Barnsley confirm significant managerial decision | OneFootball

Barnsley have confirmed that Markus Schopp has been appointed as Valerien Ismael’s successor.

The fine work that the Frenchman had done at Oakwell in his first season had caught the attention of other clubs, with West Brom naming him as their new boss last week.

That forced the Yorkshire outfit to search for a replacement and they have announced Schopp as their head coach this afternoon.

The 47-year-old arrives after three years in charge of Austrian top-flight side TSV Hartberg, who he helped achieve their highest ever domestic finish in the 19/20 campaign, where they pushed for a European finish.

They backed that up last season, ending in mid-table, although they missed out on a Europa Conference League place after a play-off defeat to Austria Vienna.

Schopp will now link up with Barnsley ahead of pre-season, and this will be his first managerial role in England.

The hierarchy at Oakwell have a strong knowledge of the Austrian league, with Gerhard Struber and Ismael both appointed after stints working in their Bundesliga.

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The verdict

This potential appointment has been mooted for a few days now and whilst the fans won’t have an extensive knowledge of Schopp or TSV Hartberg, they should trust the Barnsley board.

That’s because they’ve got the past few appointments spot on and they clearly feel that Schopp fits the profile for the type of coach that they want.

So, it’s an exciting time to be a Barnsley fan, although the new man has big boots to fill after the remarkable job that Ismael did last season with the club.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.