Barnsley FC boss Daniel Stendel's admission after discussions with Neerav Parekh
DANIEL Stendel remains confident that he will be given the time to turn around Barnsley's fortunes – with the Reds currently in the midst of a dreadful autumn.
The beleaguered Oakwell outfit find themselves in 23rd place ahead of Saturday's League One home game with high-flying Oxford United and have lost their past six matches in all competitions.
It is the club's worst losing sequence for five years since October 2021.
Barnsley are also also winless in their last 10 games, losing eight. Stendel has largely been absolved from criticism, with most supporters reserving their ire for the club's hierarchy instead.
The Reds' away followers made their feelings known in that regard in last weekend's reverse at Reading.
The German, in his second spell at the club, has been in regular contact with chairman Neerav Parekh.
While there was an understanding back in the summer that the Reds were in a transitional period, Stendel accepts that results have been worse than initially envisaged.
He said: “He (Parekh) would also like that we have better results, but he gives me the feeling that he is behind us and gives us the time.
“He knows (there) was a lot of change in summer and it's maybe a little bit longer, in the process, than we all expected.
“But this is the way that the club decided in summer – that we want to change back to some other things (promoting young players and academy products).
“I feel the support from him and it's the reason that we've been in touch in the last couple of weeks to bring the club forward.
“I can feel the trust behind me, this is important for me and for our work every day.
“We have to show everybody that we do everything to switch the situation for us in the games.”
The decision to chiefly recruit up-and-coming players with potential, instead of adopting a more pragmatic policy amid an increasingly competitive third tier, has drawn increasing criticism from the club's fanbase.
It has been exacerbated by a worrying run of results, with Barnsley currently looking deficient in terms of battle-hardened on-pitch leaders.
Stendel added: “Maybe in some decisions we can do it better in the future.
“It's a big change for the club and the owners decided in summer to bring the club back to their own identity.
“And yes, we do some things not right. It's the same with what I do,” said Stendel, pictured.
“I can say we try our best every day. It doesn't matter, we also make mistakes. It's the same with the players.
“This is part of life, but we have to learn from the situation and at the moment I would like to learn really quickly.”
Ben Hamed Toure is back in training – but is unlikely to be in contention this weekend.
The Ivorian striker had been absent from the club for a spell this autumn due to compassionate reasons.
Recent signing Daniel Johnson could be involved against the U's, Stendel confirmed.