Barnsley have confirmed the appointment of 42-year-old head coach Gerhard Struber, after leaving Austrian club Wolfsberger AC. 

Barnsley have been without a manager for over a month after parting company with former boss Daniel Stendel in early October. Since then, Adam Murray had taken caretaker charge of the club while they sit in the relegation zone.

The Tykes have recorded just one win this season, which came on the opening day of the season with a 1-0 victory over newly-relegated Fulham. Since then, confidence has vanished with the torrid run without a win not coming to an end yet as we near December. 

However, Barnsley have finally looked to turn a corner for their season with the appointment Austrian manager Gerhard Struber. Struber started the season in charge of Austrian Bundesliga side Wolfsberger AC, who are plying their trade in the Europa League currently, having taken a significant scalp by beating Borussia Monchengladbach 4-0 away from home.

The Austrian arrives at Oakwell with a mountain to climb heading into the festive period and the new year with the Tykes currently sat rock bottom of the league and five points adrift of safety.

Struber’s first game as the Barnsley head coach will be a trip to Ewood Park to face Blackburn Rovers on Saturday.

The Verdict

This could be a very shrewd appointment from Barnsley as they have prized a manager away from Europa League football and a challenge for the Austrian Bundesliga, where he now joins a team in a scrap to stay in the second tier in England.

The Barnsley board certainly took their time to appoint who they perceived to be the best candidate possible and it will be seen whether they did make the right decision later in the season.