Ken Barnes (footballer) - Management and Coaching

Management and Coaching

By 1961, age meant Barnes was no longer an automatic first team selection, so he sought a move into management. An opportunity arose at Wrexham in May 1961, and Barnes was appointed player-manager. In his first season the club gained promotion to the Third Division. During his tenure he oversaw the club's record victory, a 10–1 defeat of Hartlepool United. The club finished ninth in 1962–63, but were relegated to the Fourth Division the following season. Barnes remained at the club until 1965, when he resigned his post. By the time of his departure from the club he had made 132 appearances, scoring 24 goals.

After leaving Wrexham Barnes took a job outside football, working in sales for a steel company. However, before long he received an offer to become manager of Witton Albion on a part-time basis. At Witton he created a team from a mixture of promising youngsters and ageing veterans. Players he signed included future European Cup winner Chris Nicholl and former greats Dennis Viollet and Bobby Johnstone.

On 27 August 1970, Barnes curtailed a brief spell as manager of Bangor City to return to Manchester City as a member of the coaching staff. When Malcolm Allison departed the club in 1973, Barnes was offered the role of caretaker manager, but, soured by his experiences at Wrexham, he turned it down. Instead he became assistant to the eventual managerial appointee Johnny Hart. Seven months later ill health forced Hart to step down. In the reorganisation that followed the appointment of Hart's replacement Ron Saunders, Barnes became chief scout, a role he retained for two decades until he was sacked by Peter Reid in 1991. In his role he oversaw the development of a large number of successful young players, including Paul Lake, David White and Steve Redmond, the stars of the Manchester City youth team which won the 1986 FA Youth Cup. In 1994 he returned to the club at the invitation of Francis Lee, who had recently become chairman. Barnes served in a part-time scouting position for a further six years.

Since 2000, Barnes had been involved in a youth football initiative in Malaysia; Ken Barnes Soccer Skills. In 2004, Barnes was elected to Manchester City's Hall of Fame, and in 2005 to Wrexham Supporters' Association's Hall of Fame. Married with four children, he died in July 2010 from lung cancer, aged 81. One of his sons, Peter Barnes, was also a professional footballer, who played for England, both Manchester clubs, West Bromwich Albion and Leeds United.