Ashley Barnes - Legend

[Tricky Trevor]

I posted, a long while back, a list of his goals for us and how many were 2 touch at most. If I remember right there were only two that weren’t.
This week he’s scored 3. A one touch header v Crawley, a one touch header v Rovers and a two touch drive against Rovers.
He is never going to take the ball in and turn a CB. It’s the correct supply he needs. Put the ball between him and the goal and he’s deadly.

[Hipper]

I looked at the match again! Barnes was even better then I thought. He was involved in practically every good attempt on goal.

Barnes has struggled with injuries over the last couple of years and it was a surprise if not a disappointment that his contract was extended in June. His performances since then have not been impressive with the worst side of him coming to the fore. Yesterday though, was the Barnes of old with practically no falling over and just the three blatant pushes (probably should have got a yellow after the third). But it was his performance in front of goal that tells me he has a big part to play this season.

On this showing he can't be dropped and it is Jay Rod who must fight for his place.

[jedi_master]

Some of the photos of his celebration, THAT after match interview, and throwing the keeper into the net - all of these moments are absolutely going into our folklore.

Iconic.

[Hibsclaret]

Amidst all the doom mongers and posts on here saying he should never play for us again he has proven that he is still the best finisher at the club. You have to realise he has had to work with a different manager for years and employ tactics to suit the role. He has taken a month or two to get used to a new way of possession based football and so is essentially an old dog learning new tricks. However, the bottom line is he is still clinical as we have seen over many years and he also scores excellent goals, often minimal touch as mentioned above. His finishing ability is still higher than Championship level.

[Inchy]

The way he plows their keeper into the net after the first goal was a thing of beauty

[CrosspoolClarets]

Worth mentioning that only Benson has more shots per minute played than Barnes (over 500 mins to qualify). Maybe a better measure than goals when he has played as little as he has.

Goals Barnes is now 0.4 per 90 minutes so that is better than 1 in 3. Jay and Benson are 0.6.

Two swallows don’t make a summer but all I’m pointing out is that if he can bag a few more after the break he will comfortably have some of the best stats in the team even if it is clear as day he doesn’t suit our new system.

[Hibsclaret]

In addition he has that edge that gets in the face of the opposition. A few on here suggested he would get sent off or that I was dreaming suggesting it might be his day yesterday. Typical of the naysayers that have been on his case all season. The same ones will be back on his back the next time he fails to score. He is an important part of the squad and will suit certain games such as the Derby games when you need to show some balls. He was definitely needed at Sheff U for example.

[Hibsclaret]

I think he can suit the new system it’s just taken time to adapt whilst being in and out and playing few minutes.

[jedi_master]

I think he can suit the new system it’s just taken time to adapt whilst being in and out and playing few minutes.

Agree with this, he looked fully at home yesterday.

I would say however, it's as much to do with Ash himself as him fitting into a system around him. He hasn't had that 'edge' to his game when he's played this season, threw himself to the ground too much and didn't do the very good things we know he is capable of. He's always had a really good first touch, close control and ability to hold the ball up - he's far more than just a pest, but this last 18 months or so he had seemingly not done the things we knew he could do.

Yesterday was like the Barnes of 2014-2019 who absolutely bullied players. It was fantastic to watch. Long may it continue.

[NottsClaret]

He's looked decent as a sub in the last couple of weeks, looked sharper again. I think maybe all that falling over and play acting which takes away from his game is partly down to him doubting he can still do it physically, but maybe he's feeling more confident now he's fit at last.

He's always been a better footballer than he gets credit for, his touch is actually really good for a bruising centre forward.

* edit: We posted same thing there jedi!

[claptrappers_union]

Some of the photos of his celebration, THAT after match interview, and throwing the keeper into the net - all of these moments are absolutely going into our folklore.

Iconic.

I think we are seeing the end of an era in the football which Barnes epitomised in that game yesterday. He was physical, he was intense, he was devious, he delivered shithousery… and he bullied and harassed and he was involved in every goal.

From a Burnley v Blackburn perspective, Kevin Ball made him self a cult hero, but Barnsey’s contribution to the saga is much more positive.

