruitment became something of a trial and error process. As time has gone on, Lee has been able to sort the wheat from the chaff while also working out how to get the best from what he's got - a point which you explain well above. As regards unconditional support, when the team is playing as well as they have done this last month then there is no dilemma. A virtuous circle!

 

Is the summer one his 3rd?

I sincerely hope we can retain Adam Hammill or recruit someone near or of his quality as far me he is the catalyst. There has clearly been hard work done on the training pitch but the impact of a player who can win a game on other players and their belief they can win games should not be underestimated.

This is born out in the numerous interviews with manager and players where there refer to now feeling able to go out and win games....

 

I think the majority of supporters believed that Johnson had something in his locker to be a decent manager, he just needed better tools to improve results, then came along Adam Hammill and almost single handedly picked the team up by the scruff of the neck, gave them a little shake and said this is how you do it boys, don't be afraid, stand toe to toe against the opposition and take them on. Also the signing of Aidy white improved the whole left side completely. This gave the whole team the confidence boost it was desperate for. Big Kev Long is pretty handy n'all.

 

I disagree with a fair bit in there but agree with some of it too but the main point is that playing Winnall & Hourihane in the same team certainly did not cost Wilson his job. Winnall was injured for the 3 months before Wilson got sacked.

Results dipped mainly because of injuries. Winnall, Williams, Cranie, Ramage & Bree were 5 regular starters who we lost for long periods.

 

I think there is some astute observations and some self justification in the original post. Probably in equal measure. Hourihane has played his whole career in a midfield 4 and won League 1 player of the month doing so last season. His form dipped when pkayed out of position or in a midfield 3. A fundamental misreading on Johnson's part echoed by a lot of people on here. Wilson in fact got sacked after losing Winnall for months and compensating by playing Hourihane out of position.

Johnson clearly wanted to play a system that was flexible around 4-51 or 4-3-3 and thought he could shoehorn Winnall into this and persisted with trying far beyond a point where it was reasonable.

Whilst it's right to say we started the season without the wingers to play the 4-4-2 that we are playing at the moment. It's also right to say this was a path chosen by Johnson and the management team not an accident. In Lalkovich, as Wallsall have shown, we had a perfectly capable league 1 winger. Instead of loaning 50 central midfielders we could have loaned a winger or two. It was a conscious choice on our part. We had not analysed the strengths of our better players or devised a system for them.

I say all this not as a person welded to 4-4-2 it's definitely not my favourite system and with a fit Hammill or White given Hourihane and Winnall's strengths we could just as effectively play 5-3-2 but it's clear that Hourihane needs to operate centrally and Winnall in a 2. It was clear before the season started. Yes you can attribute some of our failings to the transfer policy but not all of them.

Sometimes managers and supporters get too bogged down in analysis and don't look at the bigger picture. I know I'm as guilty of that as other people. Johnson is our manager he deserves our full support and hopefully mistakes have been made and lessons learned. Like an manager I presume he will have KPi's to hit and if he fails then his position will come under further scrutiny.

It's been good to see Bree in the side finally and one of our own players getting the same opportunities to develop as those of the other teams. But this has been something about Johnson's tenure I have found disappointing. The lack of opportunities for our young lads. Now we are out of immediate danger with no real chance of promotion it will be good to see others like Templeton, Ash and White get some game time.

Our squad is too thin to make progress this season but hopefully this will be addressed in the next few days and over the summer.

In terms of league position anything on or around where we are now would be a reasonable return given the failing of our summer transfer dealings.

Many more night like last night and I might even forgive Johnson for the Altrincham debacle.

Onwards and upwards.

 

How long did it take you to forgive Wilson who put a team together that managed an equally ***** performance at home to non league Chester?



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Did you go to Altrincham? It was easily the worst performance I've seen in 40 years worth of watching Barnsley. The only game in the same ball park was Bromsgrove under Mad Mel but that was at least 2,456 times better than the Altrincham debacle. Against Chester we were *****. At the same time compared to Altrincham we played like Brazil circa 1970 against Chester. That's how bad we were.

Its great that Johnson is learning on the job and developing as a coach. It's a shame we had to waste a season for him to do it. But given the failings of our transfer policy it would probably have been wasted anyway so it doesn't really matter.

 

451 to 442. Simple

 

Aye there was a bit of a kick off when Danny got the job. I think there was a whole letters page in the Chronicle. Yes I hope as any Barnsley fan must that Lee is a success. He is a bright personable guy. Like a lot of our players he's learning on the job and making mistakes. The hardest lesson anyone learns in any job is to admit they are wrong and change things round. LJ has done that and you can only commend him for it.

 

Agree 100%

 

It's good to see Red Rain having yet another dig at the supporters while congratulating himself for his foresight.

The recruitment policy has not changed since July so has had no bearings on our upturn in form. Tag biggest change has come from the manager abandoning his previous philosophy and supposed "technical" football, which was clear to everyone who went to the Burton game with their eyes open, was never going to work.

The signing of Hammill has been important in changing the style of play but we still had layers cable of playing more up tempo before his stint as the games against Swindon, Gillingham and Everton showed. The formation does not dictate the tempo.

 

I went to Altringham and yes it was a very poor performance.We lost 1-0, not by a landslide and they scored with one of their 2 shots on goal, and even then following a couple of blunders. We had several shots at goal and better finishing by Isgrove and Wilkinson amongst others would have seen a different outcome.
I went to West Brom when they put 7 past us and that was more recent than the Bromsgrove game and live on Sky to boot. That was one of the worst performances in the last 40 years, there are others as well.

 

I read your pet theory about technical football in your, "Where I am in regard to Johno" thread. It was absolute nonsense then and it has not improved through repetition.