Barnet Season Preview: new approach

Change is afoot at the Hive. Barnet are moving away from the typical ‘underdog’ tactics of Martin Allen – in which grit was valued higher than technique – and towards a more expansive style. The question is simple: will playing better football make Barnet a better team? Supporter Daniele Accurso of the excellent DansBlogTime has his say.

This one’s a 50/50. From playing a Martin Allen style of football for two and a half years, most of the players would have been used to this way so to drastically switch to more on the floor, exploiting the wings would have been a major transition. The change in tactics will have taken a while to kick in and get used to so results weren’t to be expected straight away last year. So a better team results wise? Perhaps not at first, but with pre-season and players now fully understanding what Eames wants, I expect better performances and results to come. In terms of playing style, yes the new tactics have been great on most occasions. When we played Leyton Orient away and won 3-1, the team was pressing high, wingers used constantly, play wasn’t rushed and fans I spoke to said it was one of the best games they’d seen away from home. However, the attractive side of football needs to be mixed with Allen’s defensive one’s in certain matches. Against the bigger, more physical teams, Eames needs to find the balance between pretty and ugly football. Too many times we were out muscled and games slipped away from us. On the whole though, our style has become more attractive and results will hopefully improve in this new season.

Rossi Eames has been appointed head coach. If the board were confident in him as they now claim to be, why was he downgraded to an assistant role back in February?

Honestly, only one man knows that answer and it’s chairman Tony Kleanthous. After one match, he even said to a fan that he got the appointment of Kevin Nugent wrong and regretted his decision of appointing the ex-Leyton Orient assistant as head coach. When Rossi and Henry Newman were in charge, apparently things got a bit tense between the pair, with differing ideas of how to play being argued. Mixed in with this that we were in the middle of a winless 5 game run, I reckon Tony got worried about the young manager and the way results were going so went for the more experienced Nugent instead. Either way, the whole situation was poor for the club. We lost Newman who departed after being sacked and Nugent hindered any lingering chances of making a playoff spot.

Michael Nelson, five years older than Eames, was Player of the Year last season. Was it important to keep a leader like him around as a player-coach?

I admit that I’m not Nelson’s biggest fan when he’s on the pitch. Although an experienced player, I felt that Ricardo Santos and Bira Dembele were the best pair at the back for us, with Nelson too slow now and his passing ability letting us down on many occasions. Stevenage away last season, Nelson was aimlessly lumping balls forward which really grated on me. So although I didn’t think it was that important we kept Nelson for the first team, appointing him as under 23 assistant coach is a massive coup. His experience will go a long way in helping the young defenders we have grow at the club. Watching him at training, he is vocal and is always telling others where to be position wise and those are traits the youngsters need in a coach. With Charlie Clough getting a go at centre back at the tail end of last season, Nelson may be seeing more time on the bench next season, but his role as U23 coach could be crucial for us.

Nelson’s centre-back partner Charlie Clough got some good reviews after joining in January. Do you like his composure on the ball?

Clough was hard done by in my eyes. When he was brought in, Eames and Nugent usually played him at right back which he was not comfortable in. His composure on the ball was dreadful. When going forward he looked out of place and nervous, either losing the ball too often or taking the easy route and playing the ball backwards. His back pass at home to Yeovil, which was too short and let Ben Whitfield slot past Buchel in goal was the epitome of how Clough played at right back. However, Eames did give Clough a go at centre back which is his natural position and that’s where we saw the best of him. Doing the simple jobs such as clearing the ball and heading it away, that is where Clough thrives.

Jamie Stephens only played 18 games last season due to injury. Do his fitness problems represent the best chance of new signing Craig Ross getting the number one spot?

Although Stephens’ injuries could give Ross a pathway into the first team, if Ross performs well in pre-season and in training I see no reason why he can’t oust Stephens based on his performances. Stephens is a great shot stopper however his passing ability is his weak point and with Eames wanting a passing style of football, often building from the back, if Craig can show Rossi that he can help build play from the back, I see no reason why Eames wouldn’t take a punt on Ross over Stephens as the number one goalkeeper.

Ross is your only outfield signing at the time of writing. Are you concerned by the slow business, or did the recruitment drive in January reduce the need for summer additions?

We signed a lot of players in January however most didn’t hit the ground running. You would think we need more additions however, as most came from the Conference, we have to allow them a full pre-season to see how they can perform. We do need a few more signings, a right back as Harry Taylor is the only one we have, a new central defensive midfielder as Tom Champion left and a new a striker, with Akinde and Akinola the only ones we have. In my eyes, Clough and Santos have been good signings, but Dan Sweeney and Simeon Akinola have been poor signings whilst Luke Coulson has been cast aside for some reason. If the January signings hit the ground running, fans will be more relaxed but considering most signings haven’t worked out so far, fans are expecting new arrivals soon.

