Barnsley so far...

When Barnsley pulled off the unthinkable and reached the Championship Play-offs last season, fans of the club thought it could be the start of an amazing journey. However, when head coach Valerien Ismael was offered the West Brom job it was seemingly too much to turn down, he even took captain and influential figure Alex Mowatt with him, making the task of continuing the upwards trajectory even more difficult.

Austrian Markus Schopp replaced Valerien Ismael at the end of June. Reds fans were pleased with the appointment due to the club’s good recent record of plucking managers from Europe and seeing them succeed. However, his reputation was soon tarnished as underwhelming performances and poor results began to flood in.

Schopp was sacked after 16 games in charge, with the majority of the fanbase relieved and excited for a new beginning and a chance to climb out of the relegation zone and up the league table.

In came Poya Asbaghi, who departed his role with the Swedish national team to take the reins at Oakwell.

At the time of writing, Poya has overseen four Barnsley games. He has drawn two, lost two, and is yet to achieve a win. He has the extremely difficult task of surviving relegation but says he is confident her can turn the club’s season around.

On Boxing Day, the Reds face Stoke City, who will prove a stern test for Poya Asbaghi’s young side. Regardless of what happens on Sunday, fans will be hoping the players will give it their all