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Reds chief admits job is getting tougher
SIMON Davey reaches his date with destiny tomorrow – and may find it hard to celebrate even if Barnsley avoid the drop.
The man who led the Tykes to the semi-finals of last season's FA Cup has been locked in a personal battle with a section of fans who want owner Patrick Cryne to wield the axe.
Davey's 'crime' has been a failure to mount a push for the Premier League although the Welshman insists that his Oakwell record stands up to scrutiny.
The Tykes need only a draw in the final game of the season to secure Championship status but survival is not the 'success' Davey craved.
"No-one wants a relegation on your CV whether you are a player, manager, or supporter," he admitted. "I will be a very happy man when we stay in this division but I wouldn't say it is a bigger achievement than getting to Wembley.
"We set out as a club to improve this season, primarily to stay in the Championship. We are where we are – but we should have been top 10 and we could have been 24 or 25 points better off."
Davey has blamed late goals, referees and injuries for falling short of a target and it is hard not to feel a degree of sympathy.
His players have conceded nine times in the last five minutes of games, his biggest gamble in the transfer market, Iain Hume, was wiped out five months ago by a flying elbow, and a controversial last-minute penalty flagged by a linesman 12 days ago denied the club victory at Coventry City.
Whatever the turning points in the season, Barnsley have reached the finish line in danger of the drop and Norwich are the only other club in trouble. Both Southampton and Charlton have already been relegated.
"It's been a topsy-turvy season," said Davey, who was 36 when promoted to manager from the club's youth set-up two years ago. "And it has been a harder job this time around.
"We have better players now but the division has got tougher. Look at the other clubs in trouble, Charlton – massive club, massive support, massive budget – Southampton and Norwich. All are filling their stadiums with massive budgets and, in the last four years, have been in the Premier League.
"We started the season without many major players – Hugo Colace, Anderson De Silva, Jamal Campbell-Ryce, Heinz Muller – and Darren Moore was recovering from an operation," he said. "Then we lost Iain Hume. "To spend 1.2m on a player and lose him after 15 games was a big blow.
"We are not a Birmingham City or a Reading who can call upon five or six other 1m players."
In an attempt to pull clear, Barnsley invested in four players in the New Year transfer window. Results improved briefly but another slump soon set in. The Tykes have gone eight games without a win and have drawn the last three.
One more draw would be enough but Davey is not setting his stall out for a point while Plymouth manager Paul Sturrock wants to finish on a high amid talk of changes at the Devon club this summer.
Davey, confident that he will still be in charge next season, added: "I know that myself and the team got a lot of criticism after the Swansea City defeat but I asked the fans to get behind the team and the management and I cannot thank them enough. Over the last three games, they have been magnificent and, if we stay in this division, they will have played a major part in it.
"I am confident that I will still be here next season. I have got a job to do and my job is manager of this football club until someone tells me different. I will have a rest on Monday, attend the Player of the Year dinner on Tuesday, and then I will start planning for next season."
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Weather for Yorkshire
Tuesday 22 May 2012
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Temperature: 9 C to 23 C
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Sunny spells
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