What we know so far about Anthony Barry
Anthony Barry’s appointment as Ireland’s assistant coach has received some early positivity and it seems to be fully warranted.
If I’m honest, I was s disappointed not to see Lee Carsley’s name announced but on initial reflection, I thought this might have been a very romanticized idea and that I was dreaming too big. However, when I woke this morning to digest the morning news on Barry’s appointment, I learned that Carsley was actually spoken to by Kenny before Christmas and turned down the opportunity to get involved according to the Irish Examiner. Alas, I will try to let that one go fairly swiftly but feel as all-round compatibility goes, Carsley not taking the role is a huge blow. Understandably, his prestigious role as England under-20 manager would be tough to step away from.
Time to move on and thankfully, we seem to have secured a man held in similar regard to Carsley. I like what I am earing so far about Anthony Barry. I have a fairly obscure and vast footballing knowledge but even I didn’t know much about Damien Duff’s incoming replacement apart from the fact he is on the books of Chelsea. What struck me initially was Barry’s age and at 34, is younger than the still seemingly available trio of Kieran Westwood, Glenn Whelan and Aiden McGeady as well as being only months older than Richard Keogh and Shane Long. However, it is unlikely that the first four names will play under Barry.
As a player, Barry who hails from Liverpool started his career at Everton as an apprentice. Following his release, he enjoyed a career in the lower leagues playing in midfield for the likes of Accrington Stanley, Fleetwood Town and Wrexham to name a few. He retired at 30 and has had a rapid rise to the top of coaching circles, being appointed as assistant head coach to ex-UEFA Pro Licence classmate Frank Lampard who had taken note of his talents. Barry seems to epitomise the modern approach to contemporary coaching and possesses a competency of in-depth and constructive analysis through various technological resources which is not only crucial in the buildup to games but also during them.
Coaches seem to be getting younger and younger and I would like to think Barry represents a contemporary tactition who understands the modern game and modern player. More importantly, I hope he has the capabilities of having a real impact on how this Irish team plays. From what I have read so far, he is a defensive and set-piece expert. This initially reminded me of Steve Guppy’s role under Martin O’Neill who to his credit as a set piece coach, did see a decent return of goals from his task. However, the in-field game wasn’t easy on the eye under O’Neill and indeed Guppy.
Despite Chelsea’s struggles, it is their set-pieces which have heralded praise and that can only bode well for Barry’s rep. He was also described by TalkSport as the ‘Mastermind’ behind the Blues clean sheet streak in November, highlighting his defensive coaching skills. The fact that Thomas Tuchel, one of the highest regarded managers in World football decided to keep Barry on following his buddy Lampard’s sacking certainly speaks volumes. Football is more fickle than ever and Chelsea are a club with an infamously high turnover of staff from the top to the bottom. This indicates that Barry is certainly one of their most valued assets. There also seems to be a respect from the Chelsea players which will also hopefully translate to his international role.
Barry also worked under Paul Cook at Wigan and became their youngest ever coach upon his appointment. Cook is a big personality in the game and for him to appoint such a young coach is certainly a glowing indication of just how good he is. Kenny, like Cook is a fairly stubborn manager but positively so and knows what he wants and what will work best for him. Similar to his initial appointment of Damien Duff and Keith Andrews, Kenny clearly sees something in Barry that he trusts and fits into the philosophy on the pitch that we are starting to see snippets of.
Chelsea fans seems fairly happy with Barry and one fan outlet described him as a ‘rising star’ of coaching. Maurice Setters and Ian Evans have shown just how crucial assistant managers have been to some of Ireland’s most successful teams and I would hope that outside the initial indicators that Barry is an expert in defence and set-piece,s that his contemporary approach and man management can have a big impact to what we see on the pitch. If Kenny and Andrews experience of working with top flight players has been called into question, Barry’s appointment should extinguish the notion given the fact he is working with some of Europe’s biggest names.
Nick Menezes, The Green Machíne
