Bassett's Got It All Sorted!
In 1997 Barnsley's promotion
to the Premiership big league was a dream come true.
Now manager Dave Bassett has us dreaming again.
Updated news in the next column
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Barnsley FC's glorious
promotion to the FA Carling Premiership was
an achievement straight out of the grail mysteries. Football
fans were using words like mythological, romantic and
fairytale like they'd finally lost their senses. Little
kids chucked away glory-hunting allegiances to the mighty
Manchester United and Liverpool. Barnsley were finally
in the big time. Dreams were coming true. Legends were
coming to life.
For a club with just four tiny trophies
and with club records stuck in the jazz age, this was
gorging season. Fans lapped up every drop of it all, knowing
that the club was defying gravity. The team's levitation
to such lofty heights a freak of the weather or a lost
episode of the X-Files. You couldn't miss a minute. You
braced yourself for having to tell your grandkids about
Neil Redfearn's 9th minute goal against West Ham United
- Barnsley's first one ever in the top flight. Then there
was the first win at Selhirst Park against Crystal Palace.
Then came the Gianluca Vialli Show, as Chelsea's
Italian player-manager put four past Dave Watson at Oakwell.
The Old Trafford Massacre, as Manchester United hit seven.
But then there was the victory over Liverpool at Anfield
and the Cup Run, humbling grumbling Tottenham on the way.
Then the top of the mountain. 8,500 fans in Old Trafford
for the FA Cup Fifth round cup tie. A draw across the
Pennines, then a victorious reply at Oakwell. Scott Jones
our knight in shining armour putting us in sight of the
Holy Grail. 3-2 the score. Barnsley had knocked the double-winners
out of the cup, a team that eighteen months later would
be kings of Europe.
Then finally the lads
ran out of steam, culminating in the visit
of Liverpool in March when referee Gary Willard lost the
plot. Nine man Barnsley held on bravely only to be hit
by a sucker punch in the 90th minute. It all got very
emotional. Arsenal came with Dutch masters Dennis Bergkamp
and Marc Overmars to tramp the dirt down and score some
classy goals. One final flourish against Man Utd on the
last day of the season and it was all over. Danny went
to Sheffield Wednesday and the entire town woke up with
a sore head.
"I'm proud of
the players who have been a credit to me, the club and
themselves. They gave their all but ran out of steam"
DANNY WILSON at the time of relegation, May '98
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Now it's April 2000.
Barnsley had an old fashioned mid-table time of it last
season under '97 hero John Hendrie's stewardship. After
a poor start to this campaign Chairman John Dennis replaced
Happy Hendrie with a man who has a promotion record second
to none, Londoner Dave Bassett. This is a crucial season
financially for the club, who will lose the Premiership
"Parachute Money" in the summer and the men
on the big wages will have to go. QPR, Man City and Norwich
have suffered because of this in the past. Bolton and
Palace alongside Barnsley will suffer the same fate this
year. A make-or-break season, a last dash for the line
before financial reality tightens the purse strings.
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"An inch or two
either side of the post and that would have been a
goal."
DAVE BASSETT
speaking on Sky Sports
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The choice of Bassett was an astute one,
in spite of a reputation for "route-one" battling
- rather than the South American-style Barnsley fans sang
about in their famous promotion season song "It's
Just Like Watching Brazil". But Bassett's reputation
is extraordinary. He took tiny Non-League Wimbledon (the
fabled Crazy Gang) all the way to the Premier League in
just five years between 81 and 86. He then repeated the
feat with Sheffield United who he took from Nationwide
Division Two back to the top in successive seasons in
89/90. He also won the Division One Championship in '98
with Nottingham Forest. Not a man to be messed with.
This season has been a
revelation. Less than impressive at the back
- with two totally different back fours letting in a huge
57 goals in 40 matches. As many as Second bottom Port
Vale. But up front Forest reject Neil Shipperley has joined
Craig Hignett in a goal fest - The team have already exceeded
the tally built by Redfearn, Hendrie and Co in the promotion
season. The crucial matter of goal difference is clearly
going to be an issue this season if Barnsley are to pip
Manchester City and Ipswich to the automatic promotion
spot. Runaway leaders Charlton are virtually assured the
title.
Dave Bassett suffered relegation the hard
way a few seasons ago, when Sheffield United conceded
a last minute goal at Stamford Bridge and results elsewhere
changed. So he's not a man to take anything for granted.
In a recent Yorkshire post interview he said "I have
never relied on anyone else in my life and I am not going
to start now. You must accept your destiny is in your
own hands. On paper people might think that we should
win our remaining games, but it's never that easy. They
will be hard games because those teams are battling for
their lives."
Barnsley should take heart
from the nucleus of the old Promotion winning side who
are currently repeating history with Wigan Athletic a
division below. Darren Sheridan, Andy Liddell, Arjan De
Zeewe and now Neil Redfearn are all regulars in a Wigan
side closing in on promotion themselves. History can repeat
itself. Lightening can strike twice. And this time, if
Barnsley do get back up in to the big time they have the
leadership and the strength to stay there.
The form of fellow hopefuls Ipswich and
Manchester City is crucial now. Even if Barnsley win five
from the remaining six it is perfectly possible for their
rivals to match them. The fight is now on!
You have got to miss
them to score sometimes." DAVE BASSETT
Sheffield 