Burnley fans will always love him, Blackburn fans will forever hate him. It’s brilliant.

With VAR and the sport slowly becoming more non-contact - performances like his yesterday will be a thing of the past. Embrace it.

[Hibsclaret]

Agree with this, he looked fully at home yesterday.

I would say however, it's as much to do with Ash himself as him fitting into a system around him. He hasn't had that 'edge' to his game when he's played this season, threw himself to the ground too much and didn't do the very good things we know he is capable of. He's always had a really good first touch, close control and ability to hold the ball up - he's far more than just a pest, but this last 18 months or so he had seemingly not done the things we knew he could do.

Yesterday was like the Barnes of 2014-2019 who absolutely bullied players. It was fantastic to watch. Long may it continue.

Absolutely but I think he’s just needed time to adjust to a new playing style. There’s a big difference playing with 35% possession to what we do so you have to adapt your game. Kompany will have seen how he has done that in training for him to start him yesterday. The fans haven’t had patience with him.

[TheOriginalLongsider]

Who put the keeper in the b@stards' net, who put the keeper in the bastards'net......

[claretspice]

What Barnes' performance yesterday reminds us all is that a player with confidence is a different proposition to one without.

Sure, Barnes has had to adapt to Kompany’s style (and to an extent, the other players have had to adapt to him) and there have been signs in recent weeks that they've been getting on a better wavelength.

But fundamentally, a goal and an assist on Tuesday will have done wonders for his confidence and we saw that yesterday.

Writing a striker off when he's low on goals is always dangerous. Seeing how effective he is after one has fallen for him is a much better clue of whether he has a future. On this evidence there's a bit of life in Ashley yet. Good thing, because he's clearly a big influence behind the scenes.

[Quickenthetempo]

I had wrote him off years ago but I'm going to have to fall in love with him again.

Well played Ashley.

[Spijed]

What Barnes' performance yesterday reminds us all is that a player with confidence is a different proposition to one without.

Sure, Barnes has had to adapt to Kompany’s style (and to an extent, the other players have had to adapt to him) and there have been signs in recent weeks that they've been getting on a better wavelength.

But fundamentally, a goal and an assist on Tuesday will have done wonders for his confidence and we saw that yesterday.

Writing a striker off when he's low on goals is always dangerous. Seeing how effective he is after one has fallen for him is a much better clue of whether he has a future. On this evidence there's a bit of life in Ashley yet. Good thing, because he's clearly a big influence behind the scenes.

It was also good to see that we are mixing up our game plan a bit more with Muric aiming for Barnes at times with a direct goal kick, rather than trying to play out from the back. A good evolution of our style.

[Quicknick]

I had wrote him off years ago but I'm going to have to fall in love with him again.

Well played Ashley.

Years ago?

[Quickenthetempo]

Years ago?

At least 3

[bobinho]

He was ridiculous yesterday. Absolutely another level. He was a ten amongst a team full of 8’s and 9’s.

I’ll readily admit I was one of those who thought his time was up. I thought he was struggling to embrace this new way of playing and as such I didn’t see much game time for him.
VK who sees him everyday has obviously had some input into how Ashley plays his game these days. Gone is the constant backing in and falling over, replaced by the hustling and bustling bruiser of a centre forward we always knew he was.

I think his time in the starting line up will be limited, and I think the key will be VK knowing when and where to use him. I think he has given VK a problem now and something to think about because if VK knew how and when to use him we would’ve seen him at Sheffield. Well VK now knows what he can get from Ash, after that superb performance yesterday.

I’m absolutely delighted for Ash, always been a fan and yesterday he reminded me why. A very classy performance.

[Bosscat]

So Ashley Barnes' day in bullet points:

1. Starts the game unexpectedly (even he didn't know till today), but he's bang on it.
2. Nearly scores in the first half
3. Scores the first and then pushes the keeper into the back of the net
4. Great volley which is saved for the second goal
5. Cooly slots home the third goal
6. Gets man of the match
7. Calls Blackburn B*stards in a tv interview

Job done

https://twitter.com/TheBurnleyWay/statu ... D7fHQ&s=08

[IanMcL]

Barnes is able to manoeuvre his body and take snap shots, when no one else does or can. At it's simplest it frightens defenders and at best, he scores or produces a save from the keeper.

