Key takeaways from Barnsley 2-3 Portsmouth
Key takeaways from Barnsley 2-3 Portsmouth
After Barnsley`s home defeat to Portsmouth on Tuesday night much has been said certainly of the poor first half showing from the reds. We take a look at some key takeaways from last night’s defeat.
No need to panic
The first half horror show was a tough watch but let us not forget, had the Reds won last night they would have gone top of the table. It is very early in the season. Manager Neill Collins has had just eight league games to settle into the role.
With a busy transfer window only just gone and a number of players new to the club, there will be a settling in period for management and squad alike.
The likes of Bolton started off like a train and have stalled recently. Charlton, many peoples favourites for automatic promotion are already onto their second manager of the season so there is a long way to go.
Last season Michael Duff said and in fact Collins himself said similarly that form will not settle down until well into Autumn. Last season Barnsley only started to hit form late October, November and December and it is likely we will know more about this squad in another ten games or so.
Whilst there have been three home defeats to Portsmouth, Peterborough and Oxford already and many worry about that stat, this group needs time to bed in and see what they can do.
More needed from midfield
Losing Luca Connell is a huge blow to Barnsley. His performances last season were superb and arguably he is probably the one and only “leader” within the squad. However, the Reds cannot hide behind Connell`s absence. More is needed from the other midfielders all of whom have been at the club for some time now and cannot hide behind trying to settle in.
Herbie Kane and Adam Phillips are nowhere near the standards they set last season. Phillips struggles to make an impact over 90 minutes and Kane whilst trying to make things happen has no pace and lacks a killer pass. Far too often he is overrun in the centre of the pitch by the opposition.
Whilst Jon Russell had put in some of his better performances recently, his laboured approach doesn’t help matters. Another player who should be performing much better given he was signed as a player of Championship standard.
Callum Styles, whilst very good coming off the bench last night has been far too inconsistent this season. The hope is that he starts on Saturday given his second half showing against Portsmouth and shows everyone that he is too good for this division. He can give so much more in a red shirt and needs to start showing it regularly.
Too often the midfield has failed to protect the new defence and left them exposed like last night.
Subs time to shine
Comparing the substitutes bench now to at the start of the season there is an improvement. There is more depth and options for Collins.
Many positions now have two players fighting for a starting role. There is now a real chance for the likes of Corey O`Keeffe, Owen Dodgson, Sam Cosgrove and Jack Shepherd to give manager Collins a selection headache.
Those players who came off the bench and changed the game for the positive need to start on Saturday away at Northampton and take the chance given to them to nail down a regular starting place. One way the standards will increase is when there is competition for places and it needs to start on Saturday.
Overall
The reaction on Saturday is huge. To bounce back from defeat and start another mini winning run will ease concerns amongst some fans. Maybe the performance on Saturday rather than the result will go further to reassure fans. There needs to be a positive reaction to what we saw in the first half on Tuesday night.
