Why hasn't Enrique been forced out on a free?

And he was one of those players who had a poor game. That was one of the least inspiring Barton performances I've ever seen him put in -- he played like a player who couldn't be ****ed. I'm not saying I believe everything said yet, but I do believe it if his agent even says it, and his performance looked like that of a player who didn't want to be there.

 

Funny that none of the fans that were at the Leeds match made any mention of these antics!

After what emerged during the Keegan tribunal case (where the club "source" came out in the press and said things about KK that turned out to be a total fabrication), I'm surprised that anyone would believe a word that comes out of SJP these days. Are we that gullible? Ashley certainly seems to think so, and judging by some of the comments on these boards, in respect of AC, KN and now JB, maybe he's right to think so!

 

Barton's agent has also stated there was an argument between Pardew and Joey at Leeds based on Joey not being named captain or being allowed to take the free kicks and corners.

 

Spot on - not only is the man a liar but also very clearly a hypocrite.

 

Yeah but the reporters were saying there was an argument on the pitch during the warm up between Barton, Caver and Stone and there wasn't. I saw the warm up. His agent said he was unhappy which means he probably had words with Pardew. If they lied about the warm up argument then it's likely they are lying about this refusing to play stuff etc

 

Mike may be a liar but joey is no saint, hes employed by NUFC and shouldnt slag his boss and company off on twitter, if i did that id be sacked, i wouldnt be stupid enough to do that anyway. JB is a clever guy he knows exactly what he is doing on twitter.

 

My take is that the team is more important than any one player. I've coached and played most of my life, and when picking a competitive team, I did not always pick the most gifted player if their attitude sucked. Team chemistry was and is one of those things that makes a huge difference, and can separate a successful season from a poor one. Look at Barton's history with teammates (cigar in the eye, fights) and I think there is a pattern. The players he connected with (Nolan, Carroll) left and the dressing room changed. Stirring discontent on Twitter shows that he has not matured as much as I had hoped. I remember thinking "shut up!" everytime a new tweet happened. Laying the blame all on one side or another won't matter, what matters is getting behind the team now. I am looking forward to the season with the usual nervous outlook I have every season. You know, that terrifying feeling that you get as the car heads up the track on the rollercoaster ride that is every season as a NUFC supporter.