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John Barnes (footballer)
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John Charles Bryan Barnes MBE (born 7 November 1963 in Kingston, Jamaica) is a Jamaican-born former professional English football player whose most successful spells were for Watford and Liverpool during the 1980s and 1990s.
He won the First Division twice, the FA Cup twice, and played for England 79 times, then a record for a black player.
He finished his playing career at Charlton Athletic in 1999.
Barnes also rapped on two football-themed chart-topping singles.
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Encyclopedia
John Charles Bryan Barnes MBE (born 7 November 1963 in Kingston, Jamaica) is a Jamaican-born former professional English football player whose most successful spells were for Watford and Liverpool during the 1980s and 1990s.
He won the First Division twice, the FA Cup twice, and played for England 79 times, then a record for a black player.
He finished his playing career at Charlton Athletic in 1999.
Barnes also rapped on two football-themed chart-topping singles. After leaving England he became player/head-coach of Celtic. He has been acting as a part-time scout in the Caribbean for Sunderland. He is also a broadcaster with television Channel Five in the UK. Barnes took over as manager of the Jamaican national team on 1 November 2008.
Playing career
Watford
Having moved to England as a boy, Barnes was noticed by Watford whilst playing as a schoolboy for non-league Sudbury Court. After a successful game in Watford's reserves, Barnes was signed on the 14 July 1981 for the fee of a set of kit.
Barnes made his debut, at the tender age of 17, as a sub on the 5 September 1981 in a 1-1 draw with Oldham Athletic in the Football League Second Division at Vicarage Road. The club's manager at the time was Graham Taylor, and Watford were eight months away from completing their six-year rise from the Fourth Division to the First.
Barnes and Watford gained promotion, as runners-up to fierce rivals Luton Town, to the top flight of English football at the end of the 1981/82 and went on to finish as runners-up for the League title, coincidentally, to Liverpool the following season. Watford then made the 1984 FA Cup Final, where, as under-dogs, they were beaten 2-0 by Everton.
Liverpool
A year later, Barnes left Watford on 9 June 1987 in a £900,000 deal for Kenny Dalglish's Liverpool, after appearing 292 times for the Hornets and scoring 83 goals. He joined at the same time as England team-mate Peter Beardsley and linking up with John Aldridge and then Ian Rush to form one of the most formidable attacking lines of Liverpool's illustrious history. Barnes made his debut for the Reds, along with Beardsley, on the 15 August 1987 in the 2-1 league win over Arsenal at Highbury, it took just 9 minutes for Barnes and Beardsley to show just what was in store for the Anfield faithful, as they combined to set up Aldridge for an excellent team goal. Barnes' first strike for the club came a month later on the 12 September as the Reds beat Oxford United 2-0 at Anfield, Aldridge had already scored against his former employers in the 13th minute before Barnes scored in the 37th minute to make the game safe.
In his first season at Anfield, Barnes was outstanding as Liverpool coasted to the League title, remaining undefeated for the first 29 games of the season and ending up with just two defeats, though again he would suffer FA Cup disappointment when Wimbledon surprisingly beat the champions 1-0 in the final. Barnes had performed a memorable (not necessarily for the right reasons) rap on the club's traditional Cup final song Anfield Rap, which got to Number 3 in the UK charts.
Barnes, like everyone else at Anfield, was given a nickname - Digger, after the Digger Barnes character in the popular TV series Dallas'. This has stuck with him and is still how the Liverpool fans affectionately refer to him.
The success and disappointment of the 1987/88 season was reversed a year later, with Liverpool winning the FA Cup with a 3-2 victory over Merseyside rivals Everton, with Barnes instrumental during the extra time period, but losing the title to Arsenal with literally seconds remaining.
Barnes, in his early years at Liverpool, was having to deal with racist abuse from opposing supporters and far-right groups — a famous photograph was once taken of Barnes, in full Liverpool kit and mid-match, casually backheeling away a banana which had been hurled at him.
Barnes played in the 1990 title winning side at Liverpool and scored an amazing 22 league goals from the left wing. Liverpool striking legend, and colleague, Ian Rush also had a great season but managed 4 fewer league goals than Barnes, putting into a larger context just how prolific and important Barnes was to Liverpool at the time. He then appeared in the World Cup for England. He sustained a groin injury against Belgium shortly after having a magnificent volleyed goal wrongly disallowed for offside. England went out to Germany on penalties in the semi-final. Barnes had again supplied a rap for a tie-in song, "World In Motion" by New Order, which was a UK Number 1 and is still regarded by many as the best football song ever made.
Barnes continued to play for Liverpool and England, and started the 1990/91 season in scintillating form, despite frequent barracking from opposition fans who were frustrated with his lack of product in an England shirt. His response was frightening though as the likes of Aston Villa, Manchester United, Wimbledon FC and Leeds United found out as Barnes scored spectacular goal after goal for the Liverpool cause. He did however win the FA Cup again in 1992 despite missing the final with an Achilles tendon injury. It was also this pre-season (in 1992) where constant injuries would eventually take their toll and rob Barnes of the lightning acceleration and pace that was once his hallmark.
