Joey Barton is refreshing but you can have too much of a good thing James Olley 19 Oct 2011 The gospel according to Joey Barton dictates many fellow professionals are denigrating football and betraying loyal supporters as their idiotic and immoral behaviour increases the gap between the working class man and their undeserved million-dollar lifestyles. Refreshing, isn't it? Sports journalism is a privileged profession but every job has a shotgun-in-your-mouth moment and it often comes when a player who you have waited an hour to speak to in the freezing cold at Stoke trots out endless cliches and no opinion because he can't speak English or doesn't want to be there. Amid the constant struggle between journalists searching for thought-provoking interviews and clubs neutralising their intentions to avoid anything approaching controversy, Barton stands out as a wondrously raw conduit linking dressing room and supporter. The 29-year-old has made himself available for endless interviews and colleagues who have spent time in his company have been charmed by his demeanour and impressed by his candour. He interacts with supporters and became something of a rallying point on Twitter while not being afraid to offer a view on anything from Ryan Giggs, rugby and rubbishing team-mates. But you can have too much of a good thing. And in truth, Barton has never been a good thing, except on the pitch, of course, where he would argue it matters most. The rest is just scenery for an insatiable media hungry to endlessly analyse every detail and inflate the culture of celebrity only then to prick such pomposity and condemn those at its centre. Except where Barton is concerned, that argument is bollocks. No player has done more to test the moral boundaries of football and even an abridged version of his rap sheet makes staggering reading. (Stubbing out a lit cigar in the eye of a team-mate, breaking the leg of a pedestrian while driving late at night through Liverpool, brawling with a 15-year-old supporter, hospitalising another team-mate, serving a six-month jail sentence for common assault and affray . . .) Rarely has there been a celebrity in any sphere so readily able to provoke the debate on when their undoubted aptitude for the job is rendered irrelevant and they become unemployable because of behaviour outside it. Albeit in a different sphere, Paul Merton spoke about Angus Deayton's dismissal from presenting Have I Got News For You in October 2002 as a necessity because his sarcastic and satirical delivery had become compromised by revelations about his private life. "The person in the middle can't do jokes about Jeffrey Archer if people then say 'yes, but what about you?'," said Merton. "When Christine Hamilton came on the show, the producer said 'whenever Angus mentions her husband Neil, he is going to say 'the disgraced ex-Tory MP'.' "But when he said it, she said, 'well if he is disgraced, what are you?' All he can do is shrug his shoulders. What can you do now? We can't keep talking about it because every guest that comes on will mention it." That is Barton's fate as he continues to make himself the person in the middle. The frustration he must feel from people constantly framing his moral outrage at others in terms of his own misdemeanours could become the motivation for his now endless outbursts. Rehabilitation should not be beyond anyone but if conducted in the public domain against a backdrop of judgemental rhetoric, sympathy will be in short supply for those with long memories. There is nothing wrong with keeping a low profile and Queens Park Rangers manager Neil Warnock might want to rein Barton in, while some argue his addictive personality has now become hooked on Twitter and the need to voice endless opinions (irony of columnist criticising others for this on Twitter is noted but that is at least the job here). Barton is the antithesis of the sanitised interview any club and agent would like to each player to conduct but that does not make it right. There has to be something in between. Follow me on Twitter @JamesOlley http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/stand...-but-you-can-have-too-much-of-a-good-thing.do
Taarabt's too good for you Taarabt's too good for you Taarabt's too good for you Taarabt's too good for you You scouse twat The irony is if Morrisey were to meet you I believe he would maybe vomit for 30 minutes or more. There must be a real tangle in your head. Grow a pair and start doing what we pay you for
Dying patient meets QPR stars QPR stars Joey Barton and Shaun Wright-Phillips visited a brain tumour patient in Uxbridge to make his dying wish come true. The Premier League footballers - the club's two big summer signings - took signed shirts and caps with them on their visit to Hoops fan John Bewsy. The visit was arranged by Hillingdon Brain Tumour Support Group, which helps patients as they tackle the disease. The group's chairman, Becky Haggar, contacted QPR Football Club when John, 55, told her that his last wish was to meet his favourite players. Mrs Haggar told the Gazette: :Joey really cheered everyone up. He has a fantastic sense of humour and made everyone laugh. "He took it all in his stride and wasn't fazed by the visit. Neither of the players had done anything like this before, but they chatted to John and talked about their careers. "They posed for photographs, signed autographs and brought along two signed shirts with them, as well as a flag and some caps." Mr Bewsy was given 12 months to live when he was diagnosed two years ago, but has surprised doctors by continuing to survive. The cancer has spread and he has returned home to Worcester Road to live out his last days. Mrs Haggar said the visit by the players had given his family a happy memory to treasure. "You want to have something nice to remember and to take the family's minds off what's happening," she said. "I emailed QPR and they were absolutely amazing. We were very fortunate they did this for us." l The support group meets on the second Thursday of each month at Hillingdon Park Baptist Church in Hercies Road, Uxbridge, at 12.30pm. Call Mrs Haggar on 07769 323142 for more information. iReader http://uxbridge.uxbridgegazette.co.uk/2011/10/dying-patient-meets-qpr-stars.html
when you meet someone with an incurable illness, it makes you realise that al the trivial things in your life are just that. I hope that this humbles Mr Barton and that he concentrates on being a very decent midfield player noted for his on the pitch talents rather than his off the field tweets. Im glad you have posted that North
Warnock dismisses spat between Barton and Taarabt Fri, 21 Oct 16:29:13 2011 Neil Warnock has downplayed suggestions of a falling out between his two controversial midfield stars Joey Barton and Adel Taarabt. Warnock was forced to remind Barton about his conduct this week after the former Newcastle midfielder openly criticised Taarabt following the club's 1-1 draw against Blackburn. Barton said in a radio interview that Taarabt had a long way to go to live up the hype surrounding the Morocco midfielder. Taarabt was dropped to the bench for Sunday's draw after causing controversy the previous week when he stormed out of Craven Cottage at half-time during Rangers' 6-0 defeat at Fulham. Warnock insists the two midfielders enjoy a good relationship, however, and claimed that disagreements between two colleagues are commonplace within the English game. He said: "I don't know whether they fell out to be honest. I have only read what's been in the papers I've not heard anything about it around the training ground. "This sort of thing happens at every club. I could tell you every club where there's a few who can light the touch paper and we are no different to them."
Joey Barton posts picture of QPR's 'Teletubby' Adel Taarabt on Twitter Read more: http://www.metro.co.uk/sport/oddbal...letubby-adel-taarabt-on-twitter#ixzz1bRKrmMOK
