A long way back for Thierno Barry?

Thierno Barry’s first season at Everton was always going to be a learning experience. He had to adjust to a new country, a new language, a new club and world football’s most physically intense league.

Barry’s rise has been sharp. In the space of three years, via three clubs, in Belgium, Switzerland and Spain, he went from Sochaux B to the bright lights of the Premier League, and the glaring spotlight of being the main man tasked with leading Everton’s attack.

It has certainly not been a smooth process since Barry’s arrival on Merseyside, but that should have been expected. After all, he is still young, and still has plenty to improve on. However, he has shown glimpses of his quality, and 6 league goals so far is a respectable tally.

But it is also fair to say Barry’s overall displays have left something to be desired. There have been some outstanding ones — his performance at Old Trafford in November, for example, was a superb centre-forward showing when it came to his all-round play, while he took his goals against Nottingham Forest (twice), Aston Villa and Leeds United extremely well.

However, Barry is clearly an emotional person, and at times, that emotion has blurred into immaturity.

In the immediate aftermath of Everton’s dramatic loss at Arsenal on 14 March, in which Barry came on from the bench but performed poorly, the Frenchman took to social media to share a video of fans in the away end, seemingly fighting, with people he seemingly claimed to be his friends and family.

We won’t go into the details too much here. There is an ongoing investigation by both the police and Everton. But there is no justification for fans fighting at football stadiums. No matter the provocation, violence is not the answer. 

However, Barry misjudged the situation.

It is entirely understandable, if he has received messages from friends and/or family after the game, that he would be concerned and angry. And again, those found to be involved in any violence should face the consequences of their actions.

But Barry should not have gone on social media. He should not have made the situation worse. He should have immediately spoken to Everton, and allowed the club — along with his representatives — to establish what had happened.

Instead, a day later, Barry issued another statement on social media, attempting to clarify his comments. Unfortunately, it seemed to make the situation worse.

And when Barry came on for Beto against Chelsea, with Hill Dickinson Stadium in a celebratory mood, he was jeered and booed by large sections of the home support.

In this writer’s opinion, the boos were entirely unnecessary. The likes of Jordan Pickford, James Tarkowski, Idrissa Gueye and Iliman Ndiaye all, also, showed some incredulity with the crowd.

Everton were en route to a huge, meaningful win. There is no need to boo him. That doesn’t mean you also have to go and clap his every move, either. 

But while I can disagree with the booing, I can also look at the bigger picture. Barry’s actions created a divide between him and the fanbase. And it is a divide he must now work to repair.

He stormed down the tunnel at full-time against Chelsea, while the rest of the squad rightly took in the plaudits for an excellent display. While Barry’s frustration and anger at the boos directed his way are fair, he should also realise he needs to try and repair a relationship that has, in the space of a week, broken down. 

That is where the emotional maturity comes in, and you also have to question just how he has been advised throughout this matter. Everton, as a club, can also play their part.

Barry is a bright prospect and should be relishing the run-in as he aims to help propel Everton into Europe. Instead, he faces a battle to win fans back onside.

Fans, too, also need to be held accountable. For those that decided to boo, you have had your moment. Now, it’s time to work together to build some bridges and see where Barry can help take the club this season.

There are lessons, too, the club must learn. Why are players allowed to get tickets for away ends? They have more than enough money at their disposal — there really is no need for their friends or family to be taking tickets on the terraces. 

Everton must also learn that a head-in-the-sands approach to communication isn’t the way forward. They could have and should have been firmer with Barry about his lines of communication, and insisted they took place only through official club channels.

And moving forward, this is going to be a risk if the club want to focus on signing younger players, particularly those from abroad.

Everton are a very big deal. They are a very big club. But ultimately, if you are a 23-year-old Frenchman, you are still going to need time to learn properly about the fanbase and the ethos of the club.

Hopefully, Barry does not find the way back too long and arduous. Some more goals and energetic performances (for what it’s worth, his cameo against Chelsea was decent) would certainly help with that. 

This doesn’t have to be the end of Barry’s time at Everton, but it does need to be the end of the first, difficult chapter.

 

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