Don Barker
Encyclopedia
Don Barker is a fictional character
in the series Dream Team
, played by Jon Morrison
.
Don Barker had a reputation of being a hard-nosed, tough manager, renowned for making teams achieve promotion in the lower leagues. After Harchester United
were relegated, he was seen as the ideal manager to return them to the Premier League
.
He was first approached by Eli Knox
to become manager of the team, with Eli taking over as the owner of the team. He persuaded Knox that in buying Harchester, he would effectively be buying a Premier League team, as they would be getting promoted at the end of the year.
Don was appointed manager of the team, and brought with him his daughter, Jodie Stone and his son-in-law and hardman defender, Frank Stone
.
His hard-nosed reputation was proved true when he continually bullied younger members of the team such as Clyde Connelly
and Tommy Valentine. He eventually drove Connelly to suicide. Barker is widely regarded as the most unpopular character in the history of the series.
, the two never got on. Fletch felt that he was the best option for manager, and set out to rid the club of Barker.
His first move towards this goal was bringing in a friend from his childhood days, Carl Caskey
, to play in the team. The plan was that Barker would accept a bribe, then this would get him fired from the club. This backfired, however, when sneaky agent Joel Brooks
turned the deal to his and Don's favour.
The eventual reason for Don's departure was that he was filmed blackmailing Caskey's wife Nicole into sleeping with him. When this tape was shown to the Harchester team, they made him leave.
Don wasn't about to lie down though; he subsequently became Director of Football
at West Ham
, and tried to make sure Harchester wouldn't achieve promotion. As part of this, he bribed Karl Fletcher into trying to poison Harchester star Ryan Naysmith
.
When Fletch was caught for this he was imprisoned, but later bailed out by his teammates. Both Fletch and Don ended up in the Dragon's Lair, trying to figure out where it all went wrong. There was a confrontation in the changing rooms, which culminated in Barker killing Fletch.
Realising what he had done, and too afraid to face the consequences, Barker took his own life—and much of the Harchester team's - by driving into the team coach with all the players on board.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the series Dream Team
Dream Team (TV series)
Dream Team is a British television series produced by Hewland International which aired on Sky1 and Sky3 from 1997 to 2007; it chronicled the on-field and off-field affairs of the fictional Harchester United Football Club....
, played by Jon Morrison
Jon Morrison
For the 19th-century baseball player, see Jon Morrison .Jon Morrison is a Scottish actor who has appeared in many plays, films and series since the early 1970s including The Bill, Bergerac and Taggart...
.
Don Barker had a reputation of being a hard-nosed, tough manager, renowned for making teams achieve promotion in the lower leagues. After Harchester United
Harchester United F.C.
Harchester United Football Club was a fictional Premier League football club from the Midlands, featured in the television series Dream Team...
were relegated, he was seen as the ideal manager to return them to the Premier League
FA Premier League
The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...
.
He was first approached by Eli Knox
Eli Knox
Eli Knox was a character in the fictional series of Dream Team.He was played by Shane Lynch, former member of Boyzone. The character was not a success with fans, making few appearances, and eventually leaving after just one season....
to become manager of the team, with Eli taking over as the owner of the team. He persuaded Knox that in buying Harchester, he would effectively be buying a Premier League team, as they would be getting promoted at the end of the year.
Don was appointed manager of the team, and brought with him his daughter, Jodie Stone and his son-in-law and hardman defender, Frank Stone
Frank Stone (Dream Team)
Frank Stone is a fictional character from the soap opera Dream Team.-Harchester career:Stone joined Harchester United in the summer of 2004 from Wigan Athletic with manager Don Barker...
.
His hard-nosed reputation was proved true when he continually bullied younger members of the team such as Clyde Connelly
Clyde Connelly
Clyde Connely was a character in the fictional series Dream Team, played by Timothy Smith.Clyde was an attacking midfielder, who came into the Harchester United first team through the reserves and youth academy...
and Tommy Valentine. He eventually drove Connelly to suicide. Barker is widely regarded as the most unpopular character in the history of the series.
Demise
Upon the return to Harchester of their prodigal son Karl FletcherKarl Fletcher
Karl Fletcher was a character in the Sky One drama Dream Team played by Terry Kiely. He is the only character to have appeared in every series of the show until the death of the character in the 2004-05 series, at which point he has appeared in a flashback, and most recently, a ghost.Fletcher has...
, the two never got on. Fletch felt that he was the best option for manager, and set out to rid the club of Barker.
His first move towards this goal was bringing in a friend from his childhood days, Carl Caskey
Carl Caskey
Carl Caskey is a character in the TV series Dream Team, played by Stephen Rahman-Hughes.-Overview:Caskey is a former Charlton midfielder who joined Harchester United in a ploy by his best mate Karl Fletcher to get rid of manager Don Barker. At first Barker was not interested in signing Caskey...
, to play in the team. The plan was that Barker would accept a bribe, then this would get him fired from the club. This backfired, however, when sneaky agent Joel Brooks
Joel Brooks
Joel Brooks is an American actor, known for his roles in My Sister Sam, Six Feet Under, The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green and Phil of the Future...
turned the deal to his and Don's favour.
The eventual reason for Don's departure was that he was filmed blackmailing Caskey's wife Nicole into sleeping with him. When this tape was shown to the Harchester team, they made him leave.
Don wasn't about to lie down though; he subsequently became Director of Football
Director of football
"Director of football" is a term describing a senior management figure at a football club, most commonly used in Europe. The exact nature of the role is often unclear and extremely variable and causes much debate in the sports media...
at West Ham
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
, and tried to make sure Harchester wouldn't achieve promotion. As part of this, he bribed Karl Fletcher into trying to poison Harchester star Ryan Naysmith
Ryan Naysmith
Ryan Naysmith was a character in the Sky One football drama Dream Team from 2002-2006. He played on the left wing and was the son of Stuart Naysmith and godson of Harchester legend Henry Leslie. He joined Harchester United after being released from Birmingham City due to committing arson...
.
When Fletch was caught for this he was imprisoned, but later bailed out by his teammates. Both Fletch and Don ended up in the Dragon's Lair, trying to figure out where it all went wrong. There was a confrontation in the changing rooms, which culminated in Barker killing Fletch.
Realising what he had done, and too afraid to face the consequences, Barker took his own life—and much of the Harchester team's - by driving into the team coach with all the players on board.