Barnes

Barnes returns to Jamaica looking to instill championship approach
John Barnes when he played for England 11/11/2008 - Mention the name John Barnes to nearly any soccer authority of a certain age and it is certain to conjure images of a lithe striker clad in Liverpool’s red; or wearing England’s white shirt, three lions on the crest, as he knifed through Brazil’s defense to score an eye-popping goal at South America’s cathedral of soccer, Maracana, in 1984. Now, those achievements may seem like ancient history, fuzzy clips on YouTube.com and perhaps even fuzzier memories wafting through the head of Barnes, who is now the coach of the national team of Jamaica. "That goal? It was a friendly and didn’t win us anything apart from the game," Barnes said after assuming control of the Jamaican team on November 1 to prepare it for the Caribbean cup finals. "Winning championships with Liverpool meant more because it’s a team game. Yeah, that individual stuff is fine, scoring great goals, but you never put the individual honors above the team." In a few words, that is the philosophy that Barnes hopes to pass along and instill as the Reggae Boyz prepare to host the Digicel Caribbean Championship December 3-14. With four teams from the Caribbean Championship guaranteed places in next year’s CONCACAF Gold Cup, Jamaica begins in a group with Grenada, Barbados, and Trinidad and Tobago. The other group is composed of Cuba, Guadeloupe, Haiti, and Antigua and Barbuda. Barnes, 44, is currently preparing his side, but without the benefit of Jamaica’s overseas players from Europe, Scandinavia and North America. "What we have here is mainly the guys playing for the local clubs in Jamaica" not the crux of the national team that are playing in the World Cup qualifiers, he said. "But it's still important to get a look at them as they will be the ones playing ... in the next CONCACAF Gold Cup," Barnes said. "There are some fine young players in this crop, and they are the future of the Reggae Boyz." In a way, Barnes was the quintessential "overseas" player, having moved from his native Jamaica to England with his family when he was a youngster. So his link to the island nation of his birth, while certainly historical, is also tenuous. "I’m here for a camp to prepare the players for the Digicel Cup," he said. "My contract now is only until June. I’m here to coach the football team and haven’t lived in Jamaica for many, many years. Sven [Goran Eriksson] had never been to Mexico. You go where there is a love of football and I’m coaching a football team. The issue of coming back is not a problem at all. It is an opportunity." In his career, John Charles Bryan Barnes has always taken advantage of his opportunities. He made 233 appearances for Watford, scoring 65 goals from 1981-87, then moved to Liverpool, where he played scored 84 goals in 316 games from 1987-1997 -- probably the best years of his playing career. From 1983 to 1995, Barnes played 79 times for England and scored 11 goals. After his playing career ended with Charlton Athletic in 1999, Barnes hooked up as a coach with Celtic in Scotland in 1999-2000, a brief tenure to be sure. After that ended, he never made a secret of his desire to coach Jamaica. In 2006, the peripatetic Bora Milutinovic got the job, followed by René Simoes, who was dismissed after a three straight losses in World Cup qualifying. Barnes was slated to assume his new position on November 1, but a late run by Jamaica under the interim coach Theodore Whitmore delayed Barnes’s arrival and installation as the full-time coach. Now, Barnes and Jamaica probably will have to cobble together a squad for the Digicel Cup, without a handful of players from Europe because the tournament dates do not fall on official FIFA fixture days. That means Jamaica could be without Ricardo Gardner (Bolton Wanderers/England) and Ricardo Fuller (Stoke City). But Barnes seems certain to call in the speedy wing Dane Richards (New York Red Bulls/MLS, defender Shavar Thomas (Chivas USA/MLS), striker Omar Cummings (Colorado/MLS) and defender Tyrone Marshall (Toronto FC/MLS), all of whom will be out of competition. "It will be difficult to get motivated for the Digicel because these are mostly local players," Barnes said. "They want to show that they should be involved in the Gold Cup and World Cup qualifying and they have a lot to play for. Ninety-nine percent are local players who need to show consistency and desire. They want to show people what they can do." Which is exactly what John Barnes wants to do.