ARTICLE: Barnes back for more

[Nonayforever]

I'm another who is very pleased with this news.
Burnley through & through , which is worth it's weight in gold when results don't go well, which is what will happen at some point.

[Vegas Claret]

We just feel more like us when Barnsey is about so delighted from that point of view

I hope that doesn't mean we aren't bringing a striker in though

[Vegas Claret]

Interview
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMbv63gz_u4

[Burnleyareback2]

Great news- imagine his Vegas tattoo sealed the deal.

Expect he will also spend time coaching the under 21’s with Cork moving more to the first team.

Brilliant!!

[Tribesmen]

It's what he brings to the club i enjoy .
He will be great in the dressing room and the sidelines , now when he gets his chance on tbe pitch he will not let the side down .
All In all a super day .

[Elizabeth]

I think it was the right decision to offer Barnes a contract and I'm not surprised he's signed it. It's clear from posts that he is much loved by the Up The Clarets community.

[Elizabeth]

We just feel more like us when Barnsey is about so delighted from that point of view

I hope that doesn't mean we aren't bringing a striker in though

Very unlikely that we won't be bringing one in. Hopefully one significantly more robust than the brittle Foster.

[Jakubclaret]

I thought he might leave, but only because he could still get regular first team football in the championship. Speaks volumes about his character and committment that he wants to stay, knowing his role will mainly be off the pitch not on it.

A cynical perspective could infer a lack of alternative options. That said hopefully he'll be good around the dressing room promoting positivity during tough periods of the season.

[mikeS]

Great
Basher back for another season.
What's not to like?

[HurstGrangeClaret]

Don’t care what all the doomsayers are saying, this has put a big smile on my face!

[boatshed bill]

Very unlikely that we won't be bringing one in. Hopefully one significantly more robust than the brittle Foster.

I'd say we need 2.
Starting the season with just Barnes and Foster as options up front would be a disaster.

[Enola Gay]

Not as convinced as everyone else seems to be about this.

For me we needed two strikers in this window. Having re-signed Barnes I still think we need two strikers in but we’ve now one fewer space in the squad to fit them in.

He’s got form for proving people wrong, but signing people because they’re great to have around the place is the sort of thing I thought we’d left behind with Stephen Reid. Fingers crossed this works out better.

[bobinho]

Posted the same post on the SSN thread. But Jaidon Anthony just spoke about Barnes being one of the best people JA has met in football and how he drives the standards up in training.

For all you “he’s too old and shouldn’t have a place” people, have another read of this, and take it in.
You can’t place a price on this type of influence. It’s REAL leadership, and it’s rare. We’ll need it next year.

[gandhisflipflop]

Not as convinced as everyone else seems to be about this.

For me we needed two strikers in this window. Having re-signed Barnes I still think we need two strikers in but we’ve now one fewer space in the squad to fit them in.

He’s got form for proving people wrong, but signing people because they’re great to have around the place is the sort of thing I thought we’d left behind with Stephen Reid. Fingers crossed this works out better.

There are a lot of assumptions on this thread that he will be in the 25.

[jojomk1]

For all you “he’s too old and shouldn’t have a place” people, have another read of this, and take it in.
You can’t place a price on this type of influence. It’s REAL leadership, and it’s rare. We’ll need it next year.

The issue is not that he is good for the dressing room - he clearly is a good influence around the squad whether on the training ground or at matches

But, at his personal age, skills and fitness levels I would have thought he will feature very little (if at all) next season in games - indeed he was called on very little for the last months of the Championship campaign after he rejoined in Jan
We have a vastly inflated squad at the moment, 40 at the last count with, hopefully, more "quality" to come in covering Trafford, Brownhill and a striker plus another central midfield as a minimum
There's at least 10 and maybe more who will not feature even on the bench
They have been bad buys who, with their current wages, will be difficult to move on - we may even have to subsidise their wages on loans
Giving Barnes some form of role within the backroom staff would have been a better reward for his influence

[fatboy47]

The question mark over our front line hasn't got any smaller with this addition.

[warksclaret]

Have to confess that I am not as excited about him securing a squad place as some are on here. Fully acknowledge his passion for the club and the undoubted motivation he is providing his younger colleagues. In which case why not employ him as a behind the scenes back-room staff member-a mentor if you like. He was struggling in the PL under Dyche and that was 3-4 years ago. I will however accept that Alan Pace may see the value of him being around the squad. The agents of Rodriguez and Barnes must really love our club

[ClaretTony]

Have to confess that I am not as excited about him securing a squad place as some are on here. Fully acknowledge his passion for the club and the undoubted motivation he is providing his younger colleagues. In which case why not employ him as a behind the scenes back-room staff member-a mentor if you like. He was struggling in the PL under Dyche and that was 3-4 years ago. I will however accept that Alan Pace may see the value of him being around the squad. The agents of Rodriguez and Barnes must really love our club

It’s not his passion for the club that’s won him this deal. Just listen to what the other players say about him and his influence. His time won’t go on forever, and this season will probably be his last. Huge mistake to release him two years ago and now an excellent decision to keep him.

I have more faith in Scott Parker than you have with this. Do you honestly believe he’d have wanted to keep him because of his passion for the club?

[claret wizard]

Should never have left - error number one of that ridiculous summer.

Wasn’t even in the summer! He was told when we got promoted at ‘boro .

[ClaretTony]

Wasn’t even in the summer! He was told when we got promoted at ‘boro .

He was told some considerable time before Middlesbrough. He just took that moment to announce it.

[claretspice]

Not as convinced as everyone else seems to be about this.

For me we needed two strikers in this window. Having re-signed Barnes I still think we need two strikers in but we’ve now one fewer space in the squad to fit them in.

He’s got form for proving people wrong, but signing people because they’re great to have around the place is the sort of thing I thought we’d left behind with Stephen Reid. Fingers crossed this works out better.

Judge all this at the end of the window. We definitely need one striker, and probably also someone who can operate wide or up front (the Lazio lad appears to have that profile). I doubt Barnes is at the expense of either. There is a point about squad size but worth bearing in mind that u21s do not count - Koleosho for example still is in addition to a 25 man squad.

In addition, even if he does not make the 25 man squad he can play cup ties, and play an important role behind the scenes. As I said above, a sort of captain of the second XI role.

If he ends up coming at the expense of a front line player in the 25 man squad then fair enough. If I'm right and he doesn't, he's a good egg to have around.

[Steve1956]

And all at the same time