Finally, what about the Premiership?  Is anyone else sick of hearing Elton John yet?  And what has he had done to his hair!!  No surprises at the top of the table, apart from Portsmouth, but how long are Newcastle likely to stay third from bottom?  I saw bits of the Wales - Italy game at the weekend and was surprised by Gary Speed - perhaps he should change his surname, and he gifted the opposition the ball every time he had it.  Bobby Robson will not stand for performances like that for long so I suspect Gary could be on his way out after a long and successful career.  It looks like being a long season for Wolves, although I think that they have a good manager in Dave Jones.  Time will tell, but the way Chelski are going, if Claudio Ranieri isn't leading the table by Bonfire night he could be on his way to be replaced, so word has it, by Graeme Souness.  Ah well, if things continue to go well for Barnsley, Chelski could be visitors to Oakwell by 2005!  Yes, it looks like the corner is being turned!

That's it then: the deal is done and the Reds have a new captain to steady the ship, so welcome aboard Peter Ridsdale.  Ridsdale is a man who wears his heart on his sleeve: football daft, he will become Barnsley's number one supporter over the next few weeks, and will probably begin bringing money into the club by offering cut-price season tickets to all those fans who had lost faith under the previous regime and didn't bother to renew season tickets in the summer.  Putting aside the problems of the last two years at Elland Road, Ridsdale is a man driven by success, and remember, when Leeds' board members shrank into the shadows at least Ridsdale had the guts to face the music.  I've already heard the pessimists saying that he doesn't know how to control expenditure, but he learned some harsh lessons at Leeds and isn't likely to make the mistake of spending money he doesn't have again.  One of his old nicknames at Leeds was PR Pete: someone once said that any publicity is good publicity but Peter Ridsdale knows how to play the media 'game' to his advantage.  As such, if he can find any way to bring the football club to a wider audience, particularly one with money to invest, let us hope that his memory and charisma don't fail him.

So, into September and sitting proudly at the top of the table is Barnsley: decent football when they have the ball, strong defence in front of a proven, capable goalkeeper, a side who seem keen to play for the club under a management team with recent success behind the manager and strong Barnsley links through his assistant.  Yes, under Thordarson and Glavin things are looking up!  So, what next?  The first priority is proving to the Football League that funds are now in place behind the club, with worthy officials in place. 

The last part appears to have been a stumbling block over the last months but with the aforementioned Peter Ridsdale now at the helm it shouldn't be long before the takeover is ratified, then the Receiver can be run out of town.  The second priority is to cement the contracts of the present management team and look to provide whatever funding is deemed necessary to continue the push for promotion.  The third priority?  Make sure that no local opportunist is ever given the chance to get his grubby little hands on the club!