Viking Supporters Co-operative
Viking Chat => Viking Chat => Topic started by: tommy toes on December 03, 2022, 10:08:09 am
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My friend for more than 50 years, the great Johnny Barker died last night on his way home from the game.
I am heartbroken. Spoke to him at half time, he seemed fine.
I just can't believe it.
John was one of the Rovers greatest supporters they've ever had and will leave a massive hole in mine and all of his friends lives
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Very sad to hear. RIP
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Gutted had some proper laughs over the years with him.
R.I.P John
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If it's the John Barker I'm thinking of I was speaking to him before the game and he seemed fine. Awful how things can change so suddenly like that. RIP mate
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Although I didn’t know him, I put his name to a face that I’d seen at Rovers over the years, don’t think he was that old either, RIP fella
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Terrible news. Great friend and colleague for over 55 years.
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Can’t picture him but RIP fella
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WOW ..... absolutely stuffed by that. Met him via Alonzo Drake to name 1 way back in 72 - 50 years ago
Great Rovers fan and always a joke / jibe coming.
RIP (tt will Alonzo get to know as he ought to ? - if not I will message him - in fact I will message him anyway)
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Yes John I would imagine G, who rang me let him know this morning.
Still in shock here.
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Gutted. Knew John well and took him to many an away match. RIP mate
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Did he use this Forum?
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Didn’t John follow England cricket to Australia, I remember watching the test early one morning and seeing him sat two rows back proudly wearing a Rovers shirt
R.I.P. John
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Always following Yorkshire CCC.
Lovely bloke & always wanting to chat about Rovers whilst sat at Scarborough. Deepest condolences to all his family & friends.
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Terrible news.
Saw John many times at Headingley and Scarborough over the years.
R.I.P.
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R.I.P fellow Rovers fan
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R.I.P. John
Terrible news
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Awful news,know him years when use to go on Retford coach
RIP John and condolences to his family
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Terrible news. My condolences to you and all his family and friends. Just goes to show, enjoy life as best we can.
Sad about Bromley fan dying at the game today. Results are not the most important thing in life, annoying yes but not the be all and end all.
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Condolences to all his friends and family Tommy.
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Sad news. Didn't know him personally but might have seen him at games. A photo would always be useful at times likes this.
Was he a member of this forum?
RIP John.
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Very sad news I knew JB over 30 years he loved his Rovers, he loved his cricket both Yorkshire and England - we have lost another stalwart fan & great bloke too.
RIP John
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My friend for more than 50 years, the great Johnny Barker died last night on his way home from the game.
I am heartbroken. Spoke to him at half time, he seemed fine.
I just can't believe it.
John was one of the Rovers greatest supporters they've ever had and will leave a massive hole in mine and all of his friends lives
Hope you don't mind me posting on here, on our way back through Doncaster to Leeds last night we came across your friend John and called the Ambulance. Was sad to see the news about him this morning.
Sorry for your loss. The football really is irrelevant at the end of the day isn't it.
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RIP John, a nice guy
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RIP John, very sad news this, didn’t know him much but always said ayup, one of the most recognisable faces at matches home and away for many years.
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Than
My friend for more than 50 years, the great Johnny Barker died last night on his way home from the game.
I am heartbroken. Spoke to him at half time, he seemed fine.
I just can't believe it.
John was one of the Rovers greatest supporters they've ever had and will leave a massive hole in mine and all of his friends lives
Hope you don't mind me posting on here, on our way back through Doncaster to Leeds last night we came across your friend John and called the Ambulance. Was sad to see the news about him this morning.
Sorry for your loss. The football really is irrelevant at the end of the day isn't it.
On behalf of those who knew JB over the years and his friends and family I'm sure I speak for all when thanking you and any others for your help and assistance
Thanks for that Walsall Fan even though your help turned out to be in vain. As you say life itself transcends sport and puts things sharply inyo focus
Thanking you again Wolfie
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Even more gutted now I realise who he was
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Thanks Walsall fan.
I suppose it was fitting that John's last game was against Walsall. We often used to reminisce about a mad night there many, many years ago.
We won 3-1 at Fellows Park, and went on the lash in Birmingham. We got up to all sorts and ended up sliding down the middle of the escalators at New Street Station.
John woke up the next morning wondering why he'd got no arse in his jeans.
He was a special bloke, a bit of a hero of mine and I can't believe I won't see him again.
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RIP
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My friend for more than 50 years, the great Johnny Barker died last night on his way home from the game.
I am heartbroken. Spoke to him at half time, he seemed fine.
I just can't believe it.
John was one of the Rovers greatest supporters they've ever had and will leave a massive hole in mine and all of his friends lives
very sad to hear of your friend , perhaps you could upload a picture as some people know faces but not names behind the face !
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Heard it was a car accident.
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My friend for more than 50 years, the great Johnny Barker died last night on his way home from the game.
I am heartbroken. Spoke to him at half time, he seemed fine.
I just can't believe it.
John was one of the Rovers greatest supporters they've ever had and will leave a massive hole in mine and all of his friends lives
very sad to hear of your friend , perhaps you could upload a picture as some people know faces but not names behind the face !
Pm sent 1969
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Heard it was a car accident.
Yes car crashed but as a result of illness to JB
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He died of a heart attack
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Very sad news. Rip.