By the mid-1990s, Barnes knew he was facing the end of his playing career and looked to make up for the underachievement at International level with his club side. He publicly stated that he would stay at Liverpool and help bring through young talent that needed his leadership instead of leaving the club as it went through turbulent years under Graeme Souness, before Roy Evans took over at the helm in 1994. Under Evans, Barnes and his young proteges like his favoured successor, Steve McManaman, fellow central midfielder Jamie Redknapp and striker Robbie Fowler won the League Cup with Liverpool in 1995. Barnes had now been converted into a holding midfielder where he, Redknapp and McManaman would pass their way through teams and set up countless goals for the likes of Fowler.
On the 13 August 1997, after 407 appearances and 108 goals, Barnes decided it was time to leave Anfield and was given a free transfer.
Newcastle United
Barnes was then snapped up by former team-mate and manager Kenny Dalglish, who was managing Newcastle United. Although Newcastle (the previous season's Premier League runners-up) endured a disappointing league campaign and finished 13th, they did reach the FA Cup final, and Barnes went onto the field for the sixth FA Cup final of his career. However, Newcastle lost 2-0 to Arsenal and it was the last game that Barnes played for them.
Charlton Athletic
For 1998/99, Barnes signed for Charlton Athletic, who had just been promoted to the Premier League. Defeat on the final day of the season relegated them back to Division One, and Barnes announced his retirement as a player after 20 years.
Barnes had racked up an impressive 754 appearances, for 4 clubs, scoring 198 goals.
International Career
While featuring heavily in Watford's rise to prominence, which included a UEFA Cup campaign in 1983, Barnes had established himself as a hugely talented left winger who was the idol of many Watford fans, and he was given his England debut by Bobby Robson on 28 May 1983, when he came on as a second half replacement for Watford team-mate Luther Blissett as England drew 0-0 with Northern Ireland in a British Championship match at Windsor Park, Belfast.
10 June 1984 will always be a day to remember for Barnes, he scored one of the most breathtaking individual goals ever seen, when he outpaced and out-thought several Brazilian defenders before rounding the goalkeeper and slotting the ball into an empty net during a friendly match at the famous Estádio do Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. The goal brought him worldwide fame but also a sense of heavy expectation, with unreasonable observers and supporters expecting him to produce moments like that on a match-by-match basis.
In his early England days, he and fellow black player Mark Chamberlain were subjected to threats from racist groups. Notably, Barnes was abused by supporters of the National Front on the plane back from South America in June 1984; the racists claimed that England had only won 1-0 against Brazil because Barnes' wonder goal "didn't count".
Bobby Robson did not use Barnes at the 1986 World Cup until the quarter final against Argentina when England were trailing 2-0 with 15 minutes to go. Barnes used his short period on the pitch to destroy the Argentine defence time and again (BBC commentator Barry Davies famously shouted: "Go on! Run at them!" when Barnes was given the ball), setting up one goal for Gary Lineker and laying on another chance which, despite seeming easier than the one he scored, thanks to some inspired Argentine defending Lineker conspired to miss. England went out of the competition, but Barnes had been recognised for his contribution in the game.
In a 1994 World Cup qualifying game against San Marino, Barnes was booed by a section of England supporters at Wembley after a poor performance by the whole team - somehow, his own perceived underachievement throughout his international career was seen as a symbol for England's own ineptitude as a team that evening.
Barnes continued his international career into the mid 1990s, but it was seen by many as a disappointment. England's most capped black player won 79 caps and scored 12 goals, but compared to his club form, he was never seen as a player who peaked when wearing an England shirt. Nevertheless, he remained in the top ten most capped players list for eleven years until David Beckham and then Gary Neville edged him out from ninth to 11th.
After 12 years of international recognition Barnes won the last of his 79 caps on the 6 September 1995 in the memorable 0-0 friendly draw with Colombia at, fittingly, Wembley. The goalless friendly will always be remembered because of the eccentric Colombian goalkeeper, Rene Higuita's, 'Scorpion Kick.'
Post-playing career
Celtic (head coach)
In a 'dream ticket' style move, Barnes was appointed head coach of Celtic for the 1999/2000 season, working under Kenny Dalglish as director of football. After his appointment he later re-registered himself as a player, but never played a competitive game for Celtic. This much-hyped appointment was disappointing, and included a shock Scottish Cup defeat at the hands of Inverness Caledonian Thistle in February. Barnes was sacked shortly afterwards, with Dalglish taking over first-team duties until the end of the season. Although Dalglish won the League Cup in the process, his contract was not renewed and the board decided to replace him with Martin O'Neill.
TV and charity work
He has since become a pundit on ITV and is currently a presenter of the football coverage on Five as well as having his own weekly football discussion show on LFC TV called The John Barnes Show, every Thursday. He also works as an ambassador for Save the Children.
Barnes competed in the fifth BBC series of Strictly Come Dancing which started in October 2007. His dance partner was Nicole Cutler. They finished in seventh place. He was also the first male celebrity to receive a ten from the judges, which he got for his salsa.
