CLUB FOCUS
TRANMERE ROVERS
Liverpool legend John Barnes, back on Merseyside, on his plans for success and the race barrier in management
There are those who will flock to Prenton Park this season keen to see a side reflecting the pomp and flair of a player who was, arguably, the greatest of his generation. John Barnes was the talisman of a Liverpool side that ruled English football in the late-'80s and — but for the post-Heysel ban — would surely have extended their dominance into Europe.
But upon his appointment as Tranmere Rovers boss last month, Barnes warned fans to forget any preconceptions they may have. For his Tranmere team will happily grind its way out of League One if need be.
Maybe his brief Celtic catastrophe venture into management a Celtic a decade ago has brought about the defence mechanism, but Barnes is wiping the slate clean in every sense.
“I don’t want to be seen as a trophy manager,” he told a press conference on his appointment. “Forget what I did as a player. I see myself as a League One manager — one that insists on hard work, organisation, discipline, and commitment.
“People think you have to be a defensive midfielder or a centre-back to have those ethics, so when a flair player becomes a manager, people think he has to have players of a certain quality to succeed. But I’m not bringing any of that here. The type of player I was carries no water.”
Barnes replaced Ronnie Moore, sacked on the back of an attendance drop of more than 19 percent over the last 36 months. It’s now eight years since the club dropped out of the second tier and Barnes comes into the job on the back of a successful eight-month stint as Jamaica coach, where he led the country of his birth to first place in the 2008 Caribbean Championship and within a whisker of qualifying for the CONCACAF Cup.
“If I could have got back in one week after leaving Celtic, I would have done”
“I took lessons from my time in Jamaica, where the players were a similar quality,” says Barnes, who will be assisted by his ex-Anfield team-mate Jason McAteer. “If you organise players, without making things too complicated, you can be consistent.
“That’s why I will also draw on my experiences under Graham Taylor, who did it with Watford at this level. He got his principles across, and not necessarily with the best players.
As you would expect from someone with such a glittering CV, Barnes exudes confidence and once his guard up about the commonly held belief his Parkhead experience came too soon. If sacked after a huge job far too soon — Barnes was just a 35-but the 10-year vacuum which followed wasn’t down to any fault of his own, he says, and through no fault of my own,” he adds. “If I could have got back in one week after leaving Celtic, I would have done.”
“After what happened with Celtic people might agree that I didn’t have the experience for another big job, but that doesn’t explain why I couldn’t get a job in the Fourth Division.
“Look what happened with Paul Ince at Blackburn. Young English managers don’t get enough time, young black managers are not given enough time. I went for a fair few interviews before this, and lower down than Tranmere, at least half-a-dozen in the last five years.
“I think there still is a race barrier in this country. Look at how disproportionate it is in terms of the number of black ex-players who are not in management and the number who are older than myself who haven’t been offered a job. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it is racist, but there is that stereotypical view that some people have of black managers in terms of their competency level, which for me is different to racist abuse, which is just an ignorant comment that needs to be addressed.
“Look at the percentage of black players in the Premier League. Not many are in management. If they don’t see enough in them to be managers and coaches, that says it all. I don’t think it’s a conscious decision. I think it’s because of pressure on chairmen and boards to get it right straight away.
“Once I got over my situation at Celtic and went for interviews, I was pleasantly surprised, but there is still an underlying lack of faith and confidence in black players who have been successful as players. It’s a results business, but I am confident we can achieve something here.”
TRIGGER’S HAT-TRICK
Jason McAteer has returned to Tranmere Rovers for a third time, following spells at the club as a player, then as reserve team coach.
“I got a taste for coaching last time I was here, so I’m delighted,” he says. “Tranmere’s is a traditional club with strong local support but I was gobsmacked just how 10 years ago this has never been decorated since. If we pull together we can get the club back where it belongs.”