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Karl
Senior Member
USA
914 Posts |
 Posted - Jul 31 2004 : 10:03:00 PM
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I would've shone brighter under Venables, says Barnes
Jamaican-born footballer credits Jamaica for honing his skills
Ian Burnett, Observer staff reporter
Saturday, July 24, 2004
Ex-England international footballer, Jamaican-born John Barnes believes that his chequered 13-year career with the England team could have gone much better had Terry Venables been appointed manager earlier in his career.
Barnes, now 41, also revealed in an exclusive interview with Sporting World two Sundays ago, that he enjoyed more successes with his club Liverpool than with England because his club side played the type of football that suited his ball artistry and technical abilities.
"I think if I were a young man playing under Terry Venables my England career would have gone much better," Barnes said candidly, ruing the fact that Venables was appointed manager when he turned 33.
He labelled Venables "a technically-minded coach who liked technical players and wanted his team to play in a technical manner". He also believes that the England football revolution started under Venables' stewardship in the mid-1990s.
When Barnes started his international career in 1983 he had to adjust to fit in. Still, upon reflection he feels fairly satisfied.
"At that particular time when I played for England it was more about effort and hard work, rather than technical ability, but I have played 79 times for England so I can't complain," said Barnes, reported to be the most capped black player in English history. "I enjoyed two World Cups, a European Championship, so I had a very enjoyable (international) career," he said.
In between the "effort-and-hard-work" approach by the English outfit, Barnes would invariably slip in his sublime skills to mesmerise opponents and wow admirers of the beautiful game. And no better place to exhibit that ball artistry than in Rio de Janeiro in a friendly international in 1984.
For one of his 11 international goals, Barnes dribbled from his half of the pitch and through a wall of defenders before shooting into the net to help England to a 2-0 victory over the much-revered Brazilians. That dribble and finish earned him worldwide acclaim and it was for that occasion, commemorating the 20th anniversary of that goal, that Barnes and son Jordan were guests of the Respect Cup hosted by BranCourt in Clarendon two Sundays ago.
Barnes, as modest as ever, said that particular display was more instinct than anything.
"I don't remember much about it because if you score a free kick, where you can put the ball down and have about 10 seconds to think about it and say well I am going to come up to the ball and put it over the top corner ... in a goal like that or any goal that you score in open play, you really are acting on instinct where you see people in front of you and look for somebody to pass or you dribble, and to be honest with you, after I beat one person I was thinking to pass, but I couldn't see anybody to pass to, that's why I continued to dribble. So I am not going to stand here and say I knew that when he came I was going to beat him and then I planned to do that. it wasn't planned at all, it just happened," he explained.
BARNES ... I was never coached at all in England
And who could forget that dribble down the left flank against Argentina in the 1986 World Cup Finals quarter final in Mexico? Barnes, who to the amazement of many, had been a mere spectator on Bobby Robson's squad until then, was introduced with 20 minutes remaining and with Argentina up 2-0, thanks to the "Hand of God" goal and then that magical solo effort from one Diego Maradona.
Barnes delivered some magic of his own, slipping by a wall of defenders before whipping in a pin-point centre pass for Gary Linekar to do the rest and bring England back into the game. He had another such run and cross, but Linekar just failed to make contact as he crashed into the open goal.
"Every footballer wants to be playing in every game and starting in every game, but we don't know what would have happened had I played every game. Obviously when I did play and I came on and did well against Argentina, I would like to think that had I been playing longer or more of the games, maybe we could have done better, but you can never tell.
"All I know is what happened did happen and I was pleased to even have played in the World Cup, because at the time before I came on against Argentina, I thought the World Cup was going to pass me by and I am not even going to get to onto the pitch. To go to the World Cup and not even go on the pitch would have been really difficult to take, so to go on for the last 20 minutes, I was grateful for even that, so I would never have criticised Bobby Robson and said that I should have been there from the start, not because of what I did in the last 20 minutes, and it had no bearing on how I could have played, so it is just one of those things," reasoned Barnes.
He said some time after that the English reassessed their game, because they had realised that football had moved on. The Latin teams were aligning their technical abilities with the northern European organisation, work ethic and discipline.
He said simultaneously, the northern Europeans were trying to get more technical in terms of their style of play, but England lagged behind. "When I played I happen to feel that we were the last team to really engender that way of playing, but of course that has now changed," said Barnes.