Barnes has appeared on several shows and media outlets to promote his charity work, including a notable appearance on Soccer AM in February 2009 performing the 'World in Motion' rap and a parody of the mistimed advert by ITV in the previous weeks Liverpool vs. Everton FA Cup tie, with John's 'Under-11 World Champion Baton-twirling' routine missed by mock commercials
Return to football
After an absence of nearly eight years, Barnes returned to football in late 2007. He agreed to run several coaching clinics across the Caribbean for young players with the possibility of them joining Premier League side on trial.
Barnes entered discussions with the Jamaica Football Federation in September 2008 regarding the possibility of him managing the Jamaican national team. On 16 September 2008, Barnes was appointed as manager of Jamaica announcing Mike Commane as his assistant. Barnes guided his new Jamaican charges to victory in the 2008 Caribbean Cup.
Accolades
Twice in his career, Barnes was voted Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year. He has also won the PFA Players' Player of the Year and is widely regarded as among the most talented players to wear an England shirt. Barnes was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2005 in recognition of his contribution to the English game.
The Liverpool fans adoration for Digger was emphasised when he finished in the top 5 of the poll 100 Players Who Shook The Kop which was conducted by the in the summer of 2006. More than 110,000 supporters worldwide voted for their 10 favourite players of all time, Barnes finished 5th behind Robbie Fowler (4th), Ian Rush (3rd), Steven Gerrard (2nd) and the man that signed him thrice for Liverpool, Newcastle and Celtic Kenny Dalglish (1st).
Career statistics
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|1981/82||rowspan="6"|Watford||Second Division||36||13||||||||||||||||
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|1982/83||rowspan="5"|First Division||42||10||||||||||||||||
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|1983/84||39||11||||||||||||||||
|-
|1984/85||40||12||||||||||||||||
|-
|1985/86||39||9||||||||||||||||
|-
|1986/87||37||10||||||||||||||||
|-
|1987/88||rowspan="10"|Liverpool||rowspan="5"|First Division||38||15||||||||||||||||
|-
|1988/89||33||8||||||||||||||||
|-
|1989/90||34||22||||||||||||||||
|-
|1990/91||35||16||||||||||||||||
|-
|1991/92||12||1||||||||||||||||
|-
|1992/93||rowspan="5"|Premier League||27||5||||||||||||||||
|-
|1993/94||26||3||||||||||||||||
|-
|1994/95||38||7||||||||||||||||
|-
|1995/96||36||3||||||||||||||||
|-
|1996/97||35||4||||||||||||||||
|-
|1997/98||rowspan="2"|Newcastle United||rowspan="2"|Premier League||26||6||||||||||||||||
|-
|1998/99||1||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1998/99||Charlton Athletic||Premier League||12||0||||||||||||||||
586||155||||||||||||||||
586||155||||||||||||||||
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Honours
As player
Watford
Runner Up
Liverpool
Winner
Runner Up
Newcastle United
Runner Up
England
- 1983-1995 79 caps 12 goals
As manager
Jamaica
Winners
Individual
Personal life
John was first married to and subsequently divorced Suzy and they have two sons and two daughters: Jamie, Jordan, Jemma and Jasmin. John's second wife is called Andrea and they have two daughters: Isabella and Tia. Jamie is in his fifth year at medical school, and Jordan is studying maths at university.
With fellow former footballers Les Ferdinand and Luther Blissett, he has founded Team48 Motorsport, a team aiming to promote young racing drivers of Afro-Caribbean background. For 2008 they enter the British Touring Car Championship, running Alfa Romeos for white Jamaican Matthew Gore and 18-year-old black Briton Darelle Wilson.
Videogame
In 1992 Krisalis released John Barnes European Football for 16-bit home computers
Trivia
- Barnes appeared on the 1990 England World Cup theme song World in Motion by New Order. This was a couple of years after he had been the most memorable 'rapper' in Liverpool's song released for their FA Cup final with Wimbledon FC, in 1988.
- His lines in World in Motion were:
"You got to hold and give,
But do it at the right time,
You can be slow or fast,
But you must get to the line.
They'll always hit you, and hurt you,
Defend and attack,
There's only one way to beat them,
Get round the back.
Catch me if you can,
Cos I'm the England Man
And what you're looking at,
Is the master plan.
We ain't no hooligans,
This ain't a football song.
Three lions on my chest,
I know we can't go wrong"
- A film about Barnes' career was made in 1998, broadcast on BBC's The A - Force, it was produced and directed by Pogus Caesar a respected producer and director of multi cultural TV programmes.
- Barnes visited Tanzania alongside Warren Barton and Les Ferdinand in January 2007 and played for youth side in Dar es salaam against other local clubs.
- Barnes played for the Liverpool XI against the Rock XI in Gibraltar in October 2006. He is set to play for the England XI against the Rock XI again on 11 June.
Managerial stats
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record |
|---|
| G | W | L | D | Win % |
|---|
| Celtic | | 10 June 1999 | 10 February 2000
| 29 | 19 | 8 | 2 | 65.51 |
External links
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