| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Peter Simon Barnes[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1957-06-10)10 June 1957 (age 68)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Manchester, England[2] | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[2] | ||
| Position | Left-winger[2] | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1972–1974 | Manchester City | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1974–1979 | Manchester City | 115 | (15) |
| 1979–1981 | West Bromwich Albion | 77 | (23) |
| 1981–1982 | Leeds United | 30 | (1) |
| 1982–1983 | Real Betis | 16 | (1) |
| 1983–1984 | Leeds United | 27 | (4) |
| 1984 | →Manchester United (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 1984–1985 | Coventry City | 18 | (2) |
| 1985–1987 | Manchester United | 20 | (2) |
| 1987–1988 | Manchester City | 8 | (0) |
| 1987 | →Bolton Wanderers (loan) | 2 | (0) |
| 1987–1988 | →Port Vale (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 1988 | Hull City | 11 | (0) |
| 1988 | Farense | 1 | (0) |
| 1988–1989 | Bolton Wanderers | 3 | (0) |
| 1989 | Sunderland | 1 | (0) |
| 1989 | →Stockport County (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 1989 | Footscray JUST | 2 | (0) |
| 1989 | Hamrun Spartans | 7 | (4) |
| 1989 | Bury | 0 | (0) |
| 1989 | Drogheda United | 3 | (0) |
| 1990 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 11 | (1) |
| 1990 | Stafford Rangers | 5 | (0) |
| 1990 | Northwich Victoria | 7 | (0) |
| 1991 | Wrexham | 0 | (0) |
| 1991 | Radcliffe Borough | ||
| 1991 | Mossley | 8 | (0) |
| 1992–1993 | Cliftonville | 1 | (0) |
| Total | 377 | (53) | |
| International career | |||
| 1975 | England Youth[3] | 8 | (1) |
| 1976–1978 | England U21 | 9 | (2) |
| 1977–1982 | England | 22 | (4) |
| 1980 | England B | 1 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1995–1996 | Runcorn | ||
| 1998 | Gibraltar | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Peter Simon Barnes (born 10 June 1957) is an English former internationalfootball player,manager andpundit. An attackingleft-sided winger, his playing career spanned 19 years and took him to 25 clubs across eight countries. He is the son ofKen Barnes, who won theFA Cup withManchester City in1956. AnEngland Youth andunder-21 international, Barnes was a member of theUEFA European Under-19 Championship winning team in1975. He won 22 seniorcaps forEngland, scoring four goals. Though he was never selected in a squad for a major tournament, he played in two victoriousBritish Home Championship campaigns.
Barnes began his career as an apprentice at Manchester City in July 1972 and turned professional two years later. He made hisFootball League debut in October 1974, aged 17. He scored in City's1976League Cup final victory and was named asPFA Young Player of the Year. He played in theUEFA Cup and unsuccessfulFirst Division title campaigns, scoring 22 goals in 151 appearances in all competitions. He becameWest Bromwich Albion'srecord buy at £748,000 in July 1979 and spent two seasons at the club, scoring 25 goals in 92 matches.Leeds United broke theirclub recordtransfer when signing him for £750,000 plus £180,000 "tariffs" in 1981. The move proved to be a poor one. After Leeds wererelegated into theSecond Division, he was bought by Spanish clubReal Betis for £300,000. He made 16La Liga appearances, scoring one goal, before returning to Leeds United for the 1983–84 season.
Barnes was signed byCoventry City for £65,000 in October 1984 but was dropped by the end of the 1984–85 campaign. Former West Bromwich Albion managerRon Atkinson then signed him forManchester United for a fee of £30,000, and a run of good form prompted speculation of a return to the international fold before he suffered acalf injury in November 1985. He was sold to former club Manchester City for £20,000 in January 1987, but he failed to establish himself in the starting eleven. He spent the next five years moving from club to club, never featuring more than eleven times for the same team. After his retirement, he briefly managedConference clubRuncorn. He had numerous jobs, including working as a television and radio pundit.
