Ranking Barnsley FC's top 7 best managers based on PPG - Daniel Stendel = 3rd | OneFootball

The club announced the arrival of former Cheltenham Town manager, Darrell Clarke, on a two-year contract at Oakwell, with the option of a third year. The decision comes following the sacking of Neill Collins with one game of the regular season to go following an inconsistent run of form.

The South Yorkshire club were unable to regain their early season momentum, losing to Bolton Wanderers in the play-off semi-final. Ahead of the 2024/25 campaign, the Tykes will be hopeful of going one better under the guidance of their new boss, as promotion to the Championship remains the target.

With that being said, Football League World has taken a look at Barnsley's best managers when looking at their PPG average, only taking into consideration those that were in charge of at least 25 games, as per Transfermarkt's records.

7 Gudjon Thordarson

Starting off the list is former Iceland manager and defender, Gudjon Thordarson. The now 68-year-old managed the Tykes for just under a year, having joined the club in June 2003.

Having started the campaign well and going unbeaten in their first six League One fixtures, Barnsley's form would eventually curtail and would finish the season in mid-table.

Towards the end of the 2003/04 term, Thordarson would be sacked as manager following Peter Risdale's takeover at Oakwell, but would still leave South Yorkshire with an impressive PPG record, averaging 1.40 points per game from his 42 at the helm.

6 Lee Johnson

Next to feature is Lee Johnson, who finds himself out of work following his sacking from Fleetwood Town at the end of last year.

The 42-year-old joined Barnsley from Oldham Athletic towards the end of the 2014/15 season, guiding the Tykes to an 11th-placed finish having taken over an underachieving side. Johnson would also guide the club to the EFL Trophy final during his first full campaign in charge.

He would make the move to Bristol City in February 2016, leaving Barnsley in a much better position than when he arrived, averaging 1.55 points per game from his 51 games at the helm.

5 Dave Bassett

Of all the names on this list, Dave Bassett managed to accumulate the most games in charge of Barnsley, having overseen 75 games during his 18-month spell at Oakwell.

The former Wimbledon midfielder succeeded John Hendrie as manager in May 1999, and guided the Tykes to the Division One play-off final, losing out to Ipswich Town for a place in the Premier League.

However, the previous season was unable to be replicated, and Bassett would leave the club in December 2000, departing South Yorkshire having averaged 1.56 points per game from his time at Oakwell.

4 Neill Collins

Having spent much of his playing career in England, Neill Collins returned to the UK last year having kickstarted his managerial journey with American side, Tampa Bay Rowdies.

The 40-year-old's first game in charge saw the Tykes beat Port Vale 7-0 at Oakwell, and despite Barnsley remaining in the top six from October, Collins was sacked following an indifferent run of results with one game of the League One season to go.

That decision proved ineffective for their hopes of promotion to the Championship, losing out to Bolton Wanderers in the play-off semi-final. Collins would depart the club having averaged 1.63 points per game from his 52 matches in charge.

3 Daniel Stendel

Having started his managerial career in Germany with Hannover 96, Daniel Stendel made the switch to England to manage the Tykes in June 2018.

The German led Barnsley to the Championship in his first season in charge at Oakwell, finishing three points behind Luton Town and playing an exciting brand of football.

But 10 games without a victory the following campaign saw Stendel's time at the club end, which sparked controversy among supporters. Of his 66 games at the helm, he averaged 1.70 points per game.

2 Michael Duff

Having impressed during his time with Cheltenham Town, Michael Duff was appointed as the new Barnsley manager in June 2022.

The Northern Irishman's only season in charge saw him lead the club to the League One play-off final at Wembley, falling at the final hurdle against Sheffield Wednesday, picking up two Manager of the Month awards along the way.

Duff would leave Oakwell the following campaign to join Championship side, Swansea City, leaving South Yorkshire having averaged 1.81 points per game from his 58 matches in charge.

1 Valerian Ismael

The man who takes top spot in the list is Frenchman, Valerian Ismael, who took the reins at Oakwell in October 2020 following the departure of Gerhard Struber.

He would lead the Tykes to a fifth-placed finish in the Championship, setting up a play-off semi-final against Swansea, narrowly losing out by two goals to one on aggregate.

Ismael's impressive management style saw him complete a switch to West Bromwich Albion the following season, leaving Barnsley having averaged 1.84 points per game during his only campaign at the helm.