Back in the big time (Nick Barmby)

Member Name: thehud

Product:	Nick Barmby
Date:	09/08/02 (43 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Nippy, Gifted

Disadvantages: Not back to his best yet

Just as everything seems to be turning sour for Nicky Barmby - missing out on all Liverpool's Cup treble triumphs in 2001 following a succession of injuries, an ankle operation which destroyed his 2001-02 season and then seeing a succession of big money foreigners arrive at Anfield to start dropping him down the pecking order as the new season approaches, and disappearing from trace in Sven Goran Eriksson's England plans after playing in the legendary 5-1 slaughter of the Germans in Munich - then lo and behold, a fat knight in shining armour comes riding down from the dales of Yorkshire to whisk him away to his home soil with the promise of a chance of resurrecting a career which has definitely been on the wane. Ah, life is GOOD.

In truth, the £2.75million deal which will see Barmby move down the M62 from Liverpool to Leeds makes perfect sense for all parties. For Liverpool, there is the comfort that they will not have to keep a disappointed former international kicking his heels in the reserves, with his morale and value dropping through the floor, and nearly £3million in this dead transfer market is good money, helping Gerard Houllier to further develop his foreign legion. For Leeds, the fee is a snip even in today's market for a former England international who can play anywhere in midfield and will bring a creative dimension which has been sadly lacking since Gary McAllister flew the coop in 1996. For Terry Venables it brings a familiar and favoured face to join him in in his new found empire in West Yorkshire and gives him some undoubtedly welcome options. For Barmby it represents not just another chance, but the reunion with his mentor, the man who signed him for Tottenham and gave him his England chance back in 1995. Yes, everyone's a winner.

Barmby has always been a bit of a nearly man, someone who emerged in an exciting Tottenham forward line alongside Teddy Sheringham and Jurgen Klinsmann in the first half of the 90&
#39;s but never really took that big step forward to superstardom, someone who always seemed to be on the margins of the England ranks, despite scoring the first goals in the England reigns of both Glenn Hoddle and Eriksson and offering a potential solution to the eternal problems of lack of wide left midfielders, someone who flattered to deceive at both Middlesbrough and Everton before looking fleetingly the part at Anfield when he arrived there in 2000, but whose value has fallen from £6million at that stage to less than half the sum these days.

Venables and Leeds will no doubt be praying that the 28 year old who hails from Hull will finally realise the potential he has always shown. Barmby is certainly still young enough and skilful enough and has the ability to provide the missing ingredient in a Leeds midfield which is only a vigorous but limited shadow of the Bremner-Giles-Gray or Strachan-Batty-McAllister-Speed supreme units who inspired Leeds' title triumphs in 1969, 1974 and 1992. Eirik Bakke, Olivier Dacourt, David Batty, even Lee Bowyer, are limited in their distributive flair and ability to get on the end of attacks, while Harry Kewell is too inconsistent to be the REAL THING.

Venables has clearly identified midfield as being the Achilles' heel at Elland Road (a view that a fans' poll at the club's official website heavily endorsed), because he is also talking to Australia captain David Okon, who has been given a free transfer by Middlesbrough, but also a player Venables knows well from his time with both club and country. The tabloid rumours have had Leeds chasing half a dozen defenders to replace the now hated Ferdinand, but midfield is where Venables clearly sees the real problems and who can blame him? The Elland Road club have for several years been extremely limited in their capacity for unlocking opposing defences with incisive passing, and this has restricted their front men.

Barmby isn't a part
icularly gifted ball player, but will bring a fresh new look to Leeds' midfield and it will be interesting how Venables decides to use him. The popular view is that he will play on the left, allowing Harry Kewell to drift behind the front two, but my suspicion is that he will be employed on the right flank, allowing Lee Bowyer to remain in his more favoured central role, alongside Olivier Dacourt, although both players were rumoured to be heading out of Elland Road.

Barmby, as Venables knows full well, is an extremely gifted and intelligent player, and one who works uncommonly hard for the interests of the team for such a progressive player. There's been a lot of doubts about Venables relying on old favourites (something he was heavily criticised for when he was England manager), and the Leeds supporters have started recalling the ill fated reign of Brian Clough for 44 days in 1974 and his decision to draft in Derby stalwarts John O'Hare and John McGovern. Still, the three of them went on to do the biz when they were reunited at Forest, didn't they?

Venables must be given the scope to reshape this team of under achievers. O'Leary was given big cash to spend and left behind him a collection of great players, although a few will need to be moved on if he is to be able to really make this his side. It will be interesting to see the impact he has and if the signing of Barmby is anything to go by then we are in for a very new look team, and one which will play in the classic TV style, as practiced in exciting Barcelona, Tottenham and England sides.

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