Born inManchester, Barnes graduated fromChorlton High School and represented Manchester Boys.[4] He began his playing career atManchester City after becoming an apprentice at the club in July 1972.[5] He had seven trials withLeeds United, whosemanager,Don Revie, was a friend and former teammate to his father.[6]Johnny Hart, a backroom staff member at Manchester City, had been told that Barnes was about to sign with Leeds on schoolboy forms and so intervened to get Barnes a place as a schoolboy with City.[7]
He turned professional at the age of 17 and made his first-team debut in theManchester derby on 9 October 1974, coming on forGlyn Pardoe in a 1–0 defeat toManchester United atOld Trafford in theLeague Cup.[8] ManagerTony Book surmised that: "the handful of things which Peter did were carried out properly and effectively".[8] Barnes made hisFirst Division debut four days later, following an injury toRodney Marsh, starting in a 2–1 defeat atBurnley.[9] He made hisMaine Road debut the following week, standing in for the injuredDennis Tueart in a 1–0 win overLuton Town, and missed an easy chance to score a goal after "spooning a ball fromBell over the top from less than 6 yards (5.5 m) with the entire goal gaping".[10] He scored his first career goal on 19 March 1975, converting a knee-highvolley in a 2–1 loss toCarlisle United; this was his only goal from five appearances in the1974–75 season.[11]
Barnes had to wait until 8 October to make his first appearance of the1975–76 campaign, filling in for the injured Tueart in a 2–1 home victory overNottingham Forest in the League Cup.[12] Book then droppedcaptain Marsh from the first-team andtransfer-listed him, which left a space for Barnes in the starting eleven asAsa Hartford was given Marsh's number ten shirt.[13] Barnes scored his first goal of the campaign from what Book described as "virtually very little" in a 2–2 draw atSheffield United; the draw had been hard-earned after the team coach crashed on the journey to the ground, causingwhiplash injuries to some City players.[14]Nottingham Football Post columnistRon Fenton wrote that: "Peter Barnes and Dennis Tueart have consistently destroyed defences this season with thrilling wing play... [and] have done the game a big service ... to accelerate the re-birth of wingers".[15] Barnes' run of twelve consecutive league starts was ended after he suffered a cracked collarbone following a collision withFrank Gray during a 1–0 home defeat to Leeds United on Boxing Day.[16] Barnes ended the season with five goals in 36 appearances, including 27 league starts.[17]
Of more significance in the 1975–76 season was the club's League Cup campaign which saw them reach the final by eliminatingNorwich City (after tworeplays), Nottingham Forest, Manchester United,Mansfield Town andMiddlesbrough (against whom Barnes scored a goal and provided anassist) to reachthe final, where they facedNewcastle United atWembley Stadium.[18] Barnes scored the opening goal of the match on 11 minutes with a half-volley after captainMike Doyleheaded a free kick into his path; it was part of a routine that had been practised on thetraining ground.[19] Manchester City went on to win the match 2–1, with Tueart scoring the winning goal shortly afterhalf-time.[20]Hugh McIlvanney wrote that Barnes was an "ebullient, highly-skilled newcomer to Wembley" and that for his goal the ball "bounced awkwardly, but he used his left foot to come down on it with killing economy, and it went swiftly inside the goalkeeper's left-hand post".[21] The day after the cup final, Barnes was votedYoung Player of the Year by theProfessional Footballers' Association.[22] He fluffed his acceptance speech due to his shyness and fear of public speaking as he froze and was unable to speak.[23]
With Bell facing a long-term injury, Book signed veteran forwardBrian Kidd and Irish right-sided midfielderJimmy Conway to add experience to the side. Barnes was left out of the squad for the opening match of the1976–77 season.[24] An impressive goal againstBristol City helped him to force his way into the side for the opening match of theUEFA Cup campaign againstJuventus.[25] He wassubstituted after being injured by Juventus defenderClaudio Gentile, who stamped his studs through Barnes's shoe to damage his foot.[26] The injury caused him to miss the second leg, which Juventus won on their way tothe final.[27] Conway picked up an injury during his absence, and Barnes returned to the starting eleven upon his return to fitness.[27]
Barnes aggravated the foot injury againstWest Ham United, and was left on the bench for much of the rest of the 1976–77 campaign.[28] It was only after the Manchester derby match in March that he had an extended run in the team as City made a push for the league title.[29] He provided the assist forDavid Watson in a 2–1 win over title rivalsIpswich Town.[30] However, he was dropped for the crucial match withLiverpool, erstwhile stand-inPaul Power taking his place on the wing as Book went with the game plan of stifling Liverpool; Barnes came on as a substitute and provided the assist for Kidd'sequaliser, though Liverpool quickly regained the lead and won the match 2–1.[31] Three straight wins revived City's title hopes, but a 4–0 loss atDerby County and a 1–1 draw withAston Villa saw them end the season in second-place, one point behind Liverpool.[32]
"A potentially world-class player superbly living up to that reputation with a breathtaking display of wing power that was a throwback to the days ofMatthews andFinney".
