Fred Barber
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Frederick Barber (born 26 August 1963) is an English former
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
who played as a
goalkeeper In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie, or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or i ...
and made nearly 400
Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...
appearances. His most successful stints came early in his career with
Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. It lies on the River Skerne, west of Middlesbrough and south of Durham. Darlington had a population of 107,800 at the 2021 Census, making it a "large town" ...
and
Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located ...
, playing in over 100 league games for each club. He spent over 15 years as goalkeeping coach at
Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club ( ) is a professional association football, football club based in Horwich, Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the Englis ...
, and has been the goalkeeping coach at
Crewe Alexandra Crewe Alexandra Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Crewe, Cheshire, England. Its first team competes in League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Railwaymen' ...
since 2015.


Playing career

Born in
Ferryhill Ferryhill is a towns in England, town and civil parish in County Durham (district), County Durham, England, with an estimated population in 2018 of 9,362. The town grew in the 1900s around the coal mining industry. The last mine officially clo ...
, County Durham, Barber began his career at
Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. It lies on the River Skerne, west of Middlesbrough and south of Durham. Darlington had a population of 107,800 at the 2021 Census, making it a "large town" ...
in 1981, where he served his apprenticeship. Barber was notable for donning a mask on entering the field for most matches during his career. He made 135
Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...
appearances for the club before a £50,000 move to
First Division 1st Division or First Division may refer to: Military Airborne divisions *1st Parachute Division (Germany) *1st Airborne Division (United Kingdom) * 1st Airmobile Division (Ukraine) * 1st Guards Airborne Division Armoured divisions *1st Armoure ...
champions Everton in April 1986. Signed as understudy to
Neville Southall Neville Southall (born 16 September 1958) is a Welsh Manager (association football), football manager and former international association football, footballer. He has been described as one of the best Goalkeeper (association football), goalk ...
, but after six months and no first-team appearances for Everton, Barber was sold to
Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located ...
for £100,000. In his second season with the club, Walsall were promoted to the
Second Division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...
, but then suffered successive relegations. Barber was loaned out to
Peterborough United Peterborough United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third level of the English football league system. Peterborough United formed in ...
during the 1989–90 season, where he made six appearances. He was again loaned out during the 1990–91 season to Chester City on two occasions, in October 1990 and March 1991, accumulating eight appearances, and to
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...
in November 1990 where he made two appearances. He also made appearances for Walsall during the same campaign, but moved to Peterborough on a permanent basis in the summer of 1991 for a £25,000 fee. Barber totalled 153 games for Walsall between 1986 and 1991. Barber made his second debut for Peterborough on 17 August 1991, keeping a
clean sheet In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which the losing team fails to score. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usually seen as a result of ...
against
Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional association football club in Preston, Lancashire, England. They currently play in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English footbal ...
in a 1–0 victory. He helped the club to promotion to the Second Division with a 1992 play-off final victory over
Stockport County Stockport County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in EFL League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1883 as Heaton ...
, but the club struggled in the second tier. Barber found himself out on loan once again at Chesterfield in February 1993, but didn't make an appearance for the club. He was then sent on loan to Colhester United, making his debut on 20 March 1993 in a 2–0 victory for the U's at
Brunton Park Brunton Park is a football stadium and the home of Carlisle United. It is situated in the city of Carlisle and has a certified capacity of 17,949. The ground opened in 1909. Brunton Park's grandstand burned down in 1953 and the stadium floode ...
. He made 10 appearances for Colchester before returning to Peterborough. In the following season, despite Peterborough finishing bottom of the Second Division,
Luton Town Luton Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club from Luton, Bedfordshire, England. The club currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Nicknamed "The Hatters", L ...
made a £25,000 offer for Barber, and he transferred in August 1994, ending his Posh stay with 63 appearances in three years. Just four months had passed before Barber found himself back at London Road with Peterborough. Having made no first-team appearances for Luton, he was sent on loan where he played five league games. After this loan stint, he played one league game first at
Ipswich Town Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. The club currently competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. Ipswich Town were founded in 1878 but did not turn ...
in November 1995, and one league game in a return to Blackpool in December 1995. Barber finished his Football League career by joining
Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. The team compete in the ...
in 1996, again making just a single appearance. His last club he actively played for was
Kidderminster Harriers Kidderminster Harriers Football Club are a professional association football club based in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England. The team competes in the National League North, the sixth level of the English football league system. Formed in ...
, where he made 21
Conference A conference is a meeting, often lasting a few days, which is organized on a particular subject, or to bring together people who have a common interest. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always d ...
appearances before stepping into coaching.


