Ian Holloway suggested that Barnsley manager Gerhard Struber has shown signs that he has the potential to help the Tykes secure their survival in the Championship this season.

Struber has managed to improve the consistency of the Yorkshire outfit in the last few weeks, with Barnsley managing to win two of their last four games, having gone 17 without a victory which had left them cut adrift at the bottom of the table and they are now four points from safety.

The Barnsley manager has also managed to get the best out of some key attacking players in the last few weeks, with Conor Chaplin in particular enjoying a real return to form having netted five goals in the last four Championship matches, while the likes of Alex Mowatt and Cauley Woodrow have also been in impressive form as well.

In his latest column for the Mirror, Holloway heaped praise on the impact the new boss has had.

"I like Barnsley's squad. I think they've got a vibrant group, although they are still young. They've got some really good players with plenty of energy, they just needed the right man to pull it all together and perhaps Gerhard Struber is that man.

"Barnsley have taken seven points from their last four games, but I don't think this is the new manager bounce. There's quality there. But saying that any of the teams in and around that relegation zone could go. It is so tight you can't call it down there."

The Verdict

Barnsley have certainly improved in their ability to secure results more consistently over the last few weeks, as Struber begins to put his stamp on the side, and there have been encouraging signs that he could help keep the side up.

Struber has certainly improved the team going forward, with his high pressing style paying off as Barnsley have scored 11 goals in their last four games, having only scored 18 in their first 18 league games of the campaign.

However, Struber will also now need to show that he can sort out the club's defensive problems, if he is going to be able to help them secure survival, with the Tykes having conceded the second most amount of goals in the Championship so far this term.