Michael Duff was the manager of Barnsley approximately a year ago, and the team was excited about their play-off matchup against Sheffield Wednesday at Wembley.Barnsley was consigned to another season in League One by a late winner for the Owls, but Duff’s efforts caught the eye of the Swans, who naturally selected him to replace Russell Martin.
Duff’s time in SA1 is widely known for being brief and a bad fit for the Swans, so it was probably not a great surprise when he left the team at the beginning of December because it was clear that things would never work out.
Neil Collins, Duff’s replacement, was appointed in July, and Barnsley was once again contending at the top of League One. Collins was fired before the season ended, though, despite the Tykes’ consistent efforts at the top of the table undermining their chances of automatic promotion.
The team was managed by interim manager Martin Devaney into the play-offs, but a 5-4 aggregate loss to Bolton destroyed their prospects of returning to the Championship and essentially launched the search for Collins’ replacement.
According to journalist Alan Nixon, they may urge Duff to return to Oakwell and give him the responsibility of getting them promoted the following season.Nixon said Duff would be interested in the opportunity, which is certainly not surprising considering he hasn’t had a job since being fired by the Swans.
It’s debatable whether Barnsley supporters would embrace it as much, but a brief scan of Twitter last night revealed more people were in favour of the concept than opposed.
Following a string of play-off losses, Barnsley will undoubtedly enter the upcoming season as one of the League One favourites, which will put pressure on Duff to accept any kind of return.
Given the terrible nature of his tenure here at Swansea, there will also be a strong perception that Duff has a point to prove, which may motivate him to take over again at his previous club.
What are the chances of Barnsley and the Swans being paired together in the League Cup, should that occur
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