Barnes was againrelegated to the bench for the opening match of the1977–78 season after Book signedMick Channon fromSouthampton for £300,000.[34] Channon scored his first goals for the club on Barnes's first start of the season, a 4–0 win over Norwich City on 3 September.[34] City were back in the UEFA Cup and both Barnes and Channon scored in a 2–2 draw withWidzew Łódź in the first round. However, City were eliminated on theaway goals rule.[35] Despite the disappointment in Europe, City were top of the First Division at the start of October in what was a short-lived title campaign that tailed off into a fourth-place finish.[36] Barnes managed to score impressive goals against Bristol City andArsenal, beating three players en route to goal against Bristol City and chipping overPat Jennings against Arsenal.[36] He started 33 league matches that season, playing 45 times in total and scoring 11 goals.[37] Dutch clubPSV Eindhoven made a bid for Barnes shortly before their appearance in the1978 UEFA Cup final, but fell short of Manchester City chairmanPeter Swales's £750,000 valuation.[37]
Book continued to be reticent in playing Barnes during the1978–79 season, but he angrily dismissed claims that there was a growing rift between player and club as "the age-old press gimmick of stirring up the waters".[38] Barnes was praised for his performances in the UEFA Cup, with Peter Gardner of theManchester Evening Guardian commenting that he was "at his brilliant best" by "twisting, turning, tormenting and teasing the harassed Belgians" in a 4–0 win overStandard Liège in the second round first leg.[39] Standard Liège managerRobert Waseige labelled him as a "world-class player" after the match.[40] City overcameMilan in the next round despite Barnes missing the leg at theSan Siro and reports being leaked to the press of a £1.5 million transfer bid from Milan'sSerie A rivals Juventus.[41] Results in the league were poor for City and Swales acted by assigning Book with an unwanted assistant in former City bossMalcolm Allison.[42] Barnes later reflected that following Allison's arrival "things were different and our mood changed, the mood just wasn't right... I felt my days were numbered".[43]
City were knocked out of theFA Cup by Third DivisionShrewsbury Town and exited the UEFA Cup at the quarter-finals following defeat byBorussia Mönchengladbach, all whilst slipping to a 15th-place finish in the First Division – the club's lowest league finish since1967.[44] Barnes was dropped from the team and transfer-listed in March.[45] Barnes told Book that he wanted to stay at the club but later reflected: "I'm sure he wanted me to stay but I don't think he had the final decision".[46] Liverpool made an offer of £650,000 which, despite being £200,000 more than they paid forclub record signingKenny Dalglish, still fell £100,000 short of City's valuation.[47] Manchester United met the valuation but, as they were local rivals, were told they must pay £1 million or £750,000 plusSteve Coppell.[48]
On 17 July 1979, Barnes joinedWest Bromwich Albion for a fee of £748,000 – aclub transfer record that was not broken untilKevin Kilbane's arrival in June 1997.[49] Barnes was signed to replaceLaurie Cunningham, who had recently been sold toReal Madrid.[50] Six weeks previously, managerRon Atkinson had signedGary Owen, a close friend and teammate of Barnes at Manchester City, for £450,000.[51]Cyrille Regis was injured at the start of the season, and the "Baggies" picked up only one point from the first four First Division fixtures of the1979–80 season, though Barnes did open his goal scoring account with a consolation strike in a 3–1 defeat to Liverpool atAnfield.[52] He again played in the UEFA Cup, but Albion were eliminated in the first round byCarl Zeiss Jena.[53] Barnes struggled for form and felt homesick, but scored two goals and provided an assist for Owen to score the third in a 3–0 win over Bristol City atThe Hawthorns in December.[54] He scored twice at former club Manchester City as part of a run of eight goals in six First Division matches, four of which came frompenalty kicks.[55] West Brom improved in the second half of the campaign to finish in tenth place, with Barnes as theclub's leading scorer after scoring a career-high 15 goals from 38 league appearances, a ratio of 0.395 goals per match.[56]
Barnes enjoyed Atkinson's attacking brand of football and felt happy at the club despite missing his hometown and becoming unsettled after his house was robbed.[57] West Brom started the1980–81 season strongly after recovering from a defeat by Arsenal on the opening day.[58] On 27 December,The People reported that Barnes "scored one and set up another for smash-and-grab Albion" in a 3–1 victory over Manchester United.[59] Assistant managerMick Brown spoke after the match to say: "He is an entertainer. The crowds go away either loving or hating him, but they all talk about him during the week".[59] According to reports, Barnes put in a transfer request towards the end of the campaign, but it was refused by Atkinson.[60] Barnes scored ten goals in 47 appearances, helping Albion to qualify for European football with a fourth-place finish.[60] Manchester City tried to re-sign Barnes, but managerJohn Bond had his offer of player-exchanges rejected by Albion.[61] Atkinson's departure for the Manchester United management position helped to accelerate Barnes' exit from the club as he "just couldn't hit it off" with new managerRonnie Allen.[61]
