Barnsley appoint Darrell Clarke as their new Head Coach
He's joined on an initial two-year contract
Last updated 23rd May 2024
Barnsley FC have today announced the arrival of Darrell Clarke as their new Head Coach, with the former Cheltenham Town boss signing a two-year contract at Oakwell with a club option of a third.
The 47-year-old is known for an attacking style of football and an intense approach to training which has seen him gain three promotions in his managerial career to date.
Boasting ten years management experience within the EFL and a track record of getting teams promoted, Clarke will link up with Martin Devaney, who has recently signed a new deal as Assistant Head Coach.
Last season he took over at Cheltenham Town in League One, with the Robins having failed to win or even score during the opening 10 games. Despite a difficult start to the campaign, Clarke led Cheltenham to pick up 42 points across the next 36 games.
On arriving to take charge at Oakwell, Clarke spoke of his pride in taking the role: “I'm absolutely delighted, can’t wait to get started. I’m proud to be managing this football club, I’m really looking forward to it. I didn’t need to be sold on the club, it’s got huge potential and I’m excited to get myself going and get the squad rebuilt and try to push on for a promotion challenge.”
Sporting Director, Mladen Sormaz, said: “We are pleased to bring Darrell to Barnsley, his style of play is attacking and aggressive and he has shown that he can quickly get strong performances and results at his previous clubs. Darrell has a strong track record in the EFL and is an ambitious head coach who has consistently been able to get teams promoted and has spent a significant period of time at each club - we believe he’s the right man to help us achieve our aim of promotion to the Championship.
“After a thorough search including meeting with a number of candidates in person in recent weeks, I had the most immediate connection with Darrell and appreciated how open and direct he was when we spoke. I believe for Barnsley to be successful in the coming seasons, clear and open communication and alignment between us both will be key. I felt that Darrell deserved the opportunity come and test himself at a Club which wants to push for promotion from League One. Darrell’s personality, vision for the project and excitement for the challenge have set him apart from other candidates and I am sure our supporters will join me in welcoming him to the Club”.
Barnsley FC CEO, Jon Flatman, added: “The appointment of Darrell Clarke is key element in our attempts to modernise the structure of the Club. Darrell will benefit from working with Mladen Sormaz and Ann Hough who have both joined us in the past few months. The process of finding a new Head Coach was impressive with Mladen presenting several candidates from across Europe for consideration with Darrell’s name included from very early on in the discussion. We knew that he was keen to test himself at this level and we felt that this was the right move for us. Work is already underway to recruit some exciting players for next year and we are all looking forward to a positive future. I want to take this opportunity to thank supporters for their patience, we did not want to rush into making an appointment, we had to make sure we found someone who shared our vision for how we can get Barnsley to reach the next level. We now need to come together, support Darrell and his staff in every area including recruitment and look forward to the 2024/25 season”.