John Barnes: Our defence has to take more responsibility

Sep 21 2009 by Nick Hilton, Liverpool Daily Post

MANAGER John Barnes says it is time for Tranmere’s rearguard to take more of the strain in holding back the tide of early-season defeats.

Barnes blamed mistakes in defence for undermining a hard-working performance as Rovers suffered a sixth consecutive League One reverse at Exeter City.

“We are still making too many individual errors at the back,” Barnes said.

“I changed the team to protect the back four but ultimately the back four are going to have to take responsibility themselves.

“We got people back to help the defenders.

“They played just in front of them to try and protect them.

“But when we do that, we can’t get forward to support the front people and that happened today.”

Barnes and his players had to stay on the St James Park pitch after the final whistle while club safety officials carried out a drill for the evacuation of the old Main Stand.

When they finally returned to the dressing-room, Barnes instigated a discussion over Tranmere’s seventh defeat in eight League One outings this season.

“We had a conversation in the dressing-room with the players, (assistant) Jason McAteer and myself about how to defend as a team and how to attack as a team,” Barnes explained.

“The work we are doing on the training ground is on the concentration that is necessary.

“Players can’t think they can just turn up, train and expect it all to fall into place on match day. It won’t.”

Barnes added: “Confidence is such a big factor. If we had scored the first goal maybe things would have been different. Ian Thomas-Moore had a couple of chances and if he had put one away it might have been a different game.

“But we did not score, we gave away soft goals and that really hits the confidence.

“I don’t think it’s a question of the message not getting through to the players. It’s a question of making it happen.”

Barnes had words of encouragement for goalkeeper Joe Collister. The 17-year-old started his first League game after regular number-one Luke Daniels pulled out with a knee injury. The youngster’s attempt to intercept a 25th-minute cross from Stuart Fleetwood led to the first of Adam Stansfield’s untidy goals for Exeter. When a Craig Noone shot rebounded from Collister’s body on 54 minutes, Stansfield added the second.

Barnes said: “I know Joe is a good goalkeeper.

“I have faith in him in spite of what happened with the first goal.”

Tranmere are now just two defeats away from matching the club’s all-time worst losing streak of eight league games, set more than 70 years ago. They are being kept off the bottom of the table only by Southampton, who began the season with 10 points deduction.

The results are piling the pressure on Barnes, who is also facing the dissatisfaction of supporters. Just over 200 fans the long trip to Devon.

He said: “I empathise with the fans. I understand how they feel. From the players point of view they can’t afford to feel sorry for themselves. I’m not feeling sorry for myself. I’m still coming in and doing the job to the best of my ability, to get the best out of the players.”

Tranmere’s next test is a home game against fifth-placed Colchester United on Saturday.