Barnes signed for Leeds United for £750,000 plus £180,000 "tariffs";[62] this was aclub record that was not broken untilJohn Lukic arrived in May 1990.[63] The signing of Barnes was seen as an odd move as Leeds already had good quality wingers inCarl Harris andArthur Graham, which caused managerAllan Clarke to play him out of position in deep midfield.[64] A 5–1 defeat at newly-promotedSwansea City on the opening day of the1981–82 season was an indication of things to come for the "Whites".[65] Speaking after a 4–0 defeat byCoventry City, Leeds assistant managerMartin Wilkinson remarked that: "We are not asking Peter to run his blood to water, but we do want to see him get a bit of a sweat occasionally".[62] Barnes in turn spoke of his regret at leaving West Bromwich Albion, leading Clarke to issue him with a £750 fine for making disparaging remarks about Leeds.[66] Clarke lacked a reliable striker atElland Road and decided to play Barnes at centre-forward.[67] Leeds needed to beat West Bromwich Albion on the final day of the season to avoid relegation into theSecond Division, but defeat saw Leeds relegated at The Hawthorns.[68] Clarke was sacked. His replacement,Eddie Gray, informed Barnes that he would have to take a pay cut or be sold on.[69] Barnes was expected to leave Leeds, but the high figures in thetransfer market had collapsed following aFootball League ruling that clubs must pay at least 50% of any transfer fee up front, with the remaining 50% settled within a year.[69]
Barnes moved to Spain to play forReal Betis, having been purchased for £300,000 and retaining the option to return to Leeds after a year if he failed to settle inSeville.[70] However, he was again played out of position at centre-forward as Betis already had an attacking left-wingback inSpain internationalRafael Gordillo.[71] ManagerAntal Dunai was reluctant to play Barnes as the Englishman could not speakSpanish and Dunai admitted that he had not seen Barnes play before he was brought to theBenito Villamarín.[72] Dunai was replaced byMarcel Domingo, who led Betis to an 11th-place finish inLa Liga.[73] Barnes struggled to settle in Spain, despite picking up some of the Spanish language, and wanted to move his young family back to England.[74] He made 16 league appearances in the 1982–83 season, scoring one goal against eventual championsAthletic Bilbao.[74]
Barnes took up the option of returning to play for Leeds United, turning down a £200,000 move to First DivisionWatford as he wanted to settle back in theNorth of England.[75] He missed the start of the1983–84 season with agroin injury, but soon won plaudits after helping the team put together an eight-match unbeaten run.[76] He scored four goals from 25 league starts and two substitute appearances as Leeds finished tenth in the Second Division.[77] He joined Manchester United onloan for an end-of-season tour under his former West Brom manager Ron Atkinson.[77]
Barnes joined Coventry City in October 1984 for a reported fee of £65,000.[78][77] He made a positive impression on his debut at Watford on 6 October, his first appearance in the First Division for three years, leading managerBobby Gould to comment that "you don't lose that kind of ability in three years".[79] After Gould was sacked in December, he was succeeded by his assistantDon Mackay who dropped Barnes to thereserve team and replaced him withMicky Adams to implement more defensivetactics.[80] Barnes scored two goals in 19 first-team matches for the "Sky Blues" in the1984–85 season.[81]
In July 1985, Ron Atkinson signed Barnes for Manchester United for a fee of £30,000 to compete withDenmark international wingerJesper Olsen on the left-wing;Gordon Strachan was established on the right-wing.[82] This left Barnes with limited first-team opportunities, but it meant when selected that he could play in his preferred position in an attacking team.[83] He was an unused substitute in the1985 FA Charity Shield defeat byEverton at Wembley Stadium.[5] He scored on his debut for the "Red Devils", in a 3–1 victory at Nottingham Forest on 31 August, when Olsen was out injured with damaged ligaments.[84] United were at the top of the table. Barnes was named as theDaily Mirror's Player of the Month for September after the newspaper reported that he was "stunning... sensational" as the "Old Trafford machine left the rest of the First Division trailing in their slipstream".[85] Barnes retained his place when Olsen returned, as Atkinson chose to play Olsen atinside-forward.[86] Barnes himself was side-lined after he sustained acalf injury during aman of the match performance in a 0–0 draw withTottenham Hotspur on 16 November. A series of injuries to other players hampered United's title challenge.[87] Barnes returned in January, playing for thereserve team. He failed to dislodge new signingColin Gibson as Atkinson reverted to more defensive tactics and ended the1985–86 season with two goals in 18 matches as United finished fourth.[88][89]
