Can Danny Wilson improve his heroic status at Oakwell following his return for a second spell as Barnsley manager, or will he become another victim of the ‘returnee’s curse’?
On a cold and icy December afternoon, Danny Wilson was unveiled as manager of Barnsley Football Club at an Oakwell press conference. In a narrative that could almost parallel the tale of the ‘Prodigal Son’, the man who guided the Tykes to their only stint in the English top flight returned ‘home’.
Barnsley had parted company with David Flitcroft at the start of the month after the club slipped deeper into the relegation mire, leaving former assistant Micky Mellon in caretaker charge. While some suspected Mellon was in with a shot at a permanent vacancy, others would hope the board had learnt lessons from promoting an assistant.
Flitcroft enjoyed less than a year in the dugout after assuming the reins when from his former boss Keith Hill in December the previous year. He steered Barnsley to Championship survival on the final day of the season in a dramatic finale at Huddersfield and thus earned the board’s trust for the forthcoming season.
A 3-0 defeat at home to Birmingham, a 10th in 17 outings, was the final straw for Flitcroft as Barnsley were rooted at the foot of the standings, some six points adrift of safety. As the club “relieved” Flitcroft of his duties the ambitious banded around the names of Ian Holloway and Michael Appleton, while the realistic were caused to acknowledge a more “budget” approach.
Mellon, who in his three games as caretaker picked up four points – bringing Barnsley within three points of safety, gave way to Barnsley favourite Danny Wilson, much to the delight of the Tykes faithful.
Will Danny be walking in a Wilson Wonderland? The chronicle of sport often tells us “Never go back”, yet it is becoming a common occurrence in the footballing world.
It was 1993 when Wilson first graced the Oakwell turf, when the midfielder was signed by Viv Anderson, who shortly after became Bryan Robson’s assistant at Middlesbrough; and so began Wilson’s managerial career.
History
Wigan-born Wilson began the 1994/95 season as player-manager; with Barnsley finishing sixth in Division One which, in a regular season, would have seen them occupy the final play-off spot for a shot at the ‘big league’. However, as the Premier League opted to reduce their numbers from 22 to 20, the South Yorkshire club remained in the second tier.
A season of mid-table mediocrity followed and top-flight ambitions appeared seemingly dashed. Wilson still believed, however. The following season Wilson led Barnsley to the Premier League for the first time in the club’s 125-year history as Division One runners-up.
Tuesday saw Wilson return to familiar surroundings as he drove down Grove Street before walking through corridors reminding him of previous success to address the assembled media alongside Chief Executive Ben Mansford, who claimed “What we needed, we have in Danny”.
Wilson’s first tenure as Barnsley manager saw him earn local hero status and his 36.82 win percentage across 201 games makes him the most successful manager in recent years, eclipsing the records of Hill, Mark Robins, Andy Ritchie, Paul Hart and Simon Davey – who took the club on their best cup run in recent history, beating Liverpool and Chelsea on their way a Wembley semi-final against Cardiff City, which subsequently ended in heartache.
Wilson puts all that on the line however as he takes on the mountainous challenge of leading Barnsley to Championship survival and into a new dawn.
There are plenty of case studies to suggest a return to Oakwell does not make Wilson a wise man this Christmas. Kevin Keegan at Newcastle, Kenny Dalgleish at Liverpool, Fabio Capello at Real Madrid, Bobby Robson at PSV Eindhoven, Giovanni Trapattoni at Juventus and Damien Richardson at Cork City – all endured turbulent second terms as they attempted to rekindle extinguished fires, only to leave with bruised, or in some cases tattered, reputations.
Down the footballing pyramid in the Football League however, there appears to a contradiction to the old “Never return” adage.
Contradiction
Whether it comes down to familiarity, comfort, supporters bringing back local heroes, it is difficult to tell. But generally speaking, it seems to be working for Football League clubs who have opted to offer a second chance to former managers.
Nigel Pearson returned to Leicester City only to flirt with automatic promotion places for the majority of the first season of his second spell at the club. Loyalty has always been a part of Pearson’s make-up, only a three-club career as a player and the lure of a return to the King Power Stadium clearly tugged at his heart strings.
Leicester’s Midland rivals Nottingham Forest welcomed outspoken Scotsman Billy Davies back with open arms after their relentless pursuit of promotion saw Steve McClaren, Sean O’Driscoll and Alex McLeish all endure embarrassingly short stays.
Despite only being his first managerial post, Chris Powell enjoyed three spells as a Charlton player, becoming a firm favourite and went on to oversee the Addicks promotion to the Championship in only his second season.
Ronnie Moore probably stakes the biggest claim for the title of football’s prodigal son, playing twice for Tranmere before returning to manage the Wirral club between 2006 and 2009, that combined with two spells as Rotherham boss too.
Not to mention Barnsley’s most recent opponents Yeovil, who earned a 1-1 draw at Oakwell on Saturday, led by Gary Johnson. The Londoner first took charge at Huish Park in 2001 before making his comeback after unsuccessful stints at Peterborough and Northampton, only to lead a Glovers’ revival – guiding them into the Championship for the first time in the club’s history.
Who said “Never go back”?
Through the sports lens 