Some of the big questions as Conor Hourihane takes on the permanent head coach role at Barnsley FC.
Can a coach on a rapid rise stop a club spiralling down?
A year ago on Sunday, Barnsley were about to sack Neill Collins and Conor Hourihane was celebrating promotion from League One as captain of Derby County.
His coaching experience at that point was eight months of weeknights at the Oakwell academy, coaching the under 15s. It has been a steep learning curve since he returned as player/coach in the summer, then became just a coach from the autumn, interim head coach from March and now the club’s 11th permanent boss in just over seven years and third in the last 12 months.
Hourihane’s appointment on a permanent basis was announced last Friday morning and met with mixed feelings by supporters.
Some were delighted because of his legendary playing spell with the Reds and the impact he clearly had around the club during his month in the caretaker role, while others questioned his lack of experience and his results so far which currently read: one win, three draws and four defeats from eight games. There were foreign-based coaches in contention for the job until the end but Hourihane overtook them due to the impression he has made the club’s hierarchy and the players.
It could be a really exciting appointment and he is definitely an impressive and driven person.
He made bold decisions from the start, backing totally untested youngsters such as Kieren Flavell in goal, dropping underperforming stars Adam Phillips and Luca Connell and enforcing discipline as seen when he did not play Phillips for two games after the midfielder missed a team meeting.
He changed to 4-3-3 and the board feel he has got the team close to playing the fast-paced style of play they believe will bring success.
There have been some good signs on the pitch – particularly the 4-1 win over Bolton – as well as some disappointing performances and results.
He certainly has an aura about him for the players, partly due to his experience in the top flight but also his coaching work this season, while he speaks well in the media.
This ten-game spell at the end of this season is just a brief crash course in management with little pressure now, ahead of a testing first full campaign as a head coach.
Barnsley has felt recently like a club on a downward spiral – 30 points from 28 games at home across 14 months, on course to concede about 90 goals in all competitions this season while, in the form table since the first week of 2025, they are in the relegation zone.
The club needs a serious course correct to compete in the upper reaches of the third tier next season. It is possible that this straight-talking Irish firebrand might emulate Danny Wilson and Paul Heckingbottom and transform the Reds in his first managerial role. But he cannot do it alone.
How far will Barnsley allow Hourihane to take them?
“Conor is the best man to get the club as far as it will allow itself to go.”
That was the killer line from Stephen Humphrys in his post-match interview at Leyton Orient just hours after Hourihane was appointed on Friday.
It summed up a feeling for many outside the club – and clearly for some on the inside too – that the issues are far wider than just the man in the dugout.
Of course having a talented and influential coach will improve the team and the results, but he has to be helped by good recruitment which, over the last several windows, especially this season, has been a weak link.
The vast majority of the 15 players brought in this season have not made a big impact, with the January transfer window particularly disastrous and one of the factors in the promotion challenge capitulating. The name of Clement Rodrigues, no longer involved in matchday squads, will go down in Reds infamy.
Clearly sporting director Mladen Sormaz, chairman Neerav Parekh and the rest of the board have born the brunt of supporters’ frustrations.
But this represents a fresh start for everyone and hopefully those mentioned have learned from the mistakes of recent seasons, with better recruitment to come as they work alongside Hourihane who appears to be taking a much more central role than his immediate predecessors.
What squad and staff will Conor work with next term?
Barnsley are expected to sell key players in the summer. The chairman Neerav Parekh confirmed that in March.
The likes of Luca Connell, Adam Phillips and Davis Keillor-Dunn are the most obvious candidates, although Jon Russell’s excellent end to the season might alert a few.
If a couple of them leave, the Reds’ squad will be low on proven quality so they will need their young players to step up significantly and the recruitment to be much better.
They have academy prospects coming through like Fabio Jalo, Jonathan Bland and Kieren Flavell and players returning from successful loans such as Kacper Lopata and Jack Shepherd.
There is an opportunity to build an exciting young side as long as it is supplemented by keeping the right players from this year’s squad and some shrewd signings.
There will certainly have to be trimming of the squad with many players still contracted who are yet to show they can do a job at this level.
The squad has obviously been built to play 3-5-2 with very attacking wing-backs who are not necessarily equipped to play as a full-back in a back four, or in a front three, while they have a surplus of centre-backs if they are only going to play two in Hourihane’s 4-4-3 system.
The new head coach has said the club needs a ‘reset’ with ‘fresh faces around the place’ and that began with the exit of long-serving coach Martin Devaney.
