FLW’s Barnsley fan pundit gives their opinion on the potential return of former manager Daniel Stendel
This article is part of Football League World’s ‘Terrace Talk’ series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Barnsley FC have endured a fairly dismal end to the season, with a run of horrendous form coupled with play-off disappointment.
The Tykes finished in a respectable sixth place in League One, giving them the chance to compete in the play-offs, but a horrible run of form saw manager Neill Collins sacked with one game to go in the regular season.
| League One standings 2023/24 | ||||
| Team | P | GD | Pts | |
| 1 | Portsmouth(C) | 46 | 37 | 97 |
| 2 | Derby County(P) | 46 | 41 | 92 |
| 3 | Bolton Wanderers | 46 | 35 | 87 |
| 4 | Peterborough | 46 | 28 | 84 |
| 5 | Oxford United | 46 | 23 | 77 |
| 6 | Barnsley | 46 | 18 | 76 |
Ever since, the South Yorkshire side have had interim boss Martin Devaney in charge and he oversaw a crushing defeat to Bolton Wanderers across in the play-off semi-finals.
With many names now being banded about to replace Collins permanently in the dugout, it has been reported that former boss and club hero Daniel Stendel is open to returning to Oakwell next season, and FLW’s fan pundit Andy Symcox has shared his thoughts with us.
Barnsley FC fan pundit favours Daniel Stendel return
Following reports that Stendel has held talks with the Barnsley hierarchy about a potential return, Symcox shared his thoughts on a potential reunion with Stendel.
He said: “Personally, I’d welcome him back with open arms as he has a very special place in the recent history of Barnsley for me.
“He was able to unite a fanbase not only behind him but behind the team on the pitch and the squad overall.”
He added: “When we got to the Championship before, he had a good number of players sold from under him, with Ethan Pinnock, Liam Lindsay and Kieffer Moore all going without his blessing. It was very difficult for him.
“However, looking past that, he spent a lot of time around Barnsley itself and would regularly spend a lot of time with Barnsley fans in bars, speaking to them, getting to know what made them tick.
“For me, with that included, plus all the footballing achievements too, he was a great, great manager and I think we would be fortunate to have him again.”
Stendel return would be ideal for Barnsley
It goes without saying that if Stendel does return to Barnsley as per the reports, he certainly won’t have any issues about getting the seal of approval from fans, as Symcox’s glowing personal opinions show.
However, what makes him an ideal appointment is that he has experience in navigating a difficult league and gaining promotion.
In Stendel’s last tenure as Barnsley boss, the German guided the Tykes to second place and won promotion from a League One containing Portsmouth, Sunderland, Coventry City, Peterborough United, and Luton Town.
This time around, he would have to face off against the likes of Birmingham City, Rotherham United, and Huddersfield Town, all of whom were relegated from the Championship, as well as resurgent Blackpool and Peterborough.
While it can be argued that on paper, the teams Barnsley will be facing next season are not nearly as daunting as the 2018/19 season, the potential for a ‘banana skin’ moment is still possible, and so the stability that Stendel can potentially bring would be perfect and allow Barnsley to build up solid foundations for a promotion push.
It may be a while longer until Barnsley fans and the rest of the EFL learn of the Tykes’ next managerial appointment, but what can definitely be assured, is that a potential return of the German would earmark them as the team to watch out for next season at the top end of League One.
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