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Shaun Barker - Cleared


Dale The Ram

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This has got him lifting the trophy at Wembley wrote all over it.... play him- he is the best centre half we have at the club.

​He used to be 3 years ago. I am by no means saying he can't get back to the level he was but there is little time to do so.

Whitbread and Keogh need to build up a solid partnership over the next 3 games to have some consistency going into the playoffs. 

 

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Imagine this, the score is 0-0 with Whitbread and Shotton out injured Barker sits on the bench in the Playoff Final. "It's probably my final match in a Derby shirt and what a way to end it warming the bench at Wembley" he thought to himself. All of a sudden in the 85th minute Patrick Bamford goes in with a strong challenge on Albentosa, leaving a mark and forcing him off.

Enter Barker.

A quiet 5 minutes goes by and 2 minutes added time are put up on the board. "I don't know if I can last a whole 30 minutes added time" Barker mutters under his breath. All of a sudden Derby get a corner, Barker runs up the field with the same speed as a man wearing roller skates.

As the ball is whipped in by Ince, Barker is free in the box with the ball coming towards his head. He dips his head, braces himself and jumps up in the air unchallenged. The ball goes hurtling towards the goal, the Derby end of Wembley all begin to stand ready to celebrate.

The ball hits the crossbar with so much power it flies down the other end, over Grants head who is busy celebrating what he thought was a certain goal and we lose 1-0 to a Barker own goal.

 

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That's not his name...

In any case, brilliant news. If nothing else, it's an absolute miracle of modern medicine and personal effort that he could be "back" after such an injury. Even if he doesn't come back and play as the player he was for us, it's still amazing news. 

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​He used to be 3 years ago. I am by no means saying he can't get back to the level he was but there is little time to do so.

Whitbread and Keogh need to build up a solid partnership over the next 3 games to have some consistency going into the playoffs. 

 

​hell be on the bench at Wembley. Come on for two minutes if we are well in front and take over as club captain to lift the trophy.

actually has Barker got a squad number? If not can we register him to a number this late on the season?

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​hell be on the bench at Wembley. Come on for two minutes if we are well in front and take over as club captain to lift the trophy.

actually has Barker got a squad number? If not can we register him to a number this late on the season?

​25. 

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Imagine this, the score is 0-0 with Whitbread and Shotton out injured Barker sits on the bench in the Playoff Final. "It's probably my final match in a Derby shirt and what a way to end it warming the bench at Wembley" he thought to himself. All of a sudden in the 85th minute Patrick Bamford goes in with a strong challenge on Albentosa, leaving a mark and forcing him off.

Enter Barker.

A quiet 5 minutes goes by and 2 minutes added time are put up on the board. "I don't know if I can last a whole 30 minutes added time" Barker mutters under his breath. All of a sudden Derby get a corner, Barker runs up the field with the same speed as a man wearing roller skates.

As the ball is whipped in by Ince, Barker is free in the box with the ball coming towards his head. He dips his head, braces himself and jumps up in the air unchallenged. The ball goes hurtling towards the goal, the Derby end of Wembley all begin to stand ready to celebrate.

The ball hits the crossbar with so much power it flies down the other end, over Grants head who is busy celebrating what he thought was a certain goal and we lose 1-0 to a Barker own goal.

 

​Nah, it'd get a deflection off Bamford on the way in.

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Imagine this, the score is 0-0 with Whitbread and Shotton out injured Barker sits on the bench in the Playoff Final. "It's probably my final match in a Derby shirt and what a way to end it warming the bench at Wembley" he thought to himself. All of a sudden in the 85th minute Patrick Bamford goes in with a strong challenge on Albentosa, leaving a mark and forcing him off.

Enter Barker.

A quiet 5 minutes goes by and 2 minutes added time are put up on the board. "I don't know if I can last a whole 30 minutes added time" Barker mutters under his breath. All of a sudden Derby get a corner, Barker runs up the field with the same speed as a man wearing roller skates.

As the ball is whipped in by Ince, Barker is free in the box with the ball coming towards his head. He dips his head, braces himself and jumps up in the air unchallenged. The ball goes hurtling towards the goal, the Derby end of Wembley all begin to stand ready to celebrate.

The ball hits the crossbar with so much power it flies down the other end, over Grants head who is busy celebrating what he thought was a certain goal and we lose 1-0 to a Barker own goal.

 

The own goals more likely than a strong challenge from Bamford!

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I know it would be nice for Barker but what about Keogh? He should be lifting the trophy at Wembley. 

I'm a bit concerned about comparisons with Terry if this happens. But would be nice for them to lift it together. And a bit more legit if barker can actually get on the pitch. 

But it imagine the horrific scenario, with two minutes to go and 2-0 up. Being barker on, might as well. First touch is an own goal, then they come back and equalise it's a peno conceded by barker in the last kick of normal time. Birmingham all over again, nightmare. 

But then we come back in extra time, and barker scores the winner. Similar to the aboce scenario, but with a happier ending. Game of the century. 

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Imagine this, the score is 0-0 with Whitbread and Shotton out injured Barker sits on the bench in the Playoff Final. "It's probably my final match in a Derby shirt and what a way to end it warming the bench at Wembley" he thought to himself. All of a sudden in the 85th minute Patrick Bamford goes in with a strong challenge on Albentosa, leaving a mark and forcing him off.

Enter Barker.

A quiet 5 minutes goes by and 2 minutes added time are put up on the board. "I don't know if I can last a whole 30 minutes added time" Barker mutters under his breath. All of a sudden Derby get a corner, Barker runs up the field with the same speed as a man wearing roller skates.

As the ball is whipped in by Ince, Barker is free in the box with the ball coming towards his head. He dips his head, braces himself and jumps up in the air unchallenged. The ball goes hurtling towards the goal, the Derby end of Wembley all begin to stand ready to celebrate.

The ball hits the crossbar with so much power it flies down the other end, over Grants head who is busy celebrating what he thought was a certain goal and we lose 1-0 to a Barker own goal.

 

That didn't end the way I thought it would... Well played!

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​Keogh would just get the trophy, and hand it to the striker on the other team.....

​I will always find it bizarre that one moment could colour so many people's judgement of our captain in such a ridiculous manner. Every defend will have a mistake here and there, but Keogh is our best defender, and to be perfectly, cruelly blunt about it, he's a better defender than Barker was. Barker was a better blood and guts defender, that's one thing we can all be sure about, but he was never as good on the ball, he was never as clean in the tackle and while I feel he was a better captain, and deservedly still club captain, Keogh is the better all round player. 

The problem seems to be that so many are so affected by that moment last season, a mistake that wasn't even Keogh's. He was well positioned, and got a boot on the low cross, but ultimately when defending that can happen, and it's unfortunate that it happened as it did, but the cross should never have come in. Yet, this one moment has so changed the way many view him, that anything gets the usual calls of "another mistake by Keogh" or "he's mistake prone", despite anything to the contrary. 

It's amazing how time heals most opinions. As the usual negativity melts away to leave only the nostalgia, but I still remember when people complained about Barker, that he wasn't quick enough, that we needed better. I still remember some even suggesting Shackell was a replacement for him. There was even once a time, prior to him being signed, that some suggested that they "couldn't keep supporting the club if we signed that dirty blond haired player from Blackpool", suggesting that he was "the dirtiest player they'd seen all season". 

I think a lot of Barker as a player and a defender, but equally I think a lot of Keogh as well. I wish we could have a Barker in his prime alongside Keogh, and who knows, maybe that can still happen, but ultimately when there are constant snipes at our captain from so called "fans", I fail to see how we can ever expect to see the best of Keogh, let alone both of them at once. 

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