Barnsley FC hunt hunt for new boss, future of Cauley Woodrow and free transfers at Oakwell - Q&A with Tykes CEO Dane Murphy

In the first part of an interview with The Yorkshire Post, Murphy addresses where the Reds are currently at in their search for a new permanent head coach.

He also speaks about the club’s late business in the transfer market and the conjecture arising from that.

LW: Where is the search for a new head coach at?

DM: We are in a final group of three and we will be shortly making the decision. It will not be as drawn out as it was last time and we should be able to make a decision and form a decision as a group relatively quickly.

LW: Are Valerian Ismael and Adam Murray candidates?

DM: “He (Ismael) is in the final group and we are trying as a collective – the board and myself – to decide the next step.

Adam is also in the group and he has done an excellent job. Even last year, when he was thrust into a really tough spot in the middle of the season with a tough run of games, he did a very good job. He knows what is best for the club and is a real pro and a good person and has a good rapport with the players and rest of the staff, both the coaching and support staff and front office. He (Murray) understands what it takes and what is best going forward. In our last two games, we looked better in attack and more dangerous as a group and you cannot say anything other than he has done a good job so far.

LW: Speculation linked Darren Moore to the job. Was he ever a candidate?

DM: I think it was more speculative than anything. When it first came to me, it was the first I was aware of it. We never spoke to Doncaster, Darren or any of his representatives. He has been on our coaching list in the past, but it has never got any further than that and we have never discussed anything with him.

LW: Should he not get the permanent post, will Murray still be part of the set-up?

DM: Yes, regardless of what the final decision is, Adam will be with our group moving forward.

LW: The transfer window has passed. Regarding Cauley Woodrow, did he come close to leaving?

DM: A few teams came in, actually. Cardiff were probably the most aggressive. But in the end, they never even got close to something that we would evaluate or take seriously.

Cauley is such an important player, both on and off the field. It did not make any sense to let him go and we wanted to keep him in-house. That’s why we added to his current contract and he has looked great since signing that contract.

LW: Had talks lasted a while?

DM: We’d had back-and-forths. There was always going to be interest in Cauley and goalscorers are a commodity. I think we have made the best decision for both parties.

LW: Do Fulham have a sell-on clause?

DM: There is a sell-on, but it has not inhibited our decision-making. That wasn’t the reason that Cauley remains. We want him here and he is a key part of the group. We want him to stay as long as Cauley can.

LW: Was their late-window interest in Alex Mowatt?

DM: We had a couple of calls. But nothing officially came through to us. We had a few ‘feelers’ for Alex throughout the window. That’s as far as it got.

LW: Will you have to make a decision in January if you cannot agree a new deal?

DM: We are still speaking to Alex and his representatives. In the past, we were far apart, but we have had some (new) conversations. We haven’t discussed, as a group, something in January. Alex is a core piece and we will try and find a solution. If we don’t, we expect him to play out his contract at Barnsley as he is our captain and key element.

LW: What about bringing strikers in?

DM: With the attacking dynamic, we needed a little bit more and probably still need something a little bit different to our attack. We have tried throughout both windows to add. This was a strange market and we weren’t able to get things over the line that we thought would go through.

Right now, we are speaking to free agents, but there is nothing close or imminent. But discussions are taking place and we have already begun our preparation for January and it is something we will continue to focus on.

LW: The signing of Herbie Kane seemed a significant investment.

DM: It is a (significant) investment. I will let those reporting on social media and other outlets speculate (on figures).

LW: Do you think that criticism of Barnsley’s policy in the last transfer window is unfair?

DM: To be honest, I don’t take to that stuff too much or focus on it. The white noise or ‘what we are doing wrong’, ‘what we could do better or ‘Dane is an idiot’...That can be a motivator at times, but it is not something I partake in as there is not enough time in the day. We need to focus on getting points, our fans back in our stadium and making sure everyone in the ground is healthy. That takes up so much time in the day.

We have brought in a fair amount of players and spent some money that was reinvested.

At the end of the day, I know some people maybe wanted more (spent). But in the times that we are in, we felt we needed to balance and to strengthen certain areas. We probably still need to strengthen in one or two areas, but we are preparing for January and we will see what comes.

Support The Yorkshire Post and become a subscriber today.

Your subscription will help us to continue to bring quality news to the people of Yorkshire. In return, you’ll see fewer ads on site, get free access to our app and receive exclusive members-only offers.

So, please - if you can - pay for our work. Just £5 per month is the starting point. If you think that which we are trying to achieve is worth more, you can pay us what you think we are worth. By doing so, you will be investing in something that is becoming increasingly rare. Independent journalism that cares less about right and left and more about right and wrong. Journalism you can trust.

Thank you, James Mitchinson. Editor.