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Barnes attacks culture of racism that has slammed door on a 'lost generation'


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John Barnes, the footballer who braved the torrent of abuse which epitomised Britain's racial intolerance of black players in the 1980s, has declared that a generation of black managers is being lost to the sport because of a belief that they lack the intellectual ability of their white counterparts.

 

"Until we are considered to be intellectually equal, we will never be equal," Barnes said. "In the 1970s you didn't have black goalkeepers or centre-halves – or not many. If you were a black player you had to play on the wing where you're fast and didn't have to think too much. These are all the misconceptions people had.

 

Blacks were pretty much nailed on to be attacking players in the 70's & 80's I would say, even one of the few black defenders around Viv Anderson was known more his attacking play than defending.

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John Barnes facing taxing times as Liverpool legend deals with bankruptcy

 

 

John Barnes insists his bankruptcy is due to an oversight which he is now dealing with. 

 

The former England winger was declared bankrupt by an insolvency court last week. 

 

But Barnes said: 'The bankruptcy issue is a tax oversight which is being dealt with.'

 

It is understood that Barnes has been in touch with the Inland Revenue since the hearing to try to come to an agreement over unpaid taxes. 

 

Former Liverpool and England winger Barnes, who was sacked as boss of Tranmere earlier this month, was manager of the Jamaica national side last season. 

 

A spokesman for The Insolvency Service confirmed HM Revenue and Customs petitioned for the bankruptcy which was made in Liverpool last week. 

 

He added that an official receiver had been appointed to work through the ex-Liverpool star's assets and the bankruptcy should be discharged on October 14, 2010. 

 

Asked how much the football pundit owed, an HMRC spokesman said the department did not comment on individual cases.

 

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Former Liverpool and England winger John Barnes, who was sacked by Tranmere Rovers in October after only four months in charge, is close to being appointed the new national boss of Rwanda.

 

Fantastic.

 

Please let him get sacked :lol:

Rwanda's a bit dodgy isn't it, be surprised if he's not kidnapped within the first day of being there.

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  • 2 years later...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17161074

 

am i reading this right? Hes suggesting that all (open)managerial posts should be require that one interviewee is `coloured`??

 

thats absurd!  It should be up to a club to appoint the best man for the job, and having nothing to do with race.  Gtaylor does tend to flab his gob one to many times.

Totally agree. Pathetic ruling. It suggests there is an residual racism that exists at senior management level within top clubs, that just doesnt.

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These old white men in boardrooms won't be any different from those in business.

 

Wether it's latent or subconscious there will be some psychological barriers there. In the scheme of things however I don't think it's a massive issue and the perceived racism (if it exists at all) won't be holding back gifted managers whatever their skin colour.

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And even if there was, I doubt that forcing them to 'consider' someone just because they are from an ethnic minority is the way forward. It'd only lead to more resentment (if it's even there).

They had a similar ruling in the NFL, and honestly it has been a success in that league where the problem was even more glaring (given that Blacks made up the majority of the workforce). They've gone from having almost none to a fair amount. It is hard to say how prevalent racism is at board level, but the fact remains that there are not enough Blacks being represented at managerial level given their presence on the pitch and in other aspects. I don't which side is at fault, or how to address it really, but it is something you notice.

 

Also, I think there is some bias about the "image" of a manager. Pardew looks like a manager. Maybe John Barnes and Paul Ince do not.

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And even if there was, I doubt that forcing them to 'consider' someone just because they are from an ethnic minority is the way forward. It'd only lead to more resentment (if it's even there).

They had a similar ruling in the NFL, and honestly it has been a success in that league where the problem was even more glaring (given that Blacks made up the majority of the workforce). They've gone from having almost none to a fair amount. It is hard to say how prevalent racism is at board level, but the fact remains that there are not enough Blacks being represented at managerial level given their presence on the pitch and in other aspects. I don't which side is at fault, or how to address it really, but it is something you notice.

 

Also, I think there is some bias about the "image" of a manager. Pardew looks like a manager. Maybe John Barnes and Paul Ince do not.

 

A decade ago in the NFL it was ridiculous, they've come a long way.

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