Barnes was never coached at all in England
In the mid-1970s young Barnes, who by then was attending St George's College, migrated with his family to England when his father, Army Colonel Ken Barnes took up a military attache posting with the Jamaican High Commission, and he remains certain that he did not improve there. It was more that the environment afforded him an opportunity.
By the time he left Jamaica, Barnes had already played Colts football (Under-15 High Schools' League) and had seen his father playing for Jamaica. "All of my football development I got here," boasted Barnes. ". so I never went to England and improved, I went to England and I was given an opportunity to play and I suppose that is why I was as successful at Watford, particularly at such a young age.
"When I went to England I wasn't coached at all. when I went to Watford at 16, I wasn't at a professional club before. My father got recalled to Jamaica and I fully expected to come back to Jamaica. But then Watford said 'do you want to stay and play? And then I was in the first team six months later, really because I was playing off the natural ability that I had, which was developed here (in Jamaica) and continued there. I was never coached at all in England," reiterated Barnes, whose adroit left foot could cross a ball played at any speed down the left flank, on any desired spot.
Would be attractive to play for Jamaica now
When Barnes committed himself to the English team in 1983, he had no option really. But had it been today when Jamaica have earned some prominence and credentials on the world map, he would have had a decision to make.
"It would have been much more attractive to play for Jamaica ... first of all because you are from Jamaica, and secondly, because you are at a standard where you have a possibility of going to the World Cup, which is what every player wants to do.
"I first played for England in 1983, so therefore at that particular time, there really wasn't any decision to be made to play for Jamaica, whereas had it been '98 for example and I am now 17, 18, there would be a decision to make."
Barnes is of the opinion that it will be much more difficult for the Reggae Boyz to qualify for the next World Cup Finals than it was in 1998. "Unfortunately for Jamaica, the re-emergence of the Central American countries has probably made it more difficult for them to qualify for the World Cup Finals now because after the USA and Mexico, that's where Jamaica really came on the back of that, finishing third to qualify for the World Cup Finals in '98. But now its more difficult.
"But I happen to believe that Jamaican football has moved on since '98 in terms of their quality, in terms of their development and in terms of the quantity of quality players," said Barnes.
And Barnes doesn't believe that the current pool of players lack much. "We have to understand that we are Jamaica, we are a small country, who haven't got a real history in football in qualifying for the World Cup. But of course being Jamaica also, we like to feel, very much like England, that we should be qualifying for World Cup and winning World Cups.
"But we should really be looking at what we have, and therefore what we are doing is excellent and the more development that comes in we can creep forward. For now there is going to be a levelling-off period and then we are going to creep forward slowly. To make another giant stride forward with our improvement is not going to happen because if you look at teams like Greece, they won the European Championship and they haven't made rapid strides forward, they crept up on the big boys and that's what Jamaica necessarily can do to improve.
"Obviously they can work more in terms of the discipline and organisation.
"The organisation, the work ethic, the respect of each other are important because Jamaican players will always have technical ability."
Would like to get back into coaching
Since hanging up his boots, Barnes has had an inauspicious tenure as a football manager. And although he's currently working as a television commentator, he wants to return to coaching.
He spent eight months as the 'gaffer' of Glasgow Celtic before being sacked. At the time Celtic were seven points second to Rangers, and two weeks after his departure the club won the CIS Cup. Barnes uttered two words which he claimed caused his early demise.
"Henrik Larsson," he said. "Henrik Larsson broke his leg and without him who scores 50 goals a season, we couldn't compete with Rangers.
"But coaching is something that I love and something that I want to do although I am working in TV now. I would love to get back in coaching if given an opportunity, but it is hard now for young coaches in England because everybody wants experienced coaches or they want foreign coaches, so it's difficult to get in," said Barnes.
He admits that he's been trying to get back into coaching for a few years "but the opportunity hasn't presented itself."
And in a startling revelation, Barnes figures that coaching qualification is unimportant. Though he admits that he possesses a "B Badge", he argues that Sir Alex Ferguson, the highly-respected manager of Manchester United hasn't got a Badge. "I've got the B Badge but Alex Ferguson hasn't got a Badge. qualification is unimportant for coaching," he said.
Added to that, Barnes has no immediate interest in coaching at an international level, for the simple reason that he would like to grasp the day-to-day management of a club before contemplating a national outfit.
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Karl |
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John Barnes - Observer Interview
