John Barnwell(born 24 December 1938) is an English formerfootballplayer and manager. He was thechief executiveof theLeague Managers Association.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 24 December 1938 | ||
| Place of birth | High Heaton,[1]Newcastle upon Tyne,England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Striker/Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Bishop Auckland | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1957–1964 | Arsenal | 151 | (24) |
| 1964–1970 | Nottingham Forest | 186 | (22) |
| 1970 | Sheffield United | 9 | (2) |
| Total | 346 | (48) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1977–1978 | Peterborough United | ||
| 1978–1982 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | ||
| 1983–1984 | AEK Athens | ||
| 1987–1988 | Notts County | ||
| 1989–1990 | Walsall | ||
| 1993–1994 | Northampton Town | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Career
editArsenal
editBorn in Newcastle, Barnwell first played as anamateurfor Whitley Bay and Bishop Auckland before moving toArsenalin 1955; turning professional in November 1956. A regular in the Arsenal youth side, gaining England youth and an England under 23 caps, he made his debut for the Arsenal first team againstSunderlandon 13 April 1957.
Soon after Barnwell was called up forNational Service,and did not play again for Arsenal till midway through the1958–59season. A semi-regular in the Arsenal side for the next six seasons, Barnwell initially played as aninside forward,behind the mainstrikers,but during1961–62he was switched to a more defensive wing half position. He couldn't maintain his place in the side and was dropped.
However, Barnwell returned in1962-63,playing 37 games at wing half, only to lose form again the following season, however, and he was dropped from the side. Unable to find his way back into the Arsenal first team again, he transferred in March 1964 for £40,000. In total, he played 151 matches for Arsenal, scoring 24 goals.
Nottingham Forest
editBarnwell joinedNottingham Forestplaying there for six seasons, where he properly settled into adefensive midfieldrole; he did not win any major honours at Forest either, although they came close in1966–67– finishing asFirst Divisionrunners-up andFA Cupsemi-finalists. He played 186 matches, scoring 22 goals, for Forest.
Sheffield United
editBarnwell left forSheffield Unitedin 1970. After a brief stint (playing nine games and scoring twice), he retired due to a persistent ankle injury.
Coaching and management
editAfter retiring, Barnwell moved into coaching, becoming a coach underNoel CantwellatPeterborough United,helping the club to promotion to the oldThird Division.Barnwell succeeded Cantwell in 1977, and narrowly missed out on reaching theSecond Divisionin his first and only season. He left United in 1978 after a dispute with the club's board, but soon joinedWolves,taking the club to an FA Cup semi-final against his old club Arsenal in 1979, and then victory in the 1980League Cupfinal against Forest. Wolves finished 6th in the League in 1979–80. This was despite Barnwell being involved in a horrificcaraccident, in which hefractured his skull.
However, Wolves could not maintain their form at the turn of the decade, finishing 18th in1980-81,although they did reach theFA Cupsemi-finals for the second time in three seasons. With the club 18th in the First Division, Barnwell resigned on the 8th January 1982 after a on-going dispute with the Chairman Harry Marshall.
He moved abroad, coaching inSaudi Arabiaand later managingGreeksideAEK Athens(1983–1984). He then returned to England in the lower divisions to manageNotts County(1987–1988),Walsall(1989–1990) andNorthampton Town(1993–1994). After that, he semi-retired from management, before becoming manager of Grantham Town in February 1996.
He then took up his post as LMA chief executive in July 1996. Barnwell is now a life Vice President of the LMA, and is involved in various businesses related to football. He describes his passion as "The game, the people in it, and its future".
References
editGeneral
- Harris, Jeff (1995). Hogg, Tony (ed.).Arsenal Who's Who.Independent UK Sports.ISBN1-899429-03-4.
Specific