He'll sign who he wants!

As a Barnsley fan of a few seasons now, I find it difficult to cast my mind back to a time when the club made so many signings in so little time.  Perhaps upon Keith Hill's arrival at the club, last summer, was one of the busiest periods in terms of transfers at the club, however never have such signings been met with such enthusiasm and excitement from the Oakwell faithful.

Goals goals goals
The signings of Emile Sinclair and Marcus Tudgay present what Keith Hill describes as 'two elite Championship players', with both having fairly decent pedigree at this level. In the absence of Craig Davies, the Reds struggled for both goals and by extension, points, however the signing of Tudgay seemed to revitalise the Welshman, who'd experienced a slight dip in form since his 4 goal barnstormer at Birmingham - having carried an injury for a number of games.

Though the signings have both been met with excitement, I can't help but be surprised, given that in the past, Barnsley have seemed to stop their search for talent once they'd got their man. Above anything, the signings present a much needed relief in pressure on Craig Davies, who has had to carry his side for goals this season. Though Mido and Marlon Harewood both presented decent pedigree, it has to be said that both presented risk when joining The Reds, and, have provided little extra to our attacking options thus far.

My only concern is that the signings of the two strikers could signal a departure for Craig Davies, who is yet to put pen-to-paper on a new deal - his current one expiring at the end of the season. Could it be two in (permanently), and one out come January?

A Balancing Act
Of course the aim of football is to score one more than the opponent, however, it has been highlighted this season that the Reds are relatively vulnerable on the counter attack. To balance the side, step up Jonathan Greening, a defensive midfielder who may not have the luxury of years ahead of him, but nonetheless has what Keith Hill described as 'intelligent energy', which looks set to add a well needed edge to the Reds game. Barnsley have been crying out for leadership and experience this season with Keith Hill's young side, and Greening looks set to add the missing piece to the puzzle. Much comparison has been made between Perkins and Greening, though I think that the players could compliment each other well. With Perkins picking out passes, and Greening standing guard ahead of the defence, the Reds could become a much more solid outfit in the coming weeks, perhaps also freeing up Martin Cranie to take a place in the heart of the defence.

Competition for Places
Finally, the signing of Akos Buszaky brings further experience to the Reds' squad, and some much needed competition for the creative midfield role. Jacob Mellis, after a good start to the season, has appeared to dip in form, as pointed out by his manager in the past few weeks, causing the need for recruitment that would add competition to the squad.

In the midst of this, rumours are surrounding Oakwell regarding the possible return of Anderson de Silva, which, on his day, would undoubtedly add quality to the squad. If anyone can get the best out of Anderson, I believe it's Keith Hill, though with today's acquisitions, will Keith call it a day?

So what next?
The four signings ahead of the deadline so far provide a much needed breath of fresh air into the squad, and I expect it to give Keith Hill's side a lift. However, I think it's important to err on the side of caution - as they say, "Rome wasn't built in a day", and I certainly don't expect a sudden play-off push. Let's hope the Oakwell faithful give them time to fit in at the club, and above all an extremely warm welcome against Cardiff City on Saturday

Agree? Disagree? Feel free to comment below, or join the debate on Twitter by following me @MichaelRoach55 and of course @OnThePontyEnd