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My friend for more than 50 years, the great Johnny Barker died last night on his way home from the game.
I am heartbroken. Spoke to him at half time, he seemed fine.
I just can't believe it.
John was one of the Rovers greatest supporters they've ever had and will leave a massive hole in mine and all of his friends lives
I didn’t know him personally, but him recognise him from his face book picture and swung him at many games over the years .
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Sad news indeed.
I’ve been going since 84 and although I didn’t know him personally, he’s been a constant at Rovers games since that time.
Condolences to his family and close friends.
RIP John
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Our paths crossed just as we were both leaving the stadium, he was going one way, I went the other.
RIP John.
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If only it would have happened an hour earlier. Maybe the defib at the ground could have saved him.
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Sad news indeed.
I’ve been going since 84 and although I didn’t know him personally, he’s been a constant at Rovers games since that time.
Condolences to his family and close friends.
RIP John
He's been a constant since 1966.Hardly missed a game, home and away for many years. Only over the last few years has he missed games to travel the World, and good on him that he did.
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I’ve known John since the 60s a great guy. Years ago when my mum was still alive in Balby I’d regularly pick John and his father-in-law up and drop them at Westfield Park after a game.
Always had a smile on his face.
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If only it would have happened an hour earlier. Maybe the defib at the ground could have saved him.
Said the same tt , it may we'll have done but unfortunately we will never know
We that knew him , and you much more than I will know we have lost a good un , and Rovers have lost a great and lifelong fan
I've been pointing to photos of John for people asking above rather than put them on here without permission and every one I think have realised who JB was now and most have spoken to him " many times" etc or recognize him
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on behalf of the Supporters club, we send our thoughts and condolences to Johns family, john and his son Neil who now lives in the states, were regular on the Supporter's club coaches over the past 40 years, a brilliant man who loved talking Rovers, general football, and cricket, travelling the world with the cricket. Great man, will be shortly missed
Also, thanks to Walsall fan who called the ambulance
rip John, gone but never forgotten
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Awful news - I knew John from Rovers and Yorkshire cricket- I even knew his Father Alan, he, too, was a remarkable man, he was, in fact, blind, and used to deliver the Doncaster evening, post to houses in Sprotbrough and Cadeby et cetera. He frequently used to stop and talk to me as a youngster and always asked me to remember a number at the start of the conversation.
At the end of the conversation, he would ask me for that number and start counting his steps again, so he knew where he was up to.
RIP John x
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Very sad news. John was always up for a chat about Rovers, Yorkshire CCC or England cricket. He would have loved that Test match that's just finished in Pakistan.
RIP John
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Awful news - I knew John from Rovers and Yorkshire cricket- I even knew his Father Alan, he, too, was a remarkable man, he was, in fact, blind, and used to deliver the Doncaster evening, post to houses in Sprotbrough and Cadeby et cetera. He frequently used to stop and talk to me as a youngster and always asked me to remember a number at the start of the conversation.
At the end of the conversation, he would ask me for that number and start counting his steps again, so he knew where he was up to.
RIP John x
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Wow , that's a brilliant feat and a brill story
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Really sad to read this, a really nice bloke. RIP
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Awful news - I knew John from Rovers and Yorkshire cricket- I even knew his Father Alan, he, too, was a remarkable man, he was, in fact, blind, and used to deliver the Doncaster evening, post to houses in Sprotbrough and Cadeby et cetera. He frequently used to stop and talk to me as a youngster and always asked me to remember a number at the start of the conversation.
At the end of the conversation, he would ask me for that number and start counting his steps again, so he knew where he was up to.
RIP John x
I didn't know John but certainly used to see his father delivering newspapers along Sprotborough Road back in the 60s. An extraordinary man.
RIP John.
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I've travelled the length and breath of the country in the company of JB supporting the Rovers, a very sad day indeed.. RIP John
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Very sad indeed. Now I've seen his face on the DFP Facebook page, I recall seeing John on many away trips going back along time.
One of those when you arrive in an unfamiliar town, find a pub near the ground and you're comforted to know you're in the right place when you saw his friendly face.
On the way back home to Balby via Woodfield After the game, I went through the Hall Flat Lane Junction and saw all the police cars blocking off Balby Road, so I knew something nasty had happened but obviously no idea it was one of our longest serving stalwarts tragically lost.
RIP.
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Like others I didn't know John personally, but from reading what people have written on here I had an idea who he might be, and I've just seen his picture in the DFP.
Says a lot about someone and how much they've been a fixture in the Rovers community that you can realise who they are from tributes to them. RIP.
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Like the way DFP came on here to "pinch" quotes
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Well done to the other 196 fans yesterday. We applauded the loss of the County fan who had perished recently before KO
Then it was OUR turn with a tremendous standing round of applause on 73 minutes for fairly Big John Barker
Having known him for 50 plus years I was touched and I hope those much much closer to him were touched too
Every time any Rovers fan who I really knew passed away I would wear 2 scarves , one for me and one for them for one game , and believe it or not we have never won any game .
So yesterday I tried no scarves and we won and it and the applause was a fitting tribute to JAB
:scarf: :scarf: :scarf: :scarf:
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It was a great ovation for JB, I looked around and I think every Rovers fan was stood joining in.
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:clapping: :clapping: :clapping: