Barton

Having watched it again on MOTD and comparing it with other minor bust ups with the referee nearby, I think Barton was unlucky. It was too far away for us to see clearly at the time So much so that a guy behind me was calling for the ref to send off Jelavic for the initial 50-50 challenge with Furlong. They both lunged to get the ball as it had slipped way from Furlong. Furlong won it but got Jelavic as well in the follow through. Several Hull players waded in to try to get Furlong sent off and Barton waded in to protect him. What annoys me is the one sided account of the incident by the super-pundits. There was shoving on both sides and the killer punch which Barton delivered to Huddlestone was no worse than the one he had received at the start of the bust up from another Hull player who then melted away. Such a brave soul.

Had the referee been even handed he would have booked Barton and Huddlestone in addition to Furlong and left it at that. The smirk with which Huddlestone explained in his interview when expressing sympathy for Barton shows to me that in his case his actions were entirely premeditated. He did not react in the heat of the moment but knew fulwell that Barton probably would. It was a needless sending off and one which should be regretted by the ref as much as Barton

 

This.

 

Th

That's what happens when you are willing to compromise your morals and values.
You Col, have been infected as DT so rightly states, if you are willing to sleep with the Devil in order to win over your neighbour, you should first make sure that the Devil was worth it.
This is and has always been The helluva decision that quite frankly makes me hate this team - and that they would make the classless, boring, unintelligent, boorish, generally nasty piece of work captain!
He is a Count and anyone that would even think of missing him is also one, if he played like Messi, I couldn't accept him. My bar is obviously that bit higher and uncompromisable.

Get this cancer out!!!

 

Loving the considered, balanced posts today.

 

I cannot believe some people are making excuses for barton, he slapped an opposition player in the nuts, right in front of the ref, whether others pushed him or not, straight red. Should hull players have been booked is another argument. I hope he never plays for us again

 

This is it in a nutshell.

I think he has played well this season; I know there have been games where his passing has been wayward, but in the games that I have seen he is always the one showing for the ball and trying to drive us forward. A real shame this has happened at the stage of the season.

 

Barton barely flicked Huddlestone's privates. You see worse at every single corner but goes unpunished. Anyone see Barnes's challenges on Ivanovic and Matic now they were worthy of red but not even a yellow was produced. Comments about the devil and cancer are totally delusional. We lost due to poor judgment by Caulker, anyone at the game would tell you that

 

Barton's got the red card as much down to his history as his action yesterday. Despite keeping it pretty much under control all season, and being one of our best players so far, he's been shown cards that others simply wouldn't get.

I'm not saying his reputation isn't deserved, but I agree with Yorkie - these comments about cancer and stuff are ridiculous.

 

I think the team is better with Barton and that is based on his performances this season. In my opinion he has played well.

Should he have been sent off yesterday? 100% YES.

What he did was at the very least demeaning to an opposing player. If the referee lets it go then it is OK and we have every Sunday player and youngster copying. The vast sums of money these players earn comes from TV money which is driven by large audiences.

I have always defended Joey on this forum but what he did yesterday was just plain dumb. I really hope rangers do not embarrass themselves by appealing.

 

I think that Barton was set-up/wound up by Hull. Alex Bruce deliberately gave Barton a "flip" and then, as you say, "melted away" .....

 

Barton deserved to be sent off as any player should be if they did that. I do think it was silly and stupid but things happen in the heat of the moment that you immediately regret after. I bet we will have all done something stupid that we suddenly regret. Is he a cancer at our club??? Certainly not! I believe he is actually our best option for captain. He is a character, talks a lot and his work rate is very high. It wasn't the best example to set youngsters but also it wasn't the worst as it showed that behaviour like that results in a red card. Seeing him at Sunderland where I thought he was fantastic and seeing him at Hull where he let himself, the team and the fans down are the different extremes we get from Barton. I for one believe he will play a major part if we are to fight relegation.

 

You can dress it up any way you wish. He shouldn't have got involved with the Hull players and given the ref any reason to send him off. Having a reputation is all the more reason to keep out of it.
Barton is and always will be a liability.

 

As the captain of the side, when he sees opposition players trying to get a young debutant like Furlong sent off, he did what I would do and go to the assistance of his player. The fact that he then got shoved around and reacted is his fault and he paid for it, but no captain would have reasonably stayed away from the situation that was developing.

 

To be blunt any manager worth a salt would tell their players to 'dig' Barton at every opportunity, any player with an explosive temperament is fair game these days,,,

 

Not for the next three games he won't mate!

 

I agree. As Captain he was within his rights to speak to the referee. The problem with Joey is that as soon as there is a crowd of players he cannot help himself and ends up doing something stupid; this is essentially his life story!

 

Can't argue with that. How refreshing to see young Furlong get an opportunity though Col hey. I certainly like this new philosophy of blooding the youngsters for positions we are lacking in.

 

I agree - the Manager's son "piled-in" first, then stood back as others including Huddlestone waded in. It worked!

 

Most cards per game - Premier League 2014/15 BBC
Total cards Cards per game

Joey Barton 0.47
Lee Cattermole 0.47
Muhamed Besic 0.47
Cheick Tiote 0.45
Jores Okore 0.42
Calum Chambers 0.42
Jack Colback 0.4

 

Do they have a stat for Most Cards Given Due To Reputation And Not Offence? He'd be way ahead on that one