Conor Hourihane said he ‘went ballistic’ at his Barnsley players at half-time in their 1-1 draw at Wigan and that captain Luca Connell has apologised for his late red card.
The Reds conceded early and trailed at the break but improved in the second half and levelled through Adam Phillips.
Hourihane said: "We were absolutely awful in the first half and I went ballistic at half-time.
"They get a lot of detail and clarity but it’s all nonsense if the players don’t want to run around and show heart and desire. At least second half they had a bit of motivation to run around.
"It’s a bit quiet in this stadium. But that shouldn’t matter whether it’s a small crowd or big crowd. You should still have that motivation to want to be a professional footballer every single day. I let them know that at half-time and second half they showed they cared which is pleasing.
"Wigan had one opportunity in the first ten minutes and scored then they sat back. They don’t press aggressively, sit in a mid block home or away. It became a long slog.”
He added: "We got clapped off. The Barnsley fans want to see is a team who work, run and have intensity. That was a proper 45 minutes but it shouldn't take me going ballistic.
"I can go to bed tonight and sleep a little bit because at least I have a group who showed me they care a little bit. It’s really important, I am up at the crack of dawn every single day.”
Captain Connell was sent off on 84 minutes for kicking out at Will Aimson. He is expected to miss the next three games including the cup tie at Liverpool.
Hourihane said: "He’s pretty quiet. He came up to me and apologised. He will know he made a mistake and one he will have to suffer from."
Hourihane added: "He should know better. He’s been brilliant for me, very consistent. That is one he will be hurting from. There were five or six minutes to go and six minutes of added on time. You never know what can happen. It kills the opportunity of going on to get a winner. He will know he’s done the wrong thing.”
Jono Bland and Reyes Cleary were rested but came on at half-time.
"Blandy and Reyes are young lads who have played so much football and they were dead on their feet over the last couple of games. But we needed to bring them on to show energy to the rest of the team. It worked which is pleasing.”
Goalkeeper Murphy Cooper made some fine saves. Hourihane said: "Delighted for him. Obviously it’s been a tougher time over the last few games - conceding a lot of goals, and a lot of them probably weren’t his fault. He needs more protection.
"They were big moments.”
Hourihane said he didn’t know about a reported bid for Cleary. On incomings in the transfer window which opened today, he said: "There are talks in the background. We need some action pretty soon. Not having a fit defender on the bench is difficult. Like every other club, we will want some ins and outs."
Marc Roberts missed the game with an Achilles injury. Hourihane said: “It’s not as bad as maybe we first thought. He will have a scan and it’s just how quickly it settled down.”
David McGoldrick said: "The first half wasn’t acceptable. We all know that. We worked all week tirelessly on what we need to do but we weren't at the races. It’s getting a bit frustrating.
“We can’t put our finger on why. There is no excuse for it. It’s just not good enough, for the players we all think we are. We have to do better.
"The second half we came out and showed more quality, more belief and were more on the front foot. We did the simple things right.
"We got a goal and had chances to win it.
"We have to take that into the next game but we take one step forward and one big step back. We can’t keep being inconsistent like this. People will probably say it’s the same old story but we’re trying to put it right and we’re going to have to."
