July 19 - Barnes hits the ‘Pool

IMAGINE if you will, that you’re 10 years old. You don’t have a care in the world and you think that the credit crunch is a breakfast cereal. You broke up from school yesterday, so you’ve got six weeks off to play football in the park, jumpers for goalposts.

However, the youth of today also think that John Barnes is merely a poor Channel 5 pundit and an even worse ballroom dancer. Today in 1987 Barnes was at the peak of his powers and left Watford to join Kenny Dalglish’s Liverpool side.

Barnes had joined Watford as a fresh-faced 17-year-old from non-league Sudbury Court for the grand fee of a set of kit. As the decade went on it proved to be an investment to rank with shares in shoulder pads and synthesisers, as Barnes became a regular in the England team two years later.

In 1984 Barnes scored one of the greatest ever England goals when he slalomed through the Brazilian defence at the Maracana, alerting the rest of the world to his talents and placing a huge level of expectation on his shoulders.

During his international career Barnes never quite hit the heights of that night in Rio, despite winning 79 caps and scoring 12 goals. His domestic form, however, was devastating as he helped Graham Taylor’s overachieving Watford side win a place in the Uefa Cup in 1983 and to the 1984 FA Cup final.

After 292 appearances for the Hornets Barnes joined Liverpool for £900,000. Kenny Dalglish was on a recruitment drive that summer, also snapping up Peter Beardsley as he joined the pair with John Aldridge to give the ‘Pool a formidable front line.

Barnes was a success from the get-go, as Liverpool remained undefeated for the first 29 games of the season as they cantered to the title. The only blight that season was a shock defeat to Wimbledon in the FA Cup final, but at least that cup run realised another of Barnes’ many talents.

In the run-up to final Liverpool released their traditional cup final song. Instead of a traditional sing-along, they thought it was time to get down with the kids and gave us the Anfield Rap, with ‘Digger’ Barnes taking a leading role. Three years later he repeated the trick on New Order’s England anthem ‘World In Motion.’ Pure class.

Barnes continued to devastate defences across the country, managing to score 22 league goals in the 1989/90 season, but Liverpool began to wane following the resignation of Dalglish. By the mid-1990s Barnes’ powers were fading, so he moved into the centre of midfield and stated that he would stay at the club to nurture Liverpool’s next generation of talent, such as Steve McManaman, Jamie Redknapp and Robbie Fowler.

Barnes’ playing career ended with short stints at Newcastle and Charlton, which he followed up with a disastrous spell in charge of Celtic. See Barnsey’s wonder goal against Brazil below and check out what we were telling you this time last year here.

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