Interim Barnsley manager Adam Murray has called on the club to provide some clarity on their long-term managerial situation at Oakwell, in order to help his players focus on the battle for survival in the Championship.

The Tykes are searching for a new manager following the sacking of Daniel Stendel at the start of the October international break, with Murray taking charge of the five subsequent games which have now brought us to the November international break.

Speaking after the last of those games - a 4-2 defeat at home to fellow strugglers Stoke City on Saturday that has left Barnsley bottom of the Championship - Murray urged the club to make a decision on a new manager quickly, as he told the Yorkshire Evening Post: “We need a little bit of clarity now.

“I think the players need that clarity when they return (from the international break) and then we can set some targets for the rest of the season."

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Discussing the possible identity of the new manager, it appears Murray is not concerned with who it may be, as he concluded: “It’s up to the board to decide (on the new manager/head coach)".

Following the international break, Barnsley will return to action on the 23rd November with a trip to Ewood Park to take on Blackburn Rovers, before travelling to Middlesbrough and hosting Hull later that same week.

The Verdict

I think Murray is right here.

The uncertainty around the club's managerial situation is surely going to have been a distraction for the club's players over the past month - given the knock-on effects the appointment could have on their own prospects at the club.

That is something that certainly seemed to show in that defeat to Stoke, and they cannot afford to keep doing that if they are to have any hope of survival this season.

Indeed, with their next two games coming against out-of-form sides in Blackburn and Middlesbrough, there could even be an opportunity to pick up some much-needed points immediately after the international break, if they can get a manager in soon enough to build some momentum for those games.