Coaching career

Barber joined the coaching staff at
Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club ( ) is a professional association football, football club based in Horwich, Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the Englis ...
in 1996, serving as part-time goalkeeping coach under
Colin Todd Colin Todd (born 12 December 1948) is an English football manager and former player. He was most recently the manager of Esbjerg fB. As a player, he made more than 600 appearances in the Football League, playing as a defender for Sunderland, ...
before becoming a full-time employee under Todd's successor
Sam Allardyce Samuel Allardyce (born 19 October 1954) is an English football manager and former professional player. Allardyce made 578 league and cup appearances in a 21-year career spent mostly in the Football League, as well as brief spells in the North ...
. Barber had also been working at
West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club (), commonly known as West Brom or The Albion, is a professional association football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the Englis ...
as a coach until this point alongside
Bryan Robson Bryan Robson (born 11 January 1957) is an English association football, football manager and former player. He began his career with West Bromwich Albion F.C., West Bromwich Albion in 1972, where he amassed over 200 appearances and was club ca ...
, but fully committed himself to Wanderers in 2004. Barber was instrumental in the development of
Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...
goalkeeper
Jussi Jääskeläinen Jussi Albert Jääskeläinen (; born 19 April 1975) is a Finnish professional football coach and a former Association football, footballer who played as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper. He is currently working as a goalkeeping c ...
, who joined the club in 1997, making his international debut in 1998. Barber turned Jääskeläinen into one of the
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
's most consistent goalkeepers, then helping progress
Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
goalkeeper
Ádám Bogdán Ádám Bogdán (; born 27 September 1987) is a Hungarian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper and is currently a free agent. Bogdán began his career in Hungary at Vasas before spending time on loan at Vecsés. In 2007, he moved ...
who would later replace Jääskeläinen upon his exit from Bolton. In 2007, Barber joined
Nigel Worthington Nigel Worthington (born 4 November 1961) is a Northern Irish former professional footballer who was most recently the manager of York City. He played a defender and a midfielder, playing his club football for Ballymena United, Notts County ...
as a coach for the
Northern Ireland national football team The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in men's international association football. From 1882 to 1950, all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team (1882–1950), Ireland ...
alongside his role at Bolton, where he would spend five years. Following Bolton's relegation to the
Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...
in 2012, after 16 years coaching, Barber left the club. This also followed Jääskeläinen's own exit as the club looked to refresh its back-room staff once again. He subsequently joined Bury under
Kevin Blackwell Kevin Patrick Blackwell (born 21 December 1958) is an English professional football manager, executive and former player who is currently the technical director of Ekstraklasa club Lechia Gdańsk. Playing career Blackwell was born in Luton an ...
on 4 October 2012, before being reunited with Worthington after being appointed assistant manager at League Two club
York City York City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system, as of the 2024–25 seas ...
on 4 March 2013. He left the club on 5 May 2013, going on to concentrate on his freelance goalkeeper coaching business. In addition to Bolton, West Brom, Northern Ireland, Bury and York City, as a freelance coach, Barber has previously worked with
Oman Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the Middle East. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Oman’s coastline ...
,
Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...
,
Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...
,
Stoke City Stoke City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, the cl ...
,
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...
, Burnley,
Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The club competes in , the third tier of English football, and is managed by Graham Alexander. The club was founded in 1903 and ...
,
Stockport County Stockport County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in EFL League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1883 as Heaton ...
and
Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England, and the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale. In the United Kingdom 2021 Census, 2021 Census, the town had a population of 111,261, compared to 223,773 for the wid ...
. He also runs his own goalkeeping academy that has helped discover goalkeepers including Jääskeläinen, Bogdán,
Ali Al-Habsi Ali Abdullah Harib Al-Habsi (; born 30 December 1981) is an Omani retired professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He played for the Oman national team for nearly two decades, from 2001 to 2019. Club career Early career Al-Habsi was ...
and
Tomasz Kuszczak Tomasz Mirosław Kuszczak (; born 20 March 1982) is a Polish former professional Association football, footballer who played as a goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper. He was most recently the goalkeeping coach of the Poland national fo ...
. In January 2015, Barber moved to
Crewe Alexandra Crewe Alexandra Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Crewe, Cheshire, England. Its first team competes in League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Railwaymen' ...
as the goalkeeping coach, after holding a similar role at
Burton Albion Burton Albion Football Club is a professional association football club in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third level of the English football league system. The club moved its home g ...
. He worked with
Will Jääskeläinen William Albert Jääskeläinen (born 25 July 1998) is a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for club Woking. Born in England, he has represented Finland at youth international level. Club career Bolton Wanderers Prior to joini ...
, Jussi's son, meaning he worked with two generations of Jääskeläinen goalkeepers. On 5 August 2015 he moved from Crewe to Blackpool to replace Bobby Mimms, but had a change of heart two days later and returned to Crewe.


Personal life

His son, Jonathan, also played as a goalkeeper for Bury and
Hartlepool United Hartlepool United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system. They were founded in 190 ...
, and is currently the goalkeeper coach for
MLS Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanctioned by the United ...
side
Minnesota United Minnesota United Football Club, often shortened to MNUFC, is an American professional soccer club based in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Th ...
.


References

Infobox statistics * . Retrieved 6 August 2013. * * Kidderminster Harriers: Specific {{DEFAULTSORT:Barber, Fred 1963 births Living people Footballers from Ferryhill English men's footballers Men's association football goalkeepers Darlington F.C. players Everton F.C. players Walsall F.C. players Peterborough United F.C. players Chester City F.C. players Blackpool F.C. players Chesterfield F.C. players Colchester United F.C. players Luton Town F.C. players Ipswich Town F.C. players Birmingham City F.C. players Kidderminster Harriers F.C. players English Football League players National League (English football) players Bolton Wanderers F.C. non-playing staff Bury F.C. non-playing staff York City F.C. non-playing staff Burton Albion F.C. non-playing staff Crewe Alexandra F.C. non-playing staff Blackpool F.C. non-playing staff Association football goalkeeping coaches