After bursting out of League One in impressive style last season, Barnsley arrived in the Championship with the bit between their teeth.

In Daniel Stendel they looked to have one of the most exciting managers outside the Premier League. Somebody who played attractive, but sensible, football. There was no reason why it would not work in the Championship, either.

However, with nine games played, the Tykes are steadily slumping into a relegation battle. A 3-1 defeat to Brentford on Sunday afternoon saw them stay in the relegation zone, above just Stoke City and Huddersfield Town.

But is it really a surprise that they are struggling?

During the summer transfer window, they made some exciting acquisitions. The likes of Mallik Wilks and Luke Thomas represented the sort of young recruits that looked certain to come good at Oakwell.

However, they were hit hard by rival Championship sides. Both Liam Lindsay and Adam Davies made the move to Stoke whilst Ethan Pinnock and Kieffer Moore jumped ship to Brentford and Wigan Athletic respectively.

So, it now looks like that not enough has been done.

With January just over three months away, Stendel and the Barnsley board will undoubtedly be making plans for the winter transfer window and so they should.

Getting it right is a necessity if they hope to avoid another Championship relegation scrap.

But what would consititute getting it right? In Cauley Woodrow, Thomas and Wilks they seem to possess plenty of firepower, Alex Mowatt continues to impress in midfield whilst Mads-Juel Andersen has looked a smart buy at the back.

There is certainly something lacking, however, and that thing is experience.

A glance at the Barnsley squad shows a serious lack of it. The eldest statesmen in the side is goalkeeper Samuel Radlinger at just 26, whilst only Mowatt can boast regular Championship experience on his CV.

This is a squad trait that Stendel and the board have naively neglected and so far it is costing them.

During the clash with Brentford, they were crying out for a level-head. Somebody with a bit of nouse and knowledge of the situation they found themselves in.

If that void continues to go unfilled after January, they will almost certainly find themselves in a relegation scrap.

Experience need not mean 30-something-year-old journeyman either. It would be reckless to rule them out, but the club need someone with Championship knowhow over everything else.

They were hit hard in the summer window and in January they must rectify that.

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