clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Are Chelsea parting ways with a very familiar voice?

Clive Mason/Getty Images

The one thing everybody can agree on is that Neil Barnett is "proper Chels."  He's been there from the start for Chelsea TV (2001), making the step up from covering the team for the club magazine.  He's also been the voice of Stamford Bridge, announcing lineups before the games and often doing a bit of cheer-leading as he stands on the pitch to pump up the crowd.  Short of actually sprouting an armrest and four wooden legs, he's become part of the furniture.  And now it would appear that he's being replaced, at least to a certain extent.

Unfortunately, Levene doesn't offer any more detail, so we're left to speculate for what is going on exactly.

Barnett, or Spy as he was affectionately known, certainly had a unique style, one much more suited to a fan than a member of a (more sanitized) official club media.  Unsurprisingly, his style often divided opinion.

Back in the early days of Chelsea TV, he had his own insiders show but eventually he ran afoul of someone with power and his role on the TV side of things was reduced to his famously awkward and sometimes nonsensical player interviews.

In recent years, Barnett's become a regular on Sirius XM satellite radio as well, often co-hosting their morning Football Show and giving a very welcome Chelsea slant to the proceedings.  (Regular co-host Charlie Stillitano often calls him "my friend with the big Blue head.")  If his reduced role at Chelsea was not forced, perhaps he was motivated by other such outside opportunities.  But given that he's a lifelong Chelsea fan, it's hard to see this as a voluntary action by Neil.

Sign up for the newsletter Sign up for the We Ain't Got No History Daily Roundup newsletter!

A daily roundup of Chelsea news from We Ain't Got No History