Robins salutes Tykes' resolve

http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/sport/Barnsley-Robins-salutes-Tykes39-resolve.5823314.jp

Six victories, two draws and now sitting alongside Sheffield United in the Championship table – the honeymoon period for Mark Robins at Barnsley shows no signs of stopping.
And why should it? The new manager hoping his dream start is very much a sign of things to come.

Robins is just over two months into his tenure at Oakwell during which time the Tykes have been transformed from apparent relegation certainties to a force to be reckoned with in English football's second tier.

Highlights have included the impressive league win against promotion-chasing West Brom, plus the League Cup axing of Burnley, and though five defeats have had to be swallowed two of those have come against the might of Manchester United and high-flying Queens Park Rangers.

The Tykes are still just four points above the drop zone, and by no stretch of the imagination are they out of the woods yet, but a feelgood factor has swept through Oakwell with Barnsley only denied victory in Monday night's South Yorkshire derby against Sheffield United by two Darius Henderson penalties.

Little wonder then that former Rotherham boss Robins has issued a hugely upbeat progress report, two months into his second challenge as manager.

"I've enjoyed it , it's been brilliant," Robins told Yorkshire Sport.

"I think we've been welcomed in by everybody at the club, the supporters, the staff – everybody.

"You come in and you look at the group of footballers you've got and there are a lot of good players there and a lot of players who can play at this level, without a shadow of a doubt. There are no real borderline cases there and it all bodes well for the future.

"The players have got to want to do it and the players have got to want to try and achieve what we're driving them to do and they've done that.

"They've worked their socks off, and we need them to do that, and if they continue to do that they set the standards.

"They have got to a level now where they can be comfortable in any game, any given game, where they can go out and get three points.

"That breeds a little bit of confidence back into the team.

"Certainly, we've got some really good footballers who want to see the club progress. That's what we have got to do, that's what my job will be and that's what I will be asked.

"We have to try and take the club to the next level and the next level is not to be fighting against relegation."

At this rate, that looks inevitable, the Tykes currently tenth in the Championship form table based on the last six games, having picked up 10 points from a possible 18.

That puts the Oakwell outfit on a par with leaders Newcastle who have achieved the same but Robins is refusing to set glitzy targets.

"I think we'll take one game at a time and take it from there," he said.

"We were playing catch-up when we came in, but we've caught other teams up now and we're level on points with Sheffield United.

"We're fairly well placed in terms of league position and, points wise, we're obviously 18 points from 16 games.

"I think if we continue at the same rate, picking the points up at the same rate as we have been doing, then we'll be fine.

"I'm not surprised by the start we've had and I think we're trying to employ methods that the players can understand and move on with and feel like they are improving as well.

"There are players who were possibly out in the cold a little bit before, but they're now playing and finding they're having regular games in the team. Obviously, there are one or two who have come in on loan who were not previously playing – Nathan Doyle falls into that category.

"He has come in and is getting games now and we're seeing an improvement in him and we get the benefits of that as well.

"I'm just pleased that the players have responded in the way they have.

"They've set the standards now and they just have to maintain them and then try and do better all the time."

A record of continuous improvement also sits with Robins as a manager, the former Manchester United, Norwich and Leicester striker earning the plaudits with two fine seasons at Rotherham after succeeding Alan Knill.

The Millers were constantly in the League Two promotion race under Robins in 2007-08 before a late dip in form followed a 10-point penalty for entering administration, while the following campaign the young manager threatened to mastermind a remarkable route to League One despite the club starting with a new 17-point deduction.

Robins, 39, was always destined for bigger and better things and they have come at Barnsley for whom owner Patrick Cryne had no qualms about taking a punt on a manager from two leagues below.

Cryne has hailed the new man in the hotseat as one of the game's brightest young English managers and Robins admits he has aspirations to go to the very top in his profession.

The good news for Tykes fans is he sees no reason why that summit cannot be reached at Oakwell.

"I don't see any point aiming low," the boss stated.

"In terms of long term, I don't really want to think long term, but everybody is ambitious and anybody who has ambitions wants to manage at the top level.

"It's possible, certainly, at Barnsley Football Club and I think people need to jump onboard with that and make sure we're playing the way we are at the moment.

"I think people watching Barnsley here are enjoying what they're seeing – I'm certainly enjoying a number of things that I have seen as well.

"As a group, if we can just improve those little sections then it might be the difference between drawing 2-2 and winning 2-0, or even more.

"At the end of the day, nobody is getting carried away and we need to make sure we carry on progressing the way we have been doing in the last two months."

What a turnaround those two months have entailed, the Tykes now as big as 3-1 to be relegated come the end of term when, at the tail-end of the August, many bookmakers rated them odds-on shots for a drop to League One.

Typically, Robins has excelled in a challenge, admitting he thrives on succeeding against the odds.

The Ashton-under-Lyne born manager also admits he feels highly comfortable in his surroundings after only two months at the helm.

"Absolutely, I feel settled and it didn't take long at all," he said.

"You need to make your team be positive early on if you can and we've managed to achieve that as a group.

"Again, it's about players believing and players believing in what they are doing – and they really do and I think they will reap the rewards of that.

"With the work we're doing the players are getting fitter and stronger, physically and mentally, and if we can keep moving forward like that you generally shouldn't go far wrong.

"This was a great challenge but all parts of football I have been involved in have been a challenge and I have thoroughly enjoyed taking them on.

"This is no different and, again, you need that bit of time. It's early days yet. You come in and it takes time to make sure that you've got the right ingredients.

"You've got to make sure that the ingredients are there for us to be able to rise but while it's a slow process you've got to make sure you're able to get results along the way.

"We've got a top group of people in there, as well as a good group of players, and it all leads to a decent dressing room and a decent atmosphere. We're lucky.

"And I've got a captain there, in Steven Foster, who has done a great job and allied to that I've got Darren Moore in the dressing room who is a big, big character and strives everybody on."

In Robins' book he has made a solid start to his second challenge in management – even the extra half-an-hour commute to work each day has failed to dampen his mood.

Robins, who travels up from his base in the midlands, now has to stick a few extra miles on the clock before reaching Barnsley but, in his eyes, it's worth that extra effort.

"It's about 20-25 minutes further on than I was travelling before," Robins explained, "but it's not really a bad journey anyway.

"Regarding Rotherham we were training in Doncaster, we were playing in Sheffield, and then there was obviously being in Rotherham as well.

"From that point of view it's a lot easier coming into Barnsley where everything is on-site.

"Everything about it is fantastic and we come to work every day and we think we've won the lottery."

Under bright young thing Robins, so too do Barnsley.