Barnes had to wait until 7 October to make his first appearance of the1986–87 season, when he scored in a 5–2 League Cup win atPort Vale.[90] He retained his place until Atkinson was dismissed on 4 November.[90] Barnes played in the first four league matches of new managerAlex Ferguson's tenure but was dropped after a 1–0 defeat atWimbledon.[91] Barnes once hid in the communal bath waters in the dressing room to avoid Ferguson's famed 'hair-dryer' treatment.[92]
Barnes returned to Manchester City on 13 January 1987 after managerJimmy Frizzell authorised a £20,000 transfer.[91] He played in eight First Division matches for the "Citizens" in the second half of the1986–87 season, and also scored eight goals in 13 matches for the reserves.[93] City were relegated to the Second Division andMel Machin replaced Frizzell as manager.[93] Barnes started the1987–88 season playing in the reserves and made his final appearance for the first-team, coming on forPaul Simpson 73 minutes into a 2–1 defeat byWolverhampton Wanderers in the League Cup.[94] On 8 October 1987, Barnes was loaned out toBolton Wanderers in theFourth Division, where managerPhil Neal said that "he will play eight games for us in his loan period, and if he performs as I know he can, I will do everything to keep him".[95] However, Barnes was injured just ten seconds into his home debut atBurnden Park and the loan spell was cut short after just two weeks.[96] He played threeThird Division matches on loan atJohn Rudge's Port Vale in December. However, Machin refused permission for him to play for the "Valiants" in the FA Cup third round tie withMacclesfield Town atVale Park on 10 January 1988.[97][96] Barnes ended the 1987–88 season by playing in eleven Second Division matches forHull City after being signed on afree transfer by managerBrian Horton.[96]
Barnes made his final appearance in the Football League on 18 February 1989, playing forSunderland in a 4–1 defeat atSwindon Town.[98][99] ManagerDenis Smith commented that Barnes had "impressed ourcoaches with his attitude so far in training", but otherwise restricted him to appearances for thereserves.[99] In March 1990, Barnes was invited to train theyouth team atStockport County by managerDanny Bergara, but decided to try and continue his playing career.[5][99] He scored four goals in seven matches in theMaltese Premier League forHamrun Spartans in 1992, flying to and fromMalta for matches only during his three-month stay.[99][5][100] He was briefly[when?] atBury, but was not given a game by managerSam Ellis in his month-long stay.[101] He leftGigg Lane and played threeLeague of Ireland Premier Division matches forDrogheda United.[101] In April 1990, he was invited to sign for theTampa Bay Rowdies of theAmerican Professional Soccer League by former Manchester City teammate Rodney Marsh.[101] He scored one goal in eleven matches as the Rowdiesfinished second in the Southern Division of the Eastern Conference, before returning to England after six months in the United States.[102] He later[when?] played forStafford Rangers, where his father had started his career, and played forMossley following an invite fromEric Webster.[102] His career came to an end in 1993 following brief spells atNorthwich Victoria,Wrexham,Radcliffe Borough, Mossley andCliftonville.[103][104]
Barnes was selected by Ken Burton for theEngland youth team in the Atlantic International Tournament in theCanary Islands in January 1975 and played all three matches againstPoland,West Germany andLas Palmas; England won the tournament and it was reported that his "juggling skills had the Canary Islanders raving".[7] He was selected for the1975 UEFA European Under-18 Championship inSwitzerland, having played in the first leg of the qualification tie withSpain. He played in the three group matches againstNorthern Ireland,Republic of Ireland andSwitzerland, and scored the only goal of the match against the Republic.[105] England overcameHungary in the semi-finals and won the tournament withRay Wilkins scoring the only goal of the final againstFinland at theWankdorf Stadium.[106]
