Joey Barton admitted he "went down easy" in the incident which saw Arsenal's Gervinho sent off, then launched a personal attack on Newcastle legend Alan Shearer. First Arsenal's Alex Song stamped on the back of his leg, incensing Barton, then the controversial midfielder dragged Gervinho to his feet after perceiving the Ivorian to have dived in the penalty area. That led to a fracas involving several players, with Arsenal debutant Gervinho connecting with a slap on Barton. There was a delay before the Magpies star, involved in a Twitter spat with the club's hierarchy in recent weeks, went to the floor clutching his head. When he got to his feet he claimed a punch had been thrown - and with Gervinho seeing red, got away with a booking. Barton tweeted: "I went down easy, no doubt. Still, you can't raise your hands... What do I have to gain by standing and trading with him? NOWT. "Standing and defending myself has only got me in trouble before. What do you want me to do, hit him back? Or hope the ref keeps him on [the pitch]? "If he doesn't dive then the incident doesn't happen. Maybe I shouldn't have gotten involved, but diving and trying to win a penalty is s***. Needs stamping out. "I train all summer to have him cheat us out of a hard-earned point? It's not on. Diving should be a three-game ban. Respect the game. "If there's contact, go down - but don't blatantly try to con the ref. Refs have it hard enough." He then aimed a barb at former Newcastle striker-turned-Match of the Day pundit Shearer, who said Barton deserved a red card. Barton tweeted: "Bad shirt, shoes and views from Shearer again. Sort it out slaphead..." The pair fell out during Shearer's brief spell as Newcastle manager, and were involved in a furious dressing-room row that resulted in the midfielder's banishment from the first team. Barton's comments about a Newcastle hero could damage his standing with the fans, who have been largely supportive of the player following a row with the club's owners that resulted in his being transfer-listed. Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger said both players should have been sent off - or neither. "I don't understand the red card," said Wenger. "I am 100 per cent sure the referee did not see what happened. "I think he has his back turned to the incident. If he had seen it, he would have sent both of them off, or nobody. "Why does Joey Barton go over there and grab him up? It is a yellow to the two or a red to the two, and what happened is not serious. "Will I appeal? I will have a good look at it but I am tempted to say yes." Newcastle manager Alan Pardew backed his under-fire star, whom the club are keen to get rid of - even offering him up as a free transfer recently. "[Gervinho] dived, there is no doubt about that," Pardew said. "Joey's reaction was to chastise him and then there was a tussle. But then he slapped him and you can't do that. "[Earlier] I think Joey was calm, but Song did stamp on him and that was disappointing. I had [Song] as a player at Charlton and that was out of character for him. "Joey was incensed. When a fellow professional dives, that gets your back up. Joey is an opinionated guy. He has opinions and expressed them." Barton said the Cameroonian should be lambasted for the stamp, which was perpetrated with Barton on his hands and knees looking the other way - and added that he had proven he is giving everything for the club. "Imagine if I'd stamped on Song - all the numptys would be out calling for a public execution. What, 'cause it's on me it's alright?" he tweeted. "Great result and performance from the lads. On a personal note, hopefully today proves my commitment - if it was ever in doubt."
A fight between Shearer and Barton? Even though Mary is giving Barton a few years, my money would be on Mary.
If the vicious Messrs Song and Gervinho can upset Joey Barton so much, I'm sure he will be best of mates with Cattermole and Colback after next Saturday.
Shearer would murder him if they went toe-to-toe. Beating up kids is one thing, beating up a big, strong fella is another.
dear me the guy is sooooo ****ing thick its unreal saying, you cant dive it should be a three match ban, then admits he hit the deck easily???? (which is diving right?) and there was contact in the first place i think it should have been a pen, and im sure they said as much on motd
The one thing in this one particular incident that makes Barton look like the horrible piece of **** he is the following: He and the weird Newcastle manager they have at the moment said that Barton was well within his rights to go and rag the Arsenel player all over because he went down diving. But the thing i dont understand is why is he reffing the game and shouldnt such a savage attack on a prone player the same as the charge he makes against Song? And then the worst part of the whole thing, on the replays the Arsenal guy was caught late so it was a penatly and then he gets attacked by a criminal with a history of violence on and off the pitch. I think i would be annoyed too, but then to go down so easy off a slap after being so enraged about other player going down easy just makes it all so crazy. Honestly if this thug wasnt a footballer he would have been pinching tv's out of currys last week like the rest of the scum. This bloke is disgusting and on a weekend where football was going to brighten the nations mood we get another dose of crap from this guy and then even his fowl tweets get read out on all the football shows. Horrible horrible guy who we all would be better off without!
Nee pics Sydney. Just trying to imagine a quim shaved on one side, trimmed on the other? Aye, that's Barton.
Papers printing stories out of context again. Was obviously said Tongue in cheek about shearer. He has also said Steven Taylor was not the sharpest tool in the box tonight which again, was all in good jest yet tomorrow, no doubt, the headlines will be about dressing room discontent and how Barton hates Taylor. Got to love the media.
One thing which is missing from this is that it was not a dive. There was contact it should have been a penalty!
Sorry mate but I totally disagree with this. There's no love lost between the two of them since his sending off during Shearer's "managerial" stint at Newcastle. Barton put the Shearer comments on twitter about 5 minutes after Shearer had said on match of the day that it was a penalty and Barton should have seen red.
No love lost, your right, but it is definately Tongue in cheek. Anything between Barton and shearer is long past under the bridge. And that is out of e horses mouth.
