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.