Ashley Barnes - I should never have doubted him

[Cheeky Monkey]

Fools, lucky pass with outside of right foot for first assist, lucky follow up and rifle into far corner for second goal, and lucky headbutt into Sideshow Bob for the third. Luck runs out, and I guarantee he won't even win a corner, let alone score a goal, for the rest of the season.

Toss off you Palace prick. Cheers

 

[Silkster365]

I'm just glad we got the 3 points today

 

[Albion4Ev3R]

I had my doubts too I didn't go to the game today but from what I've seen on YouTube he has developed so much during pre season for some reason I can see him and Will Hoskins being a starting partnership at the end of the season

 

[Barrel of Fun]

Toss off you Palace prick. Cheers

I thought it was El Presidente!

 

[Perkino]

Ashley Barnes has become so unpopular to many supporters not because of anything he has done but due to being chosen ahead of other strikers who have been many fans favourite players. He has constantly been compared to the other strikers on an individual basis as many fans have been bemused by bigger names missing out in the team to make way for Barnes, this has led to a division amoungst fans against Barnes rather than support of him.

Gus has always thought highly of him and although he isn't everyone's favourite striker if he had joined us 6 or 7 seasons ago he would have been celebrated as a huge success. I hope he continues to gain the affection of the fans throughout the season

 

[SWCspider-man]

His touch was massively improved today something that was 100% missing last year, he worked hard today and played well,

He is the exact definition of a 'marmite player'

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

Fools, lucky pass with outside of right foot for first assist, lucky follow up and rifle into far corner for second goal, and lucky headbutt into Sideshow Bob for the third. Luck runs out, and I guarantee he won't even win a corner, let alone score a goal, for the rest of the season.

Good points - well made.

 

[ferring seagull]

Barnsey has improved greatly year on year since coming to the Albion.

My only concern is that he doesn't become a liability (as with Adam) by giving away free kicks in dangerous areas, possibly resulting in being sent off - that sort of thing we do NOT need.

 

[West Upper Seagull]

I have had my doubts about whether or not Barnes based should start for us based on his performances last season, or even whether he deserved a place on the bench. For me, although he scored goals, he lacked the pace, vision, mobility and speed of thought to really cut it in the Championship. Based on today's performance, albeit only a friendly, I've now radically altered my view of him. Barnes was, I thought, superb today; and to me he looked much more of an all round player than last year. What particularly impressed me was the speed with which he passed the ball when he received it and his ability to pick out a team mate with a pin point pass. I don't recall such speed of thought and vision last season. And the way he took his goal was terrific. So a big, big well done to Ashley Barnes on a fine performance and here's to many more this season.

One chastened (and embarrassed) long term supporter.

Totally agree - best performance I've seen him have in the stripes so far and is currently the no.1 striker at the club at the moment IMO. Am still hoping CMS can come good too this season.

 

[The Brighton Buzz]

Nice to see some Barnes doubters eating humble pie. :thumbup:

I am another one eating humble pie. I admit to slagging Barnes off last year on more than one occasion. However today he was superb, defensively he won headers at corners, up front he set up and and scored quality goals. He covered almost every blade of grass on the pitch and his understanding with Vicente is uncanny. Not looking forward to returning to my seat in WSU incase he just looks bad from higher up lol. I am beginning to see why Gus has so much faith in him and I think along with everyone else who doubted him, you forget he is still only young and that he was only playing for Eastbourne Borough on loan not long ago. If he continues to improve at the current rate we will have some player on our hands. I for one owe Ashley an apology for questioning his talent and hope his form continues and others are won over.

 

[Albumen]

I've never understood why people didn't like him. I could only put it down to him not being that fast. If he was, he'd be in any of the top 6 clubs in the Premiership. A vastly intelligent player that any club in the Championship would bite our hand off for.
I love Ashley Barnes.

 

[Czechmate]

Yep the boy done good , you must give some credit to Gus also , when many of us doubted Barnes , still early days but hope the tide has turned !

 

[Albumen]

Yep the boy done good , you must give some credit to Gus also , when many of us doubted Barnes , still early days but hope the tide has turned !

I'd like to know what's changed.

 

[Czechmate]

I'd like to know what's changed.

Last year i was never confident in him , he did well but not what you expect from a striker compared to others in our league , when we needed him he did not produce , i never slagged him off last season just did not think he had it in him to fire us to the Premiership , not that i was expecting it . I knew he gave 100% but just wasn't good enough . Now after seeing him today i hope he has improved immensley , only time will tell.

 

[Albumen]

Last year i was never confident in him , he did well but not what you expect from a striker compared to others in our league , when we needed him he did not produce , i never slagged him off last season just did not think he had it in him to fire us to the Premiership , not that i was expecting it . I knew he gave 100% but just wasn't good enough . Now after seeing him today i hope he has improved immensley , only time will tell.

Top scorer, loads of assists. One of the few on the same wavelength of Vicente. Nothing has changed.

 

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

I've never understood the slating that Barnes has regularly taken. As far as I can see he has one nothing to deserve it. He came to us dirt cheap as a 20(?) year old kid who had never played a full season. Of course he was going to have some rough edges but it seems to me he has improved season after season.

In his first yer he was a regular in a team that walked league one and scored 20 goals. The last year he was again a regular in a team that was top half of the table for most of the season and with a handful of games left was in a play off position. And he was top scorer. And added a lot of good defensive work to his game to boot.

He's a player who works really had and is willing to sacrifice himself for the team. He does exactly what his manager asks.

If he played for another team how highly would a player like that be rated? How much would it cost to get a player of his ability? 1million? 2million? More? Yet he takes so much stick. I really don't get it. I hope this season the moaners will get off his back but I'm sure a after his first poor game they'll be back out in force.

 

[Icy Gull]

Blimey has one game REALLY changed your minds or are you gonna be back slagging him off after a couple of games when he actually misses the target a few times and misplaces a few passes?? I find it hard to believe that one game can change the hatred he has had chucked at him.

For what it's worth I think he is gonna bring the best out of Vicente and viceversa as they seem to have struck up an excellent understanding.

Quality player who will only get better and plays exactly as Gus wants him to. Gus, of course, has known this since he bought him and picked him pretty well every game despite the howls of derision from the stands sometimes.

 

[Woodchip]

I'm waiting to see what The Complete Badger says now. Barnes has had an excellent pre-season and is deserving of all the praise he gets. Anyone that still insists he is shit clearly doesn't understand anything about football and should go and follow tiddly-winks instead.

Barnes - You are a fricking legend!!!

 

[Mutts Nuts]

I'm waiting to see what The Complete Badger says now. Barnes has had an excellent pre-season and is deserving of all the praise he gets. Anyone that still insists he is shit clearly doesn't understand anything about football and should go and follow tiddly-winks instead.

Barnes - You are a fricking legend!!!

Legend??

 

[Woodchip]

Legend??

A legend for putting up with all the shit that has been thrown at him, keeping his head up and continuing to develop. Could you imagine if Murray was given the same amount of shit that Barnes has been given?

He is an Albion legend in the making, but his mentality has already proved him to be a fantastic signing.