There was good news for former Liverpool and England striker John Barnes this evening, after he was relieved of his managerial duties at Tranmere Rovers, and, thereby, awarded his freedom.
Before last weekend's game at Millwall, Tranmere had won just two of their ten matches in League One this season, and it didn't take them long to fall behind on Saturday. Within 30 minutes Barnes' men were 4-0 down, and fans at The Den were already 'yanking his chains'.
The match finished in a 5-0 drubbing for Rovers, and after an emergency meeting of the Prenton Park directors last night, it was decided to 'cut the chains', and to liberate him - back from whence he came.
Barnes suffered at the hands of racist bigots as a player when he scored a goal for England in a 2-0 victory in Brazil in 1984. The Football Association at the time refused to recognise the goal, and recorded the score as 1-0.
Now he has truly been freed of his shackles, and was last seen heading towards a television studio where he will, no doubt, resume his terrible punditry slot.
