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How Good Was... John Barnes?


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Guest Howaythetoon

Might start this off as a series of posts regarding past players who were obviously decent, but how so?

 

I'll start with a former player of ours John Barnes who I've been watching Youtube clips of recently, my god, he was some player by the looks of it in his prime.

 

I'd love to hear from those who watched him in his prime, what kind of player he was, how would he compare today and how much he would even be worth today etc.?

 

Senior career

 

Years Team Apps (Gls)

1980–1981 Sudbury Court

1981–1987 Watford 233 (65)

1987–1997 Liverpool 314 (84)

1997–1999 Newcastle United 27 (6)

1999 Charlton Athletic 12 (0)

 

Total 586 (155)

 

National team

 

1982–1983 England U21 3 (0)

1983–1995[1] England 79 (11)

 

Teams managed

 

1999–2000 Celtic

2008–2009 Jamaica

2009 Tranmere Rovers

 

I remember when he joined Newcastle and I have to admit I thought he was a terrible signing at the time, but he did OK for us despite obviously being way past his best. I also remember back in the early 90s the scum newspaper putting him on the front page proclaiming how scandalous that he was on 10K a week, he must have been the highest paid player in the country at the time.

 

I used to also enjoy is footy show on Chanel 5, he was a very wooden presenter, but when interviewing guests he was spot on I thought and that show in particular was very good as it didn't always focus on the PL or big players.

 

The reason I'm starting this is because I've been watching lots of old footage of England games and the then old First Division, an age where football wasn't as huge as it is now, but still contained lots of great players and indeed managers, players like Barnes who I obviously never got to see play in his pomp, interesting players.

 

Anyway... feel free to add your own former players, from England or internationally by the way if this thread takes off...

 

Or ignore :D

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That first season or two at Liverpool with Pedro, I don't think I've ever seen a better club team especially that first season. Barnes and Beardsley tore the League apart. I'd never been much of a fan of his but I watched him dismantle a Coventry side who'd just won the Cup at Highfield Rd , ending with a 4-1 victory, and I subsequently enjoyed watching him after.

 

For England he was a major disappointment save for one or two notable exceptions, one being in the Maracana. But Bobby wouldn't let him come off his flank like he did for Liverpool, and therefore took away half his weaponry. Sad really.

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Greatly over rated and overweight. One really good game for England and everyone judged him on that

 

I think he was hugely talented, but like a lot of players, a bit fragile mentally. I don't think he was overweight at his peak, maybe by the time he got here, when he was on his last legs anyway.

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Brought porn into the dressing room at NUFC.

 

:lol: ey?

 

I remember reading an old article on NUFC.com about him being a porn watcher, so much that it caused some problems in his marriage.

 

 

 

:lol::lol: never knew that. Visions of him casually reading Razzle pre-match.

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Brought porn into the dressing room at NUFC.

 

:lol: ey?

 

I remember reading an old article on NUFC.com about him being a porn watcher, so much that it caused some problems in his marriage.

 

 

 

:lol::lol: never knew that. Visions of him casually reading Razzle pre-match.

 

Swear there is an interview somewhere where an ex-player was saying he would put porn up on the walls in the dressing room. Tricky thing to google for.

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Brought porn into the dressing room at NUFC.

 

:lol: ey?

 

I remember reading an old article on NUFC.com about him being a porn watcher, so much that it caused some problems in his marriage.

 

 

 

:lol::lol: never knew that. Visions of him casually reading Razzle pre-match.

 

Swear there is an interview somewhere where an ex-player was saying he would put porn up on the walls in the dressing room. Tricky thing to google for.

 

:lol: Fucking hell. That's even better.

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Highly rated among his fellow professionals, not so much by the public.

 

Maybe he was a bit of a flat track bully. Playing for Liverpool against weaker sides, he was very effective. Playing for England was a different story.

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From the sounds of accounts of his season at Liverpool before he joined us he was excelling as a CM playmaker with a great passing range but was forced to play up front for us.

 

Was a bit harsh when Gullit threw an MBE party for Stuart Pearce and left Barnes off the guest list, even though Barnes had been awarded an MBE on same day!

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