Barnes made his debut for theEngland under-21 team as a substitute in a 0–0 draw withWales in December 1976, coming on as a 70th-minute substitute forDavid Fairclough.[107] He started the next seven England under-21 matches, scoring his first goal againstNorway inBergen on 1 June 1977; he won praise from journalists as the outstanding player in the match.[108][107] The victory over Norway helped England to qualify from their group at the1978 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, and he played in both legs of England's quarter-final victory overItaly, making his last appearance for the under-21s on 2 May 1978 in a 1–1 draw withYugoslavia in the semi-finals; Yugoslavia won the tie 3–2 onaggregate.[109]
Barnes made his fullEngland debut atWembley on 16 November 1977, in a 2–0 win overItaly.[110] ManagerRon Greenwood also gave firstcaps to right-winger Steve Coppell and centre-forwardBob Latchford in the match, saying that "their inexperience did not worry me because I thought they had the right qualities and character for the job".[111] The Italiansqualified ahead of England for the1978 FIFA World Cup after having already all but secured top spot in thegroup with five convincing victories.[112] Barnes won a second cap againstWest Germany on 22 February 1978, with journalist Bob Harris reporting that he "gave the experiencedBerti Vogts a harrowing time" despite England losing thefriendly 2–1.[113] Barnes scored againstWales in a 3–1 away win in the1978 British Home Championship and againstScotland in thefollowing year, with England claiming bothBritish Home Championship titles.[5]
Barnes went on to play in five of England's eightqualifying matches for the1980 European Championships, scoring in a 3–0 win overBulgaria at theVasil Levski National Stadium. However, he was not selected for the tournament itself.[114] He played in twoqualifying matches for the1982 FIFA World Cup, defeats toNorway andSwitzerland, but was again not selected for the tournament itself after being culled from the forty-man provisional squad.[5] Barnes played his last international match on 25 May 1982, in a friendly against theNetherlands. He won a total of 22 caps, scoring four international goals,[115] and also represented theEngland B team. His father felt that the success ofAlf Ramsey's "wingless wonders" in the1966 FIFA World Cup held his son back as the trend for England to play without wingers continued for many years after the initial success.[111] Barnes came close to being selected byBobby Robson before he was injured in 1985. Robson described him as the "next choice winger" after choosingChris Waddle instead.[86]
Barnes was naturally left-footed but was able to play with either foot.[116] His main strengths were his pace,dribbling ability andcrossing.[28] Don Revie assessed his style by saying: "He is very quick and well balanced and what impresses me as much as anything is the way he takes on defenders. The usual pattern nowadays is for a winger to draw his defender. This boy takes the ball up to them – makes them commit themselves and is brave enough to take anybody on".[117] Barnes was described as a rare "all out attacking" winger by Manchester United defenderJimmy Nicholl.[15]
Barnes' father,Ken also played football for Manchester City, winning the FA Cup in1956, and later worked as the club's chiefscout.[118] Ken and Jean Barnes had a total of five children: daughters Susan and Diane and sons Keith, Peter and Michael.[118] Keith had a month-long trial at Manchester United, and Michael represented England at schoolboy level, though neither became professional footballers.[119]
Barnes married Alison Garrathy on 10 September 1980. He withdrew from the England squad to play against Norway to get married.[5] They have two daughters: Eloise and Jessica.[118] The marriage ended in divorce in the 1990s; and Alison took the children to live in Italy.[120]
Barnes wrote a column inShoot magazine for a short time starting in October 1978 and also lent his name to a football training aid.[121] After his playing career finished, he was invited bySteve Fleet to coach community groups at Manchester City.[122] He was given a part-time job managingConference clubRuncorn mid-way through the1995–96 season and askedMike Lester to assist him. He was sacked after a new chairman took control of the club in March 1996.[123][124]
Barnes went on to take jobs sellinginsurance andmortgages. He was a pub manager at Manchester City's Social Club for six months and then spent seven years working for a firm that soldAstroTurf pitches and five years at a company that clearedcontaminated land.[125] He also worked as an analyst forKey 103 Radio andBBC Radio Manchester.[126] Jason Dasey hired Barnes as aPremier League pundit forAstro's thrice-weeklyFourFourTwo television programme inMalaysia in August 2010.[127] An authorised biography was published in 2021, written by Manchester City supporting football writer Gary Jones.[128]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| England[130] | 1977 | 1 | 0 |
| 1978 | 8 | 2 | |
| 1979 | 6 | 2 | |
| 1980 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1981 | 5 | 0 | |
| 1982 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 22 | 4 | |
Individual
England Youth
England
Manchester City
Manchester United
