He will long be remembered as the "Nearly Man".
Plenty of ability, but not the IQ to make the most of it.
Always outspoken - to the extreme - and it was no surprise to hear him on Talksport say that Callum McManaman was a saint rather than a sinner,
Football fans reacted with dismay when McManaman got off without any punishment from the FA, who said they couldn't hand out a ban because an official had seen the incident.
John Barnes: "I don't think he should be charged at all... I think he's been very harshly treated.
"Tackles like that happen every single day, in every single league, at least 60/70 times. At least."
Three questions for Mr Barnes ...
1) So 70 players end up in hospital every day?
2) 70 players see their careers on the line?
3) Do Talksport pay you in pies (you fat bastard)?