Souness also claims Liverpool chief executive Peter Robinson at the time had warned him this was a Liverpool team in decline and that they only had one player who was still "great" - John Barnes. Souness was left disappointed by Barnes as he was at this time frequently suffering from injuries, and in particular suffered a ruptured achilles tendon which was to eventually affect his acceleration therefore affecting his playing style, and not giving Souness what he wanted from a vintage Barnes at his peak, which was what he saw as a "devastating winger with pace and goalscoring touch". He had also claimed Barnes was once the "best player in Britain" but unfortunately only saw flashes of his brilliance. Rumours about squabbles in the dressing room between the players and Souness were rife, with Ian Rush telling a Sky Sports interviewer that "teacups being thrown" were nothing new.
