Talking with Tykes...

How did you find last year's campaign being back in The Championship after your playoff triumph?

A rollercoaster to be honest. Beating Leeds and Hull was great but we had plenty of lows including the shock sacking of Andy Ritchie.

Still before the season I said Id take 21st and we finished 20th so cant complain!

Who would you say was the best team you came up against last season?

Sunderland. They totally controlled the game at Oakwell and throughly deserved to win the league.

If you travelled away, what was your favourite away stadium and why?

Only went to one away game and that was Southend which is a bit of a shed. Iv heard the Stadium of Light is great though!

Who's opposition fans would you say were the most vocal at Oakwell?

Probably Sunderland again although the deedaars (Sheff Wed) are always loud when they come.

What were your best and worst memories of last season?

Best: Beating Leeds 3-2 and Southend 3-1 away plus of course staying up

Worst: Ritchies sacking and the hammerings we got from Southampton,Norwich,Ipswich and Wednesday.

How do you rate your chances this coming season?

We should be aiming for midtable as Simon Davey has overhauled the entire squad. Nine new players have arrived with more to come. I just hope they all gel!

If you could single out one player for Barnsley that will cause teams trouble this year, who would that be?

Brian Howard. Tremendous skill on the ball and big things are expected of our Peruvian striker Miguel Mostto.

What 4 teams do you think will struggle, and who do you think will be the strongest team in the division?

4? Are you forgetting only 3 go down in the Championship ;)

I think Colchesters bubble will burst whilst Scunthopre will miss Sharp and Coventry are primed for the drop.

With some teams spending millions for players, and others pretty much nothing (including ourselves), do you think investment has a great deal of impact on final league position? Afterall, Colchester got to the brink of the playoffs without splashing the cash...

I think having money helps but Birmingham spent big last summer and we beat them at Oakwell. Money only guarentees success if you buy the right players.

If you sign the Akinbyies, Forlans and Taibis of this world you'll still struggle.

Barnsley gained Championship status in a similar vein to Blackpool via the playoffs. Is there any advice you can give to our fans as to what they can expect and what they will experience emotionally this season?

It will be hard as the first season usually is. We would all like to do a 'Colchester' but it doesnt always happens. Blackpool had a great end to the season so if you can keep the momentum up you should be fine. But if you are 6-0 down at Charlton dont turn against the players because you should have enough to stay up.

Finally, as someone who isn't emotionally invested in our club, where do you predict we could finish this season?

Im sure you'll take 21st like I would have last season but 13th isnt out of reach.


Thankyou very much to BarnsleyBoy for answering our questions.

Coming soon on the Barnsley-Mad site will be an interview with BlackpoolVital Co-Editor, Jerry as he answers BarnsleyBoy's questions on his expectations for the coming season.

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