Joey Barton has admitted the QPR players are playing for their livelihoods and futures between now and the end of the season. Rangers welcome high-flying Arsenal to Loftus Road on Saturday afternoon and Barton - who could return to the R's starting XI this weekend after being left out at Sunderland - has laid it on the line ahead of the visit of Arsene Wenger's men. "We're as desperate for the points as they are - for totally different reasons obviously," Barton told www.qpr.co.uk. "But there are livelihoods on the line here. People's careers are on the line. "I'm not sure that's the case at Arsenal to be honest. "They'll want to win the game because they're professionals and they'll want to finish in the Champions League places, which is a minimum requirement for them. "But there are lads here whose careers are on the line - and we have to realise that. "This is more than a game of football now. The next eight games govern our futures. "All the lads need to realise that. If we don't, we'll be punished for it." The R's succumbed to a 1-0 defeat at the Emirates Stadium in the reverse fixture earlier this season, but Barton believes a lot can be learned from that narrow loss. "Arsenal are a really good footballing side - they're the in-form side in the league," he said. "But I feel when we went to the Emirates we acquitted ourselves really well. I think we deserved to get something out of the game. "The manner of that defeat was frustrating, because we gave a good account of ourselves. "We went there with a game-plan to make it really difficult for them and we did that for very long spells." Barton added: "I think Arsenal will head here expecting to win this game. "The Arsenal dressing room will think this is the kind of game they should win, but Liverpool probably thought the same. "There's a difference between thinking you should get the points here and actually getting points here." *You can read more of Joey Barton's exclusive views in his 'Captain's Column' feature in Saturday's matchday programme. Available in and around the ground - for just £3 - Hoops is a must-read on matchdays. http://www.qpr.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10373~2700925,00.html Hope we see it on the pitch come saturday...
Taken from the Offish: "You can read more of Joey Barton's exclusive views in his 'Captain's Column' feature*in Saturday's matchday programme." They got that right.
He's had his kick in the teeth that so many wanted by being dropped. Let's get behind the whole team Saturday and give him a chance to show he means the words (if he starts!)
How the likes of Ian J Taylor and crew can look themselves in the mirror in the mornings ... I know not... He does more spinning that Pete Burns ... Tossers [video=youtube;zJv5qLsLYoo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJv5qLsLYoo[/video]
Below is an extract from the Richard Langley thread, regardless of what we think I hope we have no boos Saturday it helps no one! Joey Barton would have been genuinely upset after being dropped. As a professional it's a blow to your confidence. I have been in situations before like Joey where you know you are not playing well and that there is only so much loyalty the manager can show you. With every misplaced pass the pressure mounts. You would have the rivals for your position asking the manager when they will get a chance to play and you know the inevitable is around the corner. On occasions like these, with the crowd on your back, it was almost a relief to get dropped and have an opportunity to find some form out of the spotlight. This little break will do him the world of good. I can see him coming back into the starting XI and leading the team again. Go back ten years when a certain part of the crowd was booing Paul Furlong. This was a big test for of his character. I remember feeling the pain Furs was going through. I cut in off the left and sent a ball flying in and Furs rose to beat the keeper and the defender to the ball to send the ball into the net but then walked away without celebrating. It affected him. But he came back that season to show his worth against Oldham in that play-off semi final, he won us that game and as a result won the supporters over and now is revered by some as a Rangers legend. I am sure Joey Barton will show the same ability to bounce back to an adverse crowd. We are in a dog fight at the bottom of the league and it's players like Joey we will be needing to get us out of it.
We'd like nothing more than for Langley's hopes for Barton to come true. Fingers crossed eh? (Maybe by the same token, SWP will have learned a bit of simple pass and move.)
New week, same old **** spinning out of the propaganda machine. You couldn't be more spot on Frank. By the way, when is Dave coming back?
Good to know, been missing him. But at the same time I will be sad to see Frank leave, or will he? It's nice to have a scizo among us If Frank could come back as a "special appearance" from time to time, that would be awesome.
"There's a difference between thinking you should get the points here and actually getting points here." He's right you know but for all the wrong reasons of course. A lot of teams must have thought they would not get points at LR but have taken the candy from the baby often courtesy of a wayward pass from our Joey. I'm getting really tired of "How Sh*t must you be, we're winning away". Give the dramatic nature of the finish we didn't really get time for "How Sh*t must you be, we're winning at home" against Liverpool but it would be very gratifying indeed to inlude that in our repertoire tomorrow.
Interesting there have been no tweets from joey this week. Maybe just maybe he will start making playing football a priority. Whatever our personal thoughts on joey are he is a good player and reading Langley's comments booing any player especially now serves no purpose which can benefit the team. If any fan boos a player today then you are indeed brainless
I think every R's fan would like to see Joey contribute to a win today and a goal and big performance might just begin to cut him some slack. It's a big ask but shock results do happen. I know, Fantasy Island...