Brothers Jack and Harry Taylor have shown promise in midfield and at right-back respectively. Was the youth academy one of the success stories of last season?

Although Jack Taylor and Harry Taylor have been essential players, most of our youth players have struggled. Eames has given a lot of chances to youngsters like Nana Kyei whilst Allen gave debuts to Ephron Mason Clarke and Fumnaya Shomotun. Although these attacking players have potential, with Eames saying he sees Nana Kyei playing in the Championship in the future, whenever these players have come on or started, they have been non-existent. Our youth squad has potential but Eames needs to take them out of the spotlight if they’re having a bad spell.

Left-back Elliott Johnson is one who appears to divide opinion among Bees. How do his performances compare with those of David Tutonda?

Most fans recognise that Elliot had one of his worst seasons last year, with no real competition in the past few seasons finally catching up with him. With Sam Muggleton his replacement for the past 2 and a half seasons, before his departure to Eastleigh in January, Johnson has had it easy for a while now, so Tutonda’s arrival was much welcomed. Tutonda when played has looked great going forward, with his delivery of a ball really catching my eye. Johnson however seems more assured defensively so both players can give Eames an option when we play teams who have strong wingers or poor wing-backs.

Curtis Weston had a good season last year – how important a player is he?

Curtis Weston, the most underrated player in our team. Wherever he plays, whether that be behind Akinde or in the centre of midfield, Weston is a key player. His stamina is something most players in the league would dream of and his goalscoring record is decent. A box to box player, he helps make the transition from defence to attack easier, pitching up with goals as previously mentioned. With 202 games across all competitions for Barnet, he is a real leader of the team now and his presence shouldn’t be taken for granted.

Aside from Weston, how do you assess the midfield? Do you have players with the quality to justify a more adventurous approach?

Definitely. With Jack Taylor looking like an assured ball winning midfield, alongside Weston who can provide cover defensively, Eames needs to make the most out of Ruben Bover. Since Luisma Villa left Barnet after we won the Conference, we lacked a real creative player in the team but Bover ticks all the boxes. His technical ability on set pieces is brilliant and his passing range for Akinde to run in behind should be exploited more. On the wings, we still lack a real bite. Mauro Vilhete is a tricky winger who needs to add more assists and goals into his game, whilst Jamal Campbell Ryce although looking good on paper, lacks the final ball which breaks our play down. I think we can play more adventurously, with Ruben Bover the key to this, but our wingers need to step up more.

John Akinde scored 26 goals last year – if he stays, will he be as effective in a possession-based side?

If a big offer of more than a million comes in for Akinde, Kleanthous may be tempted but I reckon he’ll stay. I think he can be effective but he needs a target man/hold-up striker next to him. If he had someone to hold the ball up and then play it in behind for him to run on, that is where he excels. Currently, Akinde is being asked to be the hold up striker whilst Akinola runs in behind, which isn’t working so well with Akinola struggling to realise when to run in behind. With Eames liking to exploit the flanks, if our wingers had better deliveries, Akinde could score more so there is every chance he could be effective in a possession based side.

What are your thoughts ahead of the League Two season as a whole? Any potential dark horses for you?

Newly promoted sides always have the buzz when being promoted, so we often see new teams perform well. I reckon Forest Green Rovers could be dark horses this season. I would love Wycombe or Exeter to get promoted, the backing of Ainsworth and Tisdale has been great to see. Having Coventry in the league will be massive. An away day to the Ricoh Arena will be on everyone’s list so expect them to have tough games all season, especially with all the difficulties behind the scenes there. Sides have will have gotten better since last season, Newport will only improve, so will Cheltenham whilst other mid table sides like Stevenage, Mansfield, Notts County, Grimsby and Cambridge are getting better, the league is tougher than it ever has been, with no real poor sides as seen in previous seasons. Expect a number of teams to have playoff ambitions.

The bookies have Barnet 4/9 to come in the bottom half – where will you finish?

It all hinges on certain things. We need to strengthen or we’ll be lacking in depth whilst our January signings need to step up. If Rossi backs our January signings and they fail to perform, we’ll be looking at another lower mid table finish. The atmosphere around the club is great, our fans are optimistic and on paper our squad is strong. But with Rossi having his first full season ahead, I reckon it’ll be another season of settling rather than pushing, just like Wycombe and Exeter had when Ainsworth and Tisdale came in to their respective clubs. Although my heart says we can make play offs, with our squad still young and January signings failing to flatter, my head says another finish around 15th spot, perhaps even lower such is the quality of teams this year.

The Football Lab’s Verdict

Barnet’s January recruits contributed to a regression in form, so reluctance to sign an outfield player this summer seems questionable. We should expect good seasons from Weston and the Taylor brothers, but without more investment, the club’s commitment to this new style may be tested. 19th