John Barnes Calls England A 'Team Of The Future' And Urges Fans To Get Behind The Players At World Cup

John Barnes Calls England A 'Team Of The Future' And Urges Fans To Get Behind The Players At World Cup
20:05, 11 Jun 2018

John Barnes has urged England supporters not to hammer Gareth Southgate’s young side if they flop at the World Cup, insisting this is a “team of the future”.

The Three Lions fly out to Russia on Tuesday with the nation hoping they can defy the odds and end 52 years of hurt on the world stage.

Yet Barnes, often a target for the England boo-boys during an international career which harvested 79 caps, believes Southgate’s side is some way of realising its full potential.

The legendary former Liverpool winger told The Sportsman: “The thing I like about this England team is that you look at the young players we have and there is pace, skill and energy in abundance.

“I like what Gareth is doing with the side and there is a lot of great young talent with the likes of Raheem Sterling, Harry Kane, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dele Alli and Marcus Rashford.

“However, as a squad there isn’t a lot of international experience and that can lead to inconsistency in performances, as we saw from England at the European Championships two years ago.

“If England can get to the quarter-finals of this World Cup, I’ll be happy but that’s not to say they can’t go further.

“However, I’ll probably put more pressure on them in 2020 when they have two more years’ experience.

“Crucially, if we support them and not be too critical of them if they get knocked out in the quarter-finals, then this can be a team of the future.

“We haven’t got a choice but to support them because it’s not as if we’ve got other players who can come in and do any better.

“So if we want them to be a real force in the coming years, then we have to get behind them even if they don’t do particularly well because that will help them going forward.

“I believe England can win the World Cup but I’d consider reaching the last eight a successful campaign nonetheless.”

Barnes, meanwhile, admits he is open to the prospect of a return to football management despite being out of the game since a brief reign at Tranmere ended in October 2009.

It followed a previous stint in charge of Celtic which also ended badly but Barnes said: “There aren’t many opportunities but if one came up, I would look at it.”

With just six of the 92 clubs in the English football pyramid currently managed by black bosses, Barnes is adamant that opportunities remain scarce.

A recent survey also showed that BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) coaches held just 22 of 482 leading roles in the English game.

Furthermore, only six BAME individuals have overseen a Premier League game as a club's permanent boss.

Barnes added: “I can’t see the tide turning at all for black managers and the only reason Chris Hughton is still in a job is because he’s been successful.

“Yes, Darren Moore has been successful in his last six matches at West Brom but time will tell if more black managers are given equal opportunities if things don’t go their way. Only then we can say the tide is turning.”

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