Lewin Nyatanga admits the matchday atmosphere in the Oakwell terraces has changed during the recent bad run but hopes that slipping into the League One relegation zone will be the 'wake-up call' some of the team need.
The 27-year-old centre-back has played for the Reds more than anyone else in the current squad, including during their last promotion season ten years ago.
While he has rarely seen the club as flat as it is now, he does not blame the supporters.
"You can understand why the fans are frustrated," Nyatanga told the Chronicle after a loss to Fleetwood which put Barnsley in the drop zone. "You can tell the atmosphere has changed on matchdays.
"For a club this size, in League One, we shouldn't be anywhere near the relegation zone. Hopefully this is a wake-up call for some people at the club. I don't know whether some of the younger players have been affected by what has happened recently but they can't be.
"I can't recall ever losing five in a row before and it's not a nice feeling. We know it's not acceptable and we need to turn it around. As a group we need to pull together and make sure it doesn't become six or seven (consecutive losses)."
Nyatanga came into the season hoping to earn promotion and end a run of seasons in which he has battled against the drop for Bristol City and Barnsley. But the Reds are now ten points off the top six and seemingly embroiled in another basement battle.
The Welsh international said: "I couldn't see this run coming at all. At the start of the season we had high hopes. Even though we didn't pick results up in certain games like Shrewsbury at home and Bradford at home, we played very well. "It's all about results at the moment.
"We would take a terrible performance and a win at Scunthorpe (tomorrow). "But we need to start playing better as well to get the consistency."
After being at fault for several goals in recent weeks, Nyatanga was dropped to the bench for the first time this season on Saturday then brought on at the break for Marc Roberts.
Head coach Lee Johnson said: "Lewin had a bit of an injury left over from the previous game.
"He didn't train on Thursday which is when we picked the team and worked with the defence we were going to go with. You have to go with the group that's fittest at the time.
"It was a risk to put him on at half-time because he could have gone down injured but I thought it was a risk worth taking."
Nyatanga said:"I had an ankle twinge but I was fit to play. The manager picked the team and that is his job. "He (Johnson) has been very disappointed with the last few games which is understandable. He's a winner so he's not happy. We didn't perform at all on Saturday, collectively or individually."