[claretandy]

I noticed that we crossed the ball into the box a lot more than usual, which was nice ....

[burnleymik]

He has been very good last few games because he has stopped playing for fouls and is now playing to score. I might be wrong, but I don't remember him ending up on the floor asking for a free kick today. Long may it continue as he looks a different player.

This.

When he stays on his feet and tries to actually play, he is a different player. Strong, good in the air and with the service we can get into the box now he will always carry a threat. Really glad to see him getting away from the stupidity of constantly trying to con the ref and actually doing what he did best.

[AfloatinClaret]

I must've picked up five yellow cards because I've had a Spamhaus ban, so apologies for the delay Ashley;

I hold my hands up to being another who'd written off Ashley Barnes and cringed whenever he's stepped onto the pitch this season and indeed most of the last one too; though I felt that picking/playing him in the Crawley game was now 'about his level' so I was OK with that - it gave Jay Rod a day off before the Blackburn game - but shuddered when I saw he was starting yesterday.

whilst it no doubt helped that Blackburn produced little more, indeed perhaps less threat than Crawley, the way Ashley Barnes performed was superb, and I believe he's attained the 'legend' status that's been mentioned earlier. AB's goals yesterday will be spoken of alongside Robbie Blake's, and Wade Elliott's, while his unnecessarily bouncing their keeper into the net after the first and his B*stards comment in the post match interview will rank him alongside Kevin Ball in the history of Rovers matches.

Thank you Ashley Barnes, you've justified your salary for that Contract extension in a single afternoon, anything else you're able to contribute this year will be seen as a bonus; Arise ASHLEY BARNES, you're now one of the greats, a BURNLEY LEGEND.

[keith1879]

Only one person needs to grow up

The games he got slated in, he was crap

Today he was good, doesn't suddenly mean the Games he was crap in, he suddenly became better

It's life, some games are good, others are poor, as you grow up you'll come to realise it more

I'm not so sure. He came on in a game recently and scored a superb goal but was flagged offside. The guy next to me was totally contemptuous of Barnes and said so quite openly. Watched on the replay the offside was marginal at best. Would he have been crap if the goal had stood? At West Brom I was sat up near the far end from the Burnley fans with a West Brom supporting friemd. In the second half Barnes executed a sublime piece of skill with a ball over his shoulder spinning on it but lifted the subsequent half volley over the bar...it was right in front of where I was sitting. If he had hit that shot a millisecond later it would have been a goal....would he have been crap then? I really think we judge players by outcomes too much. I guess that managers see past that and understand what a player is truly capable of.

[Taffy on the wing]

Some of us have never given up on him........proper club legend!

[bpgburn]

I don't care what Ash has done previously or what he does in the future, for me the man is now beyond reproach after that game, not for the performance or the goals (although both were top drawer) but for planting their keeper in the net. I will never get tired of watching that, pure class.

[Bosscat]

*** BREAKING NEWS ***

Faced with disciplinary action from the FA

Ashley Barnes has apologised for referring to Blackburn Rovers as ‘the bastards’ yesterday.

‘I was caught up in the moment,’ he said. ‘I apologise and should’ve said “horse-fiddlers”’.

[Jakubclaret]

Scoring goals & being rewarded ensures confidence & it's finally reached fruition he's finding some semblance of form at last, continually knocking the bloke & criticising you get the opposite absolutely no confidence let's try backing the bloke from now on & hopefully he'll continue to contribute in a positive sense. I don't doubt he won't read this forum or people close to him won't & going off what's been posted it's no wonder he's been struggling.

[HunterST_BFC]

Peak Barnes for me was bouncing the keeper into the net after he scored the headed 1st then roared as he celebrated

https://www.facebook.com/TurfMoorLoyal/ ... 134207886/

[Superjohnnyfrancis]

He’ll be replaying those goals in his head for a long time for sure , there destined for an all time Burnley highlights reel also.

[Goalposts]

Barnes has apologised to the BBC for getting caught up in the moment and referring to Blackburn as B##tards, in an interview that was broadcast on the bbc website .


