What next for Jon Russell?

What should Reds fans expect from Jon Russell next season? It's a tough question. Russell joined us in January of this year for an undisclosed fee from Huddersfield Town, and it's fair to say our expectations were high. In the short time he's been at the club, we've seen the best of him, and we've seen the worst of him, often in the same game. For many Reds fans the jury is still out on the former Terrier, and some fans may have already written him off.

So what comes next for Jon Russell?

One for the future?

The Reds have secured the services of the 22 year old up until the end of June 2026, which for me shows the club and Duff see him as a key part of their longer term plans, but I don't consider Russell to be 'one for the future' as such, I see him as one for now! His shaky inconsistent start to the season, which was a cause of much disappointment for some fans, was almost inevitable, given he was joining a close-knit winning side heading into the final few weeks of the season. In my humble opinion all the signs are there that he'll hit the ground running come August 5th, and will prove to be one of the stars of the 2023-24 season, and here's why:

My View:

Good players don't become bad players overnight. Despite a mixed start to his Barnsley career, I think I've seen enough to convince me that there's a top quality player in there somewhere, and if anyone can bring the best out in him, Duff can. He's 6'4 and built like the proverbial brick ********, so there's no disputing he has all the right physical attributes to be a dominant force in our midfield next season. It's not just his physicality though, he's got the skills in his locker too, he's a real 'baller', with quality ball-distribution sitting proudly at the top of his CV.

According to the stats, Russell's passing accuracy (75.3%) is even better than that of our midfield magician Luca Connell (70.6%), so we can't argue with Russell's description on Wikipedia:

"a very tall box-to-box midfield player who can also play as a number 10 and has a great eye for a pass"

If he has physical attributes and footballing skills in abundance, could it be the psychological side of his game, or simply a lack of match-fitness which resulted in an inconsistent start to his Oakwell career?

The Psychological Game

In a comment made to The Yorkshire Post recently, Russell himself appears to suggest that Duff's man-management approach may be just what he was looking for:

"There was a lot of disappointment at Huddersfield and now I have come to a manager who has been properly real to me and given it to me straight up, which is what I need"

In the same article Russell provided further positive comment in support of Duff:

"He's a really good manager to talk to. You can ask him anything and he will let you know and he will say it to you truthfully as well, which is really good."

So if it's good man-management that's needed, he's certainly found the right man in Michael Duff.

Lack of Match Fitness

There's a difference between general physical fitness and match-fitness, and stating the obvious, to gain full match fitness you need game-time. Russell never featured for Huddersfield towards the back-end of 2022, so he'd not played competitively for a few months by the time his debut came for the Reds in early February, and he never got a decent run in the team for the remainder of the season. So maybe this lack of game-time never allowed him to build up the match fitness he needed, and as a consequence the player never found the consistency he wanted!

Either by design, or divine intervention, match fitness shouldn't be an issue this time around. Russell hasn't got his flip-flops on like many other players who are taking a well deserved break at this time of year, as he's currently on international duty with Jamaica, and there will be no rest for the big fella as he transitions straight into pre-season training with the Reds upon his return.

Talking to the The Yorkshire Post, Russell said:

"I am not really going to get a holiday to be honest, it's going to be football, football, football. At least, I will be fit anyway."

Source: Yorkshire Post

So in my opinion there's every chance that Jon Russell could about to become one of the our standout performers in 2023-24. With a full pre-season under his belt, the support of Duff and his team around him, and the backing of the Oakwell faithfull, the conditions are perfect for the player's natural ability to shine through in every aspect of his game, and be the player of which Huddersfield fans spoke so fondly.

Comments from the Terrier's Twitterati:

Here's a few comments from Huddersfield Town fans which illustrates how highly they regarded their former player:

@TerrierNigel Feb 5, 2022 "Well done young man you played your heart out. You are seriously talented, I have funny feeling you will become a town regular UTT"

@KnightAntony Feb 5, 2022 "Brilliant getting better game by game jon keep on working hard UTT"

@mikie121752 Feb 5, 2022 "Huge talent"

The Player

Here's a few highlights: Jon Russell debut: Jamaica v Mexico

Here's Jon's vital statistics courtesy of soccerbase.com:

View from the Terraces

Our expert panel give their view on Jon Russell's prospects for next season:

Leading BFC Pundit Ant Clare @antclare78 added:

"It will be interesting to see what a full pre-season will do for Jon Russell. Clearly a player of talent who Huddersfield fans know very well, was a dominant force from midfield in their play-off season the year before last. We’ve seen glimpses of his quality but I’m my opinion hasn’t been 100% fit yet, but with Benson and Wolfe recovering from long term injuries, he will be needed at the start of the season. Can Duff get him up to speed, time will tell."

Andy Sage from In the Red Corner gave his reaction:

"I expect Jon Russell to be a regular next season. He's just broken into the Jamaican international team and he must full of confidence with that. From a Barnsley FC perspective though, I think he just lacks game time in the league. There is a player there and I think with a pre-season, he will thrive under Duff."

Neil from Tykes TV commented:

"I’m unsure what to expect from Jon Russell. He had a great season in Huddersfield’s promotion year then after that lost his way for some unknown reason. I wasn’t expecting to see him in a Reds shirt either, so that caught me off guard, as it probably did quite a few fans. From what I’ve seen he’s been a little off the pace and looks a different player to the one that left Huddersfield. Some will say not match sharp etc. but he’s been with us long enough in training with the squad to be up to the required level by now. For me the jury is still out on this one, and I’d rather see Ackroyd given a chance in front of Russell. Maybe a loan move for him for a few months to get him back to the player we know he can be is what's needed."

Time to Cast your vote Reds!

In Summary

In my view Jon Russell has every chance of being a consistent top-performer for the Reds next season. If all goes well, come the 5th August, he'll be in tip-top match-fit physical condition, and fully focussed on the task in hand: Automatic promotion to the Championship. I for one can't wait to see the real Jon Russell flourishing in that famous red shirt of ours!

Rebel Red