The hunt for a new manager at Oakwell continues
So far, Barnsley’s big recent managerial call does not appear to have exactly paid off.
The Tykes sprung something of a surprise last month, when, with just one game of the regular season remaining, they announced they had parted company with manager Neill Collins.
Although they were then able to secure a place in the League One play-off spots, they were knocked out after a 5-4 aggregate defeat to Bolton Wanderers in the semi-finals.
As a result, Barnsley again missed out on promotion to the Championship, meaning they are now facing another season in the third-tier of English football.
So while the decision to make that change did not have the desired effect on the pitch, off it, the search for Collins’ replacement does not appear to have gone all that well either.
Barnsley manager targets falling through
Since the sacking of Collins, it appears as though the Tykes have already missed out on more than one potential candidate to take over in the Oakwell dugout.
In the days after that sacking, it was reported that Austrian coach Dominik Thalhammer has travelled to England to take over the Yorkshire outfit.
However, he was unable to do so, after being denied a work permit, forcing Barnsley to look elsewhere.
Subsequent updates suggested the Tykes were competing to bring Michael Duff back to the club, amid interest from Huddersfield Town as well.
Yet despite his connections with Barnsley, it is Huddersfield who have since appointed the 46-year-old on a long-term contract.
That has left those in charge at Oakwell still searching for a new manager, and as that frustration continues, it could be argued that they should now be turning to a former Barnsley player to fill the void.
Alex Neil should be considered by Barnsley
Alex Neil is one manager that ought to be on the agenda for the Tykes as they search for their new boss.
The Scot has not been in work since his departure from Championship side Stoke City back in December last year.
As a result, he may well be keen on a return to work, and his past connections with Barnsley – he made well over 100 appearances for the Tykes between 2000 and 2004 – means he could be tempted by such a reunion.
Indeed, Neil has shown he would be willing to manage in League One before, having taken charge of Sunderland when they were at that level back in February 2022.
The end result of that was the Scotsman guiding them to promotion back to the Championship via the play-offs just a few months later.
That knowledge of how to get out of this league may be just what Barnsley need, and with the Tykes having reached the League One play-offs in the last two seasons, they surely have the ambition to win promotion that could help entice Neil back to Oakwell.
It is also worth noting that the 42-year-old has previously won promotion from the Championship with Norwich City, while also stabilising Preston North End and Stoke City at that level.
| Alex Neil permanent managerial record – stats from Transfermarkt | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Club | Matches | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points per Game |
| Hamilton Academical | 70 | 38 | 14 | 18 | 1.83 |
| Norwich City | 108 | 45 | 21 | 42 | 1.44 |
| Preston North End | 191 | 73 | 46 | 72 | 1.39 |
| Sunderland | 24 | 12 | 9 | 3 | 1.88 |
| Stoke City | 66 | 22 | 13 | 31 | 1.20 |
| As of 14th May 2024 | |||||
He could be the sort of manager the Oakwell club need to re-establish themselves in the second-tier, should they be able to win promotion.
With that in mind, Neil offers plenty of promising attributes for the club, when looking at this from both a short and long-term perspective.
You feel therefore, that as other targets head elsewhere, the chance to reunite with the Scotsman is one that Barnsley ought to at least be considering the pressure builds to find their new manager.
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