He should have referred to them as horse fiddlers

[boatshed bill]

Scoring goals & being rewarded ensures confidence & it's finally reached fruition he's finding some semblance of form at last, continually knocking the bloke & criticising you get the opposite absolutely no confidence let's try backing the bloke from now on & hopefully he'll continue to contribute in a positive sense. I don't doubt he won't read this forum or people close to him won't & going off what's been posted it's no wonder he's been struggling.

Does this post actually make any sense whatsoever?

[Wile E Coyote]

seen posts recently that were very bad regarding Barnes on here, saying he should never be seen in our colours ever again etc etc.
The pervading view was that he was a lumbering cheat and too old to live with the young bloods VK has brought in. Like Barnes was just some journeyman lump , feigning injuries and walloping into players looking clumsily for free kicks.
If any game showed how fickle and stupid so called loyal fans are, it was this rovers derby game.
Barnes has worked his arse off for years for us, some spectacular goals, some crucial too. He is exactly what many supporters want, passionate, angry, and a thorn in any opposition teams side.
He seems a great lad, and ALL his exploits should be part of the clarets folklore, one of our best in my opinion.

[Jakubclaret]

Does this post actually make any sense whatsoever?

No but I'm not about to break the habit of a lifetime & post something that does make sense I'm sorry if that disappoints.

[Quicknick]

I always think, whenever I read an anti-Barnes post: Would you want him playing for the opposition?

[Big Vinny K]

We have always had a section of fans who did not understand what Barnes brought to the team. Unfortunately this section has grown as Barnes has slowed down as he got older on the back of a few difficult periods of injuries.

We signed him for £500k and he has been a fantastic servant to the club during one of our most successful periods in the last 50 plus years.

But on the flip side of the extreme opinions that exist on this board the “told you so” lot always like to come out of the woodwork after a game like Sunday.

Fortunately most fans are pretty reasonable and have a balanced view. We appreciate what a good lad and player Barnes has been for us. But we recognise that he is nearing the end of his time with us. When we found out he was on the team sheet on Sunday the vast majority would have been disappointed it was not Jay. Yet we all hoped it would work out for Barnes. And it did and we are all absolutely delighted for him.
Does that mean we think he will continue in that vein for the rest of the season ? Well that would be great but in reality and based on the last couple of years it’s probably not going to happen.

[Lancasterclaret]

We have always had a section of fans who did not understand what Barnes brought to the team. Unfortunately this section has grown as Barnes has slowed down as he got older on the back of a few difficult periods of injuries.

We signed him for £500k and he has been a fantastic servant to the club during one of our most successful periods in the last 50 plus years.

But on the flip side of the extreme opinions that exist on this board the “told you so” lot always like to come out of the woodwork after a game like Sunday.

Fortunately most fans are pretty reasonable and have a balanced view. We appreciate what a good lad and player Barnes has been for us. But we recognise that he is nearing the end of his time with us. When we found out he was on the team sheet on Sunday the vast majority would have been disappointed it was not Jay. Yet we all hoped it would work out for Barnes. And it did and we are all absolutely delighted for him.
Does that mean we think he will continue in that vein for the rest of the season ? Well that would be great but in reality and based on the last couple of years it’s probably not going to happen.

As a big Barnes critic, I was pleased to see that he was the replacement for Jay, mainly because he'd looked a lot more like his old self in the game v Crawley

I'd always start with Jay, but it Barnes can build on that performance and do it regularly, then he really will put pressure on Jay, and that is a good thing

[evensteadiereddie]

seen posts recently that were very bad regarding Barnes on here, saying he should never be seen in our colours ever again etc etc.
The pervading view was that he was a lumbering cheat and too old to live with the young bloods VK has brought in. Like Barnes was just some journeyman lump , feigning injuries and walloping into players looking clumsily for free kicks.
If any game showed how fickle and stupid so called loyal fans are, it was this rovers derby game.
Barnes has worked his arse off for years for us, some spectacular goals, some crucial too. He is exactly what many supporters want, passionate, angry, and a thorn in any opposition teams side.
He seems a great lad, and ALL his exploits should be part of the clarets folklore, one of our best in my opinion.

