Is Hourihane the Championship’s best?

Newcastle are dominating the Sky Bet Championship, but the stats suggest it’s Barnsley skipper Conor Hourihane who’s the star player in the second tier.

After the Magpies became the first team to reach the 40-point mark this quickly since Mick McCarthy’s Wolves back in 2008, it’s fair to say that most are of the opinion that Rafa Benitez boasts the league’s best players.

Nevertheless, while the league leaders are on a superb eight-game winning streak at present, as highlighted in last week’s piece from WhoScored.com, their success is owed to the collective rather than one star man. Indeed, a look at the player ratings leaderboard shows that not a single Newcastle man is among the top 10 at present, with the league’s leading scorer, Dwight Gayle (7.42), now the top performer for the table toppers.

The debate as to the second tier’s best player is certainly an open one, but the man heading the list right now will no doubt come as a surprise to many. Indeed, based on statistical ratings, Barnsley captain Hourihane has been the Championship’s star turn so far this campaign and we asked WhoScored.com to explain why, ahead of Barnsley’s Friday night clash with Nottingham Forest, live on Sky Sports 1…

Simply put, the Irishman scores so highly because he is involved in so much of his side’s play. A real all-action midfielder, the 25-year old played a key role in Barnsley’s promotion last season in terms of contributing in the final third, scoring 10 times, but it’s his work off the ball that has really shone this time around.

Hourihane is top of the league in terms of tackles, with 54, and his tireless running has been pivotal to the Tykes’ solid start to life back in the Championship. Often seeming to let runners get beyond him, the Barnsley skipper has tracked back on countless occasions this season to …

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