T A R, he was unlucky with his injuries and we shouldn't forget that but yes, you're right, he had a poor attitude and showed a lack of respect to team mates, his own managers and the opposition. I recall someone he'd played against complaining that he made train noises as he ran past them. Great skills but not someone I'd want my boys to regard as a role model.

T A R, I like it. haha

You are right, injuries did also affected him, but still I honestly believe, had he been a little more grounded in his personality, he could have easily come back, like say Barker and Davies have both done in the past. Sadly, however, he was just too selfish and thought he was bigger than the club, leading him to waste his recovery time trying to get into premiership teams, rather than working on fully rebuilding his fitness and the result is the wasted talent, we see today.

Giles Barnes is one of the reasons I don't go overboard with optimism over our latest prospects. In fact Derby's record of developing young talent is quite poor. When you saw Addison and Barnes as teenagers you thought potential England players. In the 50 years of watching Derby I have seen so many prospects go by the wayside. Even those who did make it like Steve Powell never fulfilled their promise. Fe turned out to be a good pro but if you saw him as a teenager against Juventus you would have thought future England captain. Even our last successful protege Huddlestone is out injured at the moment.

Hope Hendrick, Hughes and Bennett don't suffer the same fate as most of our promising young players, and have to leave the game after injury or they just didn't improve.

Spartacus, good post

So many people on here ripped Clough's head off over allowing Barnes to leave.

I guess the manager was right - again.

Spartacus - agreed - which is why, if we sold Bennett and/or Hughes for decent money, I wouldn't be (a) surprised or (b) that unhappy. Bird in the hand and all that.

Eddie,

I bet I know someone who'll disagree with you

I only criticised Clough for allowing Moxey and Hulse to leave as I reckon they could be steady players here at Derby. As for Barnes, I wondered if he could ever regain fitness, but looking at him in about September time(?) when they played here, his belly was bigger than mine. I dont think he has the discipline or guidance needed to be a model professional.

I remember people thinking Barnes leaving was a sign of penny-pinching on GSE's behalf, but in hindsight, it was the right move. I'd be seething knowing he would be top-earner if he was still here!

Jorvik:

If it makes them happy, I really don't mind.

Old One-Eye I don't remember anyone regretting the release of Barnes, his time at Derby was done and I doubt he will ever make it anywhere now...unless maybe he has hit rock bottom and sees the light out of the long, dark pit he has dug himself into.

Taiwan: Not gonna happen

I saw him at what's now Chicito's ( what was it called before - total mind blank?)

He turned up for a party and sat there like he loved himself, having a little cockiness is fine but to be so up your own culo is ridiculous.

It's a good point made Taiwan or T.A.R. (as you now might be referred to as) of a promising player who lost it due to arrogance and possibly bad management by his agent.


@Spartacus - That's a really good point you've made dude regarding the quality of our youth over the years. Personally I think it's due to lacking coaches who can really bring out the best in our Academy players. We had Terry Westley bringing out a crop - with Nytanga, Tom Huddelstone, Lee Holmes, Giles Barnes and a young Miles Addison. Out of that batch only Huddlestone has established himself in the Premier League. Had these players been given better coaching and conditioning they could have turned as better players? It's hypothesis.

I have been critical of the current coaching staff because it is non-league experience coming up two tiers to produce players of Premier League / Championship calibre. The current set up is doing a good job of producing young players with potential but to move to the next level we need to be selling these players on for 2-3 million plus and not on free transfers to prosper.

Taiwan:

There were plenty on the old 606 who either blamed Clough for letting him go or suggested that he would come back to 'bite us'.

You know - like every time anyone leaves ever.

I'mnotSpartacus
I tend to agree with you, but I think the Academy is beginning to yield results due to investment (£1m per year) and a strategy. I haven't been following Derby as long as you or as loyally or/closely, but I'd say that since the time I started supporting them as a 15 year old (mid 80s), this is the best I can remember our youth policy.

I remember programmes lauding Justin Phillips and he fell along the wayside in the early 1990s, but I remain quietly confident about the Academy. We often looked enviously at Forest (circa 2003), but think we could have a group/core of youngsters.

There is also an onus on us as fans to give them patience and forebearance. I like Callum Ball, he isn't the finished article by no means, but some of our fans expect too much too soon. We too play our role as fans.

After Giles Barnes was released by Derby in 2009 - and I can understand why Derby released him - West Bromwich Albion signed him on some sort of basis - it may have been a weekly contract - and we repaired the injury he was still carrying and got him fit again (no disrespect to Derby) so that in 2010 he was given an 18-month contract and actually played for us 23 times in our Championship promotion season and then in the Premier League, mostly as a sub. However, he just wasn't good enough, and soon after Roy Hodgson became our manager in early 2011 he was released. I'm just pleased that Albion got him fit and playing again, and then it was up to the lad to show what he could do.

Aries22, how are you? I was mentioning you on another forum the other day, talking about fans of other teams who like to get involved in Derby/Football chat.

If you're ever at a loose end, check out dcfcfans site.
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As for Giles, he was his own worst enemy here, he acted like he was the finished article and had made it, when in reality he has achieved nothing. There was no denying that he had immense quality and bags of potential in 2005-08 at Derby, but he didn't have the right attitude to deal with Paul Jewell when returning from injury, hence why he never got fit. His head was turned the previous year with links to West Ham and some other clubs (think his uncle Ricky played for them), and he wanted his big move. I think Hodgson took him to Fulham on loan (could've been a different manager), but didn't feature much in the Premier League. When it came to the crunch, Derby were doing no better or worse without him so decided to offload him.
Last I heard he was at Houston Dynamos in the MLS and has been called up for Jamaica!

All good stuff. Apart from the "where next, Scotland?" bit.......

Blimey, Heb, where did you dredge this one up from ?

comment by 🏁AnglianRam 🏁 (U17428)
posted 5 minutes ago
Blimey, Heb, where did you dredge this one up from ?
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Pull-up a sandbag and swing the lampshade.

Constant vigilance Gentlemen!

comment by HebridesRam (U2909)
posted 8 minutes ago
Constant vigilance Gentlemen!
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Are you rooting for John Higgins Heb?

Yes. We need a left-back!