John Barnes claims he is struggling to get a job in management because he is black . The former Liverpool star 's last managerial job was at Tranmere in 2009 . He lasted four months before being sacked . The 51-year-old has previously been in charge of Celtic and the Jamaica national team . Barnes insisted that had he been white he would have got another job . John Barnes has claimed that the colour of his skin is holding him back from another management job . The former England star made an ill-fated introduction to management with Celtic in 1999 . ' A white manager loses his job and gets another job , he loses his job , he gets another job . Very few black managers can lose their job and get another job , ' he told John Barnes : Sports Life Stories , to be broadcast on ITV4 on Tuesday . 'What I can judge it from is by looking at society . How many black people are there in the higher echelons of any industry ? We can talk about journalism , we can talk about politics . So why should football be any different ? ' Barnes ' first job in management , at Celtic for the 1999-2000 season , ended in the wake of an embarrassing Scottish Cup defeat to Inverness . But he denied that job was too much too soon . Barnes was sacked as Tranmere manager after a run of two wins from 11 league games . Barnes starred for Liverpool during a 10-year spell at Anfield in his playing career . Barnes found some success as manager of the Jamaica national team in 2008-09 . He said : 'Well , if it comes now at 51 , I do n't think it will be any different . It 's more to do with the perception of my ability to do the job , because there 's a certain perception of who can make a good manager . ' Barnes ' former England team-mate Ian Wright agreed that the colour of his skin was counting against Barnes . The former Arsenal man said : 'With someone of John Barnes ' ability and stature , to not have worked more in the game with something that he 's desperate to do . I do n't know what else it can be ? ' Former England team-mate Ian Wright agrees that skin colour is limiting Barnes ' opportunities . Barnes also talked about the guilt he felt after the Hillsborough disaster in 1989 . Barnes , who attended the funerals and met the families of victims following the tragedy , said : ' I felt this guilt that they were coming to watch me . ' I know that they were coming to watch everybody else , and it 's Liverpool Football Club . It 's an irrational thought . 'So I felt this guilt . And I was n't sure how they would react because had that been my loved one , I would n't want to go and meet footballers or the football team , or ever watch football again . '
John Barnes claims he is being held back from a management job by the colour of his skin . Former Liverpool winger has taken charge of Celtic , Inverness and Tranmere Rovers in the past . Ex-England team-mate Ian Wright agrees that colour has played a part .