John Stones - England Captain

Who'dve thought it. Hope there's a clause in the already most lucrative player sale ever in the club's history.

Proud.

 

Credit to the town, tomorrow evening will usually be the proudest moment of any players career. However, Stones has had a career some of the greatest to ever play could only dream of. What a talent he has become.

I will stand there tomorrow a proud man seeing a Barnsley lad lead out the England team, I can’t imagine how his family and close friends must feel.

All he needs to complete his career now is to be seen in a red shirt at oakwell again.

 

Me Won some money of me mate for it.

 

Is he both the first Barnsley player and the first player born in Barnsley to captain England?

 

Twelve and a bit years ago my step dad laughed at me when I told him i’d seen an 18 year old kid play for Barnsley that day - his first league start I think it was after a couple of cup and sub appearances prior - who looked on a different level and who would go on to play for England. He batted it off and said you can’t judge a kid on one game.

We had beaten Middlesbrough that day, my step dad’s team; Stones played on the right, not centrally - didn’t really do that much spectacular, but just had an air about him; almost an arrogance of confidence - he wasn’t a kid being eased into a team; he was the best player from the outset in terms of outright ability.

Sadly we sold him to Everton barely four months later. It only took him until the end of the following season to get an England cap - at the age of 20.

Ten years on, 81 caps (and over a dozen club level major honours) later, he will walk out at Wembley as England captain.

My only surprise is that it took this long.

If City owe anything to Everton for that then we’ll get a slice - though i’d doubt it given he was a full international before going there.

Over and above the money, it’s a proud day for the football club, not just the town. One of our own, who we nurtured and turned into a professional, is the England captain. Even if for one night only - I’ll be watching with a lot of pride and I’m not even from Barnsley nor have I ever met anyone he’s close to.

 

Pretty sure Trippier has captained England.

 

We'd announce him as player coach, say he's more bothered about coaching and never see him back on the pitch.

 

Wasn't Trippier born in manchester?

 

Yes but he asked whether stones would be both the first Barnsley player and player from Barnsley to captain England. He isn’t the first former Barnsley player.

 

Edit

Aberration ignore me

 

Ahh I see, my bad mate. I assumed he meant the first Barnsley player actually born in Barnsley to captain, not 2 different questions

 

George Utley (FA Cup winner and Elsecar lad) played for England whilst a Barnsley player. Not captain, of course. But still. Tommy Taylor didn’t captain England either.

So it’s a great feat. Proud moment for John, the town and hopefully recognised by the club tomorrow.

 

Well done John, not many can say that they've captained their country in any sport. Hope he scores too, make it a really memorable match!

 

Always proud of him. Living all of our dreams.

I’ll never forget that pre-season friendly against premier league West Brom when I first watched him in the first team. He was the best player on the pitch by some distance.

The funny thing is I’d seen him for the kids team & hadn’t noticed him so much, it was more the attacking players like Noble-Lazarus, Rose & Clark that had stood out but it was like he had suddenly got his man strength. He was flying into tackles & making bursting runs forward constantly desperately trying to make an impression to get in the team for the league games.

 

I was fortunate enough to chat to Mark Burton about John always knew he was something special but at first they played down a year until he grew. He coached young Alfie's at 9s 10s and 11s Mark not John I said nice if you could get him to a presentation said they still chatted but anything like like that had to go through his agent modern footballers eh. Well done John hope you continue to inspire young boys and girls from the Barnsley area.

 

I said the same to my work colleagues (Jaguar Cars in Brum) after the first time I saw him play and they all laughed.

 

Was that the game where he made the block on the goal line? Seem to remember their striker having an empty net to aim at and 'Ar John' came out of nowhere to make the block with his chest

 

I'll be first to say it - I saw John Stones score at Rochdale

 

Did you have a plant pot on your head ?

 

I remember a chat I had with Ronnie Branson about whether JS could play as midfielder. Ronnie always said he was an out and out defender. What we could agree on was he was a tremendously talented footballer destined for stardom.