Richie Barker forced to retire

[Driver8]

according to the BBC. Knee injury.

BBC SPORT | Football | My Club | R | Rotherham | Injured Barker forced to retire

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

Respect to The Bear.

 

[Wilka]

My favourite player back in the Gillingham days.

Didn't he come and watch us at a Northern Away game a few years back as well?

 

[Driver8]

Just about the only positive thing i can remember about Gillingham (apart from perhaps the comfy padded seats in the "gold" ticket area that we always sat in but never paid for)

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

Didn't he come and watch us at a Northern Away game a few years back as well?

Mansfield away and stood with the Albion faithful.

 

[Captain Pugwash]

Saw it on Sky Sports News earlier, great memories of a bad time

 

[dougdeep]

Very sad news, I hope he has a trade to fall back on.

 

[Trigger]

The Bear

 

[Gwylan]

Sad news - always had lots of time for The Bear.

 

[Man of Harveys]

His antics - I remember a great goal up at Peterborough - were a real highlight during a fairly grim time. Great player, great attitude.

 

[DIFFBROOK]

Also remember the Bear at his Gillingham Days. Didn’t we get him from Lindfield? Also he couldn’t score a goal for toffee at the start of his period with us. However, once he scored that first he went on a roll.

Maybe Craig Davies will prove similar?

 

[Scotty Mac]

absolute legend - one of my favourite ever players

i might even write to him to express this

 

[The Ringleader]

Also remember the Bear at his Gillingham Days. Didn’t we get him from Lindfield? Also he couldn’t score a goal for toffee at the start of his period with us. However, once he scored that first he went on a roll.

Maybe Craig Davies will prove similar?

but davies has scored for us already therefor its different

 

[Scotty Mac]

for anyone who wants to pass on their regards to the great man, you can e-mail media@rotherhamunited.net who will then pass on the message

 

[Icy Gull]

I used to quite like him but it's a bit puke inspiring to see how he is now remembered as some sort of legend as the Albion fans at Gillingham gave him SHIT initially and I remember very clearly the way he want from looking really chuffed to a bit hangdog as the ironic pisstaking chant went out "Barker's scored a goal he's scored a goal etc" when he eventually broke his duck.

He did become a bit of a cult hero after that due to his workrate and the fact that he left to be near his ill father.

No way is he the legend that some would have us believe now though

 

[Austrian Gull]

His antics - I remember a great goal up at Peterborough - were a real highlight during a fairly grim time. Great player, great attitude.

Winning at Peterborough was about as good as it got in those dark days. We actually looked like we might be getting somewhere with Barker & Hart up front and then Brian Horton left.

I loved Richie Barker - a good honest pro.

 

[Mr Banana]

He became a legend because of his attitude. Gave me a lift to Gillingham in his car a couple of times and caught up with him for a few beers in the pub near Millmoor when I had a Rotherham season ticket. Top bloke, funny as fook. Eighteen goals in 170 games, can that be right? Seems ridiculously unprolific for a decent striker.

 

[Driver8]

He may not be a legend in the Zamora/Ward sense but it was such a desperate time that we needed somebody with the right attitude and a bit of drive to help drag us out of the mire. Had he not moved north he would have been another OGH i'm sure.

 

[Brovion]

He may not be a legend in the Zamora/Ward sense but it was such a desperate time that we needed somebody with the right attitude and a bit of drive to help drag us out of the mire. Had he not moved north he would have been another OGH i'm sure.

Agreed, they were indeed DESPARATE times and whilst Barker was no Zamora he was good for us then. I'm not surprised he's got 'cult' status, we were so shit then that there are people who STILL seriously think that Jeff Minton was a decent player simply because he stood out in a crap team. I think he thought he was good as well, but most people realised the truth when he went to Port Vale and sunk without trace.

 

[acrossthepond]

I used to quite like him but it's a bit puke inspiring to see how he is now remembered as some sort of legend as the Albion fans at Gillingham gave him SHIT initially and I remember very clearly the way he want from looking really chuffed to a bit hangdog as the ironic pisstaking chant went out "Barker's scored a goal he's scored a goal etc" when he eventually broke his duck.

He did become a bit of a cult hero after that due to his workrate and the fact that he left to be near his ill father.

No way is he the legend that some would have us believe now though

Your opinion differs from mine. He was one of the high spots of Gillingham life, and especially some piss-poor away trips too.

The fact that he won the fans (including me) over is part of what makes him a...


:Legend: