This week, the Yorkshire team lost to Bolton Wanderers in the League One playoffs for the second consecutive year, falling short by an exciting 5-4 aggregate score.
This was the case despite them winning 3-2 that evening in the second leg at the Toughsheet Community Stadium and making an impression.
Sadly for Barnsley, though, Bolton’s 3-1 victory at Oakwell in the first leg had already done the damage that would force them to lose.
Barnsley linked with Michael Duff reunion
Alan Nixon of Patreon is the source of the rumours of Duff and Barnsley’s possible reunion.
According to Nixon, the Tykes are thinking about bringing back their former manager, who departed to play for Swansea City in the Championship last summer.
Naturally, Duff’s tenure at Swansea did not proceed as expected; the 46-year-old was fired by the Welsh team in December.
Since then, Duff hasn’t had a club, and according to Nixon, he’s open to going back to Oakwell so he can resume working with assistant Martin Devaney.
| Michael Duff’s senior managerial career so far, according to Transfermarkt | ||
|---|---|---|
| Years | Club | Matches in charge |
| 2018 – 2022 | Cheltenham Town | 202 |
| 2022 – 2023 | Barnsley | 58 |
| 2023 | Swansea City | 21 |
Barnsley unable to find the right formula
The difficulties Barnsley has faced this season are a continuation of those of the 2022–2023 campaign, when The Tykes suffered the heartbreak of losing to Sheffield Wednesday in the playoff final due to a late goal by Josh Windass.
They will once more have to scurry for a promotion spot in the 2024–2025 campaign since they were unable to discover the winning recipe to return to the Championship on their second attempt.
With the arrival of numerous outstanding players last summer, including John McAtee, and the signing of manager Neil Collins in July 2023, Barnsley appeared to have a good chance of returning to the second tier. This was not to be, though, as Collins was fired in April 2024 after suffering a run of heartbreaking losses to Stevenage, Cambridge United, and Charlton Athletic.
Caretaker manager Martin Devaney is holding things together after Collins was fired until the team names a long-term replacement.
A return to form in League One possible under Duff
Barnsley may see a return to strong form in the third tier if they were to rehire Duff.
As manager, Duff has always favoured a counterattacking 3-5-2 system from a tactical standpoint. He used a striker pairing in this system during his first spell at Barnsley, and at times it looked really good. Duff can still return to a familiar and similar club.
His winning mindset from winning the League Two title with Cheltenham Town is evident in the way he presses his team and keeps them in shape.
It’s possible that the reason he didn’t succeed at Swansea City was that he made a career decision too soon, as he still had a lot of potential at a League One team like Barnsley.
Under Duff, their 2022–2023 season figures were almost equal to those of champion Plymouth Argyle, with just two goals less scored and the same amount of goals conceded.
Even though Duff hasn’t had a job since December 2023, he may return to Oakwell and help the team have a successful season. The team is among the better ones in League One, and the fact that they haven’t yet been promoted is probably down to the fact that teams like Plymouth Argyle and Ipswich Town are leagues better than the division.
The advent of Championship-relegated heavyweights Birmingham City and Huddersfield Town, the former of which may have the resources to attempt and bulldoze their way to an automatic promotion, might be a challenge for Duff next season.
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