The Full Monty: You can keep your Barton
Tuesday, 05 May 09, 11:57 AM · Comments(4)
By Michael Sinnerton
Is Joey Barton the most ridiculous player in the country? A player who has more talent than half of his Premier League contemporaries but who seems to have less than half the brain of your average village idiot. Since baring his backside stupidly, although somewhat amusingly in 2006, Barton waited until May 2007 before next making the news with an attack on Ousmane Dabo, which led to the Frenchmen making a police complaint.
Six months later Barton beat up a teenager in Liverpool city centre and was sentenced to six months in prison, unfortunately serving only 74 days of his sentence. Three months after his release he was cleared after of any wrongdoing after scrapping with Gabby Agbonlahor. A subsequent injury has kept Barton out of the news for more than six months but scything down Xabi Alonso on Sunday seems to have led to a row with Alan Shearer and the subsequent suspension which looks likely to end his Newcastle career.
The confusing thing about Barton is that it takes a huge amount of effort and determination to become a professional footballer. Even the most naturally talented, Dimitar Berbatov for example, have to completely commit at an early age. Taking that as read it seems crazy that Barton is almost throwing his career away. Perhaps Sam Allardyce will take a gamble on Barton again but seeing how badly the move has backfired on Newcastle he's more likely to consider it once burnt, twice shy. With any luck the Championship will gain some exposure from Barton's antics next season.
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Of course, Barton's point about a perceived lack of tactics under Alan Shearer is not without cause. All reports have Barton starting the game brightly but Shearer's decision to replace Peter Lovenkrands with Jonas Gutierrez saw Barton shifted out to the right wing. He became peripheral and presumably pretty frustrated and so the challenge itself was stupid he may well feel that Shearer's tactical decisions played a large part.
Either way Shearer has been in charge a month at St James' and has picked up two points in five games, whilst the fixture list has been tough there has been no noticeable impact since his appointment which is unusual for any manager be it Guus Hiddink or Paul Hart. It almost goes without saying that Newcastle v Middlesbrough has almost become a relegation play-off with Championship football for both a real possibility.
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4 Comments · Add yours
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You can't really say no one told you so, Barton was a liability from the day he put pen to paper!
That said you have a great point. He really is throwing away a lifetime of hard work, more than anything every time he repeats his antics he is disappointing every single fan. He's a disgrace to football imo. I have no idea how he's still playing!
Am I the only person in the world who didn't think that was a red card? I think I already know the answer to that question.
I'm not a fan of Joey Barton and I think football is probably better off without him. However, I also think that if it wasn't in front of the Kop or it was any other player...
Given that he got the ball and then the man, what's the difference between that and Fletcher last night? The difference is that the ITV commentators are falling over themselves to protest about the 'unjust' treatment of Fletcher while at the same time the rest of the media is condemning poor old Joey. Obviously if they're saying it then it MUST be true...
I thought it was a red card yeah, not sure he got the ball first, thought it was a pretty rash and dangerous tackle. I don't think the sending off is the real issue though, the straw that broke the camel's back perhaps.