Your last twp paragraphs cannot be argued with.
Due to Jayrod's injury, Barnes got his chance and took it beautifully and fair play to the lad.

There is no doubt, though, that Barnes' earlier form was poor and he did indeed display all the attributes of being out of his depth and having to resort to desperate free- kick winning tactics which was a shame for him.

Pointing out that he was no longer fit to be considered first choice striker was neither unfair nor inaccurate.
Nobody on here would have picked him to be anything other than a sub.

That's why his role up to now has been very limited.

VK has managed Barnes brilliantly. Barnes will be perfectly aware that his role is that of a squad player, standing in where necessary. He came in, was fired up and performed brilliantly.

Whether he can continue to do so after the break will be very interesting.

Either way, it's pleasant dilemma for VK to have.

[CaptJohn]

As someone who actually put his hand in his pocket and helped bring Ash to our club I was delighted, but not surprised, to see his performance on Sunday. Form is temporary but class is permanent and it's a pity that the WC break has come now, because Ash has hit a rich vein of form. Long may it continue into the rest of the season. Fingers crossed

[Swizzlestick]

What you've got to remember now for months certain posters have been giving him dogs abuse including the likes of edster & in the most important game of the season he's completely smashed it cue - operation backtracking full throttle ahead.

You wanted him out the door a few months back?!

[1882Clarets1882]

Ashley has been at the club for a few years and knows what the Derby means to fans. I just hope he didn't raise his game given Sundays occasion but continues his form on into the rest of the season . His recent disallowed goal suggests he's still up for it and its a real pity the breaks come when it has. Either way I'm sure his performance on Sunday will live long in the memories of all those there to see it. Well played Ash .

[Big Vinny K]

You wanted him out the door a few months back?!

Why do we continue to engage with this fruit loop ? He ruins most threads.
How can you have a serious conversation about anything with someone who has expressed the views he has on this board ?
And just to remind those who don’t know and decide themselves to get involved in his rabbit hole non sensical hypocritical debates this is a person who believes the public should be allowed to vote on the sentences of criminals

[Jakubs Tash]

For me, Barnes’ excellent performance showed that a centre forward who attacks spaces in the box, playing in that team and with those wingers will get lots of chances. Jay needs to stop coming so deep all the time and just get himself in the box.

[tiger76]

I see the extremes are emerging on both sides again, that's rare on UTC.

I have been on of Ashley's biggest critics, and although he was immense on Sunday that shouldn't hide the fact that he's been poor for many months now.

Hopefully his goals this week will set him off on a good run once more, however if everyone is fit he'll likely still be on the bench I suspect.

What his return to form might mean is we may be able to hold off going into the market for another striker in January.

Probably be Barnes last season as a Claret, but it would be a fitting way for him to sign off by playing a role in another Championship winning squad.

[GDK]

Barnes is a Clarets legend and had confirmed that long before Sunday. But even at his age and with his experience, the lack of goals was bound to affect his confidence. He's seemed to snatch at opportunities this season and his usually excellent control has deserted him at times.

Maybe he just needed a performance like that to get back on track. It's typical of Ash to produce it in that particular game. It would be great to see him play a big role in the rest of the season, particularly if it is to be his last with us.

[lakedistrictclaret]

For me, Barnes’ excellent performance showed that a centre forward who attacks spaces in the box, playing in that team and with those wingers will get lots of chances. Jay needs to stop coming so deep all the time and just get himself in the box.

I agree entirely with this.
The reason that Ash was so ineffective at Sunderland is that we were just lumping it up to him hoping it might stick. On Sunday, we had two fast wide players and attacking central players playing the ball to him in the box.
Using Ashley Barnes like this, he is still a force to be reckoned with at Championship level.

[Superjohnnyfrancis]

We were back to the 2018 Barnes against rovers long may it continue.

[Zlatan]

I noticed that we crossed the ball into the box a lot more than usual, which was nice ....

reminded me of The Fast Show character... so I googled it and ended up watching The Fast Show Live...

Got to this part and enjoyed the song

https://youtu.be/wf-ec0VAMkg?t=3195

[Stayingup]

Will Ash get offered another year contract? Could happen.