Was lucky enough to see John Barnes a few times. He made people push forward in the crowd when he had the ball, or if they were sitting, you'd hear all the seats snap back. An old United mate - circa 1990/91 - also told me that when Liverpool played United he "put the fear of God into them."
I've been writing bits and bobs for years. This is from my (*cough, snigger*) book attempt from years ago. Anyway, it saves me repeating because I can just copy and paste. Hope you guys don't mind me indulging myself for a moment....
On John Barnes (happy memories - written 2015-ish -it's not a lot.):
"...and the turn of John Barnes to properly light up my world.
I have to say at this point, that until Luis Suarez in recent years, John Barnes was absolutely the most brilliant and gifted player I had ever seen live, in my life, bar none.
People quite rightly talk of King Kenny of course, and I know he was just simply World Class as I’ve seen years and years of footage and goals and assists, but I actually saw very little of him live, unfortunately, so it has always been Digger Barnes for me. Never had I seen people get out of their seats so much when a player received the ball. Never had I seen a player beat people so effortlessly.
Around 89/90 a Manchester united fan whose view I always respected quietly admitted that John Barnes was the one Liverpool player that their fans feared, any time he got the ball.
Anyway, back to the game with me and my Scottish mate Kev – October 1987 – QPR at home.
You see goals from this game quite often on various highlights snippets, usually at least once a season or something – specifically John Barnes’s two to wrap up the game.
With one goal, he plays a one-two on the edge of the box and side foots high into Seaman’s left hand corner, and with the other he blocks then runs from the halfway line, feints one way then the other on the edge of the box to beat two players, then rolls it classily past Seaman’s left hand along the deck.
Brilliant goals, and the crowd went mental – and if you see the footage, then me and Kev (me for the first time ever) are bang smack right in the middle of The Kop, right in the middle of the songs, the jostling, the flags, the atmosphere.
This is, was, quite simply, as good as it gets.
It’s one thing purring all the way home yourself, but when you know your team have put on one hell of a show for someone else – for someone you want to show your team off to – for a good mate - when you’re both travelling from away, with all the associated costs, etc – and they put on a truly magical show (to go top of the league against the then league leaders, no less) then it’s just special.
And John Barnes had the whole ground crackling that day.
Thanks John.
And any football fan who ever, ever casts any single shred of doubt on your ability as a wonderfully-gifted, magnificent footballer, …in my company anyway, will just quite simply and plainly be dismissed …deservedly so….as a stupid fucking idiot. "
