"I would have thought" - Barnsley FC surprise at Darrell Clarke development revealed | OneFootball

FLW's Barnsley fan pundit has given his verdict on the sacking of head coach Darrell Clarke.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Barnsley have announced the sacking of head coach Darrell Clarke after just over nine months in charge at Oakwell.

Clarke only took over at Barnsley in May when he was named as Neill Collins' permanent replacement, and he was something of a surprise choice given that he suffered relegation from League One with Cheltenham Town last season.

After the Tykes suffered defeat in the play-off semi-finals against Bolton Wanderers last term, Clarke was tasked with leading the club to promotion, and after a strong first half of the campaign, his side sat fifth in the table in early January.

However, Barnsley have fallen away from the top six in recent weeks after losing seven of their last 11 games, and Saturday's 3-0 home defeat to Blackpool has prompted the board into action.

Clarke departs with the Reds sitting 10th in the table, eight points from the play-off places, and coach Conor Hourihane will take charge until the end of the season, with his first game coming against out-of-form Mansfield Town at the One Call Stadium on Saturday.

Barnsley fan pundit reacts to Darrell Clarke's departure

When asked for his initial reaction to Clarke's sacking, FLW's Barnsley fan pundit Andy Symcox admitted he was not surprised by his dismissal, but he questioned the timing of the decision and accused the board of letting the 47-year-old down with poor recruitment.

"I'm not surprised that Darrell Clarke has been sacked, but the timing of it has confused me a little," Andy said.

"It was stated at the start of the season that the aim had to be a minimum of the play-offs.

"I would have thought, therefore, that a decision about Clarke's future would have been made if and when it became mathematically impossible for us to attain a play-off place.

"Having said that, I have no particular issue with the decision that's been made.

"I do believe he has been let down by people above him, whether that has been by the owners, or more possibly by Mladen Sormaz, the Sporting Director, in terms of our recruitment, particularly during the January transfer window.

"We were supposedly working with a really good budget this season in comparison to numerous other teams in our division, but this has not translated into a strong enough squad.

"However, Clarke's in-game management was, in my opinion, quite poor at times, and we tended not to finish games very well.

"It is no massive surprise to me that he's gone."

Dismal Oakwell record contributed to Darrell Clarke's Barnsley downfall

It is difficult to disagree with Andy that Clarke's sacking felt increasingly inevitable as Barnsley continued to drift further away from the play-off places.

Only Wycombe Wanderers and Birmingham City have picked up more points than the Tykes away from home in League One this season, but they are 19th in the home table after winning just five games at Oakwell, and that will no doubt have been a big factor in the decision to part company with Clarke.

After two failed appointments in Collins and Clarke, the Barnsley board are under pressure to find the right man this time around, but there are plenty of strong candidates out there, including the likes of Paul Warne, Leam Richardson, Rob Edwards and former manager Michael Duff, while Hourihane could be a contender for the permanent job if he impresses over the next two months.