By Pete Oliver

Davey has freshened things up with 14 new summer signings

It is, as Barnsley's fans used to say, "just like watching Brazil." And Germany, Hungary, Denmark, Holland and Peru.

The 'watching Brazil' phrase was coined by Barnsley's supporters as they enjoyed their memorable rise to the Premier League a decade ago.

Now the Oakwell faithful are watching a new side made up from players gathered by manager Simon Davey from across the world.

Defender Dennis Souza and Anderson De Silva, borrowed from Everton for the last month, have rekindled the Brazilian theme.

And in a multi-national dressing room they have been joined by Peruvian Miguel Mostto, Dane Kim Christensen, Germans Heinz Muller and Dominik Werling, Dutchman Marciano van Homoet and last season's Hungarian signing Istvan Ferenczi.

"I have a lot of contacts in Europe and even as far as South America," said Davey, by way of explanation.

"We have names that come to us through contacts and then we make sure we watch the players and then make a decision," the Barnsley boss told BBC Sport.

"That's the process and we've taken them from Peru, Belgium, Germany, Norway, so it was not a quiet summer for the staff.

The board backed me and we have got a good squad together Simon Davey

"It's about building up a network. I know a lot of ex-players who have gone abroad and become agents or scouts.

"And I have met a lot of people on coaching courses, who are not all English, and they have recommended people and it has proved quite successful. Hopefully that will continue."

At first glance it looks an unlikely mix and Barnsley have had their fingers burned on foreign imports before, as those who remember the then record signing of Georgi Hristov ahead of the Tykes' solitary top-flight campaign in 1997 will recall.

But if the early indications are anything to go by, Davey is proving to be quite the alchemist with this Barnsley squad, including a total of 14 new summer signings, enjoying a promising start to the Championship season.

"The players have gelled very quickly," he said.

"There is a good team spirit at the moment and they are playing well together. I'm pleased we've had a good start, although of course there is a long way to go."

We had a fantastic run-in and managed to stay up Simon Davey

Despite the cosmopolitan mix there is no language barrier, with Peruvian international striker Mostto the only one yet to speak English.

Defender Souza, proficient in Spanish, Portuguese and Italian, does the honours as interpreter.

"It is an English speaking dressing room. No other language is spoken probably until they get home and talk to their wives," added Davey, a Welshman who is starting his first full season in charge of the Tykes.

The former Preston, Swansea and Carlisle midfielder was promoted from his position as academy manager last November and then given the post on a permanent basis at the turn of the year with the brief to avoid an instant return to League One.

"When I took over we were second from bottom and the remit was to make sure we stayed in the division," added the 36-year-old.

Hungary's Ferenczi (right) celebrates with Brazil's De Silva

"We had a fantastic run-in and managed to stay up which gave me an opportunity in the summer.

"There were a lot of players out of contract and I needed to freshen it up and bring in my own players.

"The board backed me and we have got a good squad together. It's my squad and I will be judged on my players."

Davey has also reshaped the club's coaching staff with the arrival of former Preston team-mates Ryan Kidd and Kelham O'Hanlon and brought in a new sports science element in a complete restructuring of the playing set-up.

"We have tried to change a lot in a short space of time and we are still progressing with that," he said.

The end result, Davey hopes, will be a solid platform in the Championship after a turbulent time since the previous taste of Brazil.

It's about building up a network Simon Davey

He added: "We managed to stave off relegation last year and I want us to be a bit more competitive and make sure we are not looking over our shoulder.

"I want every team to think they will have a hard game when they play Barnsley and hopefully that will push us further up the table and get some stability into the club.

"Ten years ago Barnsley were in the Premier League and then they were relegated a couple of times.

"We are back in the Championship and we have to establish ourselves in this division.

"There are some big clubs that have been in this division for five or six years and never been in the Premiership. But they are established in the Championship and if we can do that, that's our aim."