Portsmouth was too big for Richie Barker and public hammering saw him lose dressing room
Pompey was too big a club for Richie Barker.
And the former Blues boss lost the dressing room the day he publicly criticised his players during his ill-fated reign.
That’s the view of Johnny Ertl who felt the Yorkshireman got it wrong in his handling of the role, before being sacked in March 2014 after just 20 games in charge.
Ertl pinpointed a 2-0 defeat at Bristol Rovers in December 2013 as a key moment for Barker when he publicly took his players to task.
Speaking in the latest edition of Pompey Talk, which you can download for free HERE, Ertl said: ‘I think it was already too late for him (by Bristol Rovers). He lost it in the changing room.
‘When he came I did my research on him. Everyone said he was a good guy and I rang a close friend and he said “oh, Johnny you will be happy. He’s a good guy”.
‘But I think the football club was too big for him. He couldn’t handle his emotions.’
Ertl now works as a TV pundit on Austrian TV with a special remit for covering the Europa League across the continent.
He feels that experience of watching managers conduct post-match interviews underlines how Barker got it wrong with the angry public criticism of his side.
Ertl added: ‘What I see now in my job across Europe is you need to keep your emotions (in check) after games about the players.
‘When you have strong feelings you can’t go out to the press.
‘I know how it is. To some extent the press is dying for it if someone comes out full of emotions. I know how it works.
‘It’s an emotionally-attached game and we all need emotions.
‘But it’s important and you need to be wise with this - but he came out and blasted everybody.
‘He blasted the changing room - then came out and said exactly the same thing to the press. What would you think in the changing room?
‘It was our fault and not his fault and I would say by that day at Bristol Rovers it was too late for him.’
Johnny Ertl is a guest on the latest episode of Pompey Talk. You can download the podcast for free from Apple, Spotify or click HERE