Barry Fry story:
There was another time, again at Barnet, we was 3-0 down at half-time. I gave them a right bollocking and they went out second half and won 4-3. Magnificent performance. I was on the pitch at the end saying, "Well done, Ian, well done, Tom, well done, Dick, ****ing marvellous. You, Codner, ****ing empty shirt." And this is Robert Codner. He come up to me, face to face, he said, "What did you say?" I said, "You ****ing empty shirt." And he went to headbutt me. But you know when someone draws their head back? I sort of jerked back myself and of course I ****ing fell arse over tit in the mud. I got up, continued to say well done to the lads and then I went back in the dressing-room. I saw Robert, I said, "Robert?" He said, "What?" And I ****ing give him a right-hander.
But we sat in the bath after and we had a right laugh about it. And then Stan come in, big Stan Flashman [Barnet's then-owner], and he said, "Barry, I want to see you." So I jumped out of the bath. "The FA are here, they was going to pick Robert for the England non-league squad, but I've seen what he done to you and I want him kicked out of the club." I said, "**** off, Stan. He didn't do nothing. I was abusing him, it was slippery and I fell over." He said, "It looked like he headbutted you." I said, "Look at my face! You'd know if he'd headbutted me."
I went to the FA afterward, I set them straight and they picked him. About six months later, we sold him to Brighton for £115,000. It just shows you how you can deal with things. If I'd made a fuss about that, we wouldn't have got that money, and that was a ****ing lot of money in those days.
There was another time, again at Barnet, we was 3-0 down at half-time. I gave them a right bollocking and they went out second half and won 4-3. Magnificent performance. I was on the pitch at the end saying, "Well done, Ian, well done, Tom, well done, Dick, ****ing marvellous. You, Codner, ****ing empty shirt." And this is Robert Codner. He come up to me, face to face, he said, "What did you say?" I said, "You ****ing empty shirt." And he went to headbutt me. But you know when someone draws their head back? I sort of jerked back myself and of course I ****ing fell arse over tit in the mud. I got up, continued to say well done to the lads and then I went back in the dressing-room. I saw Robert, I said, "Robert?" He said, "What?" And I ****ing give him a right-hander.
But we sat in the bath after and we had a right laugh about it. And then Stan come in, big Stan Flashman [Barnet's then-owner], and he said, "Barry, I want to see you." So I jumped out of the bath. "The FA are here, they was going to pick Robert for the England non-league squad, but I've seen what he done to you and I want him kicked out of the club." I said, "**** off, Stan. He didn't do nothing. I was abusing him, it was slippery and I fell over." He said, "It looked like he headbutted you." I said, "Look at my face! You'd know if he'd headbutted me."
I went to the FA afterward, I set them straight and they picked him. About six months later, we sold him to Brighton for £115,000. It just shows you how you can deal with things. If I'd made a fuss about that, we wouldn't have got that money, and that was a ****ing lot of money in those days.
