Barnsley FC: Michael Duff arrives at Oakwell on ‘high alert’

The ex-Cheltenham manager has been handed a three-year deal by the Reds, at a low ebb and badly in need of a boost following a desperate 2021-22 campaign.

The 44-year-old is acutely aware of the need to fix a disconnect between sections of the fanbase and the club. In terms of the players, it is about discovering who wants to be on board.

Duff, who spoke to ‘two or three other clubs’ before deciding to join Barnsley, said: “I have come in on high alert. That’s probably the best way to describe it.

“I won’t be heavily involved in the training in the first week or two weeks as I will be watching players closely to try and pick up on body language and I will be having conversations with them as well. I need to find out who does want to be here.

“Is the reality of someone saying ‘I am off, I am off’ because agents tell them what they want to hear? I will tell players if we get a bid because I think you are best off telling the truth. Just be straight with people so we know where we stand.

“I have been in dressing rooms where teams get relegated and the whole team says ‘Right, that’s me done, I am off back to the level I have been from.’ But you cannot all be Championship players as you have just been relegated from the Championship.

“So there needs to be a reality in that. The Championship does not have a lot of money in it at the minute.

“It’s also giving the players a clear understanding of what I expect from them. Some of them might not like it and ask to leave; some of them might want to leave to move onto pastures new.

“I will try and give them an understanding I am here to help them. I need them and hopefully they need me.”

One player definitely looking to move on is Callum Styles, whose number of suitors is likely to have risen after starting for Hungary in their stunning win over England on Tuesday.

The midfielder recently stated Barnsley had said he could leave if an acceptable bid comes in.

Other players have been linked with moves including Michal Helik and Cauley Woodrow.

On Styles, he added: “As far as I am aware, there’s not been a bid. There will be contingency plans, there always is at every club.

“But I think it is great. He got released from Burnley six months before I took the Under-18s job and then got into Bury’s team about six months later, which I couldn’t believe. I have known about Callum a long time and I think the experience he had the other night is fantastic.”

Meanwhile, Duff has revealed that he will have the final decision on most transfer targets going forward.

Barnsley operate a data-driven recruitment policy which has produced some outstanding successes over the past few years but some also notable failures, while largely sticking to a club policy of almost exclusively recruiting young players for re-sale profit.

He said: “I spent four hours with the analysts (on Wednesday) in getting an understanding of how they work it. The names on the list were names on my list at Cheltenham what I knew (about) and ultimately I will make the final decision on a lot of them.

“The club’s remit is to sell and generate and be sustainable. But sometimes, when you do go on a bad run, you do need a bit of experience to lead the way. If you only use 20-year-olds and they lose three or four games, they don’t know where to look.

“They need to look to someone to guide them who has been through it before.

“I don’t think we’ll be signing five or six 35-year-old’s, but I think there’s a realisation they might have to slightly tweak the model of the last couple of years.”

Duff’s 27-year football career has seen him successfully work at just two clubs in Cheltenham and Burnley. His desire to build something lasting in his own image at Barnsley is more than mere words.

He added: “I did speak to two or three other clubs and ultimately, it came back to the fact that there is a project to be built here.

“It seems to be a bit distorted and pointing in different directions. But the vibe that I got from everyone I spoke to is that they want to build it back to what it is. A community club, very similar to a club I spent 15 years at in Burnley in terms of the fanbase, size of the club and people.

“I have come in with my eyes wide open and I don’t think anyone has hoodwinked or conned me. I know there has been things going on at boardroom level, but I had two or three conversations with Neerav (Parekh – chairman) and lots and lots of dialogue with Khaled (El-Ahmad – CEO).

“I know there’s things that are broken and the priority is to fix them as quickly as possible.”

Duff has confirmed that Martin Devaney will be part of his first-team coaching team and he also plans to bring in an assistant.

Barnsley have signed New Zealand goalkeeper Jamie Searle, 21 on a two-year deal.