I must admit, I had thought Joey Barton had calmed down a little bit since his transfer to QPR. Hes a decent premier league player (when he has his head screwed on properly) but he must surely be coming to the end of his tether in the premier league. Will his possible loan spell in league 2 give him some perspective and help him sort himself out? I dont think so. It would cost £11m to terminate his contract, but Hughes is apparently not happy with the influence he has in the dressing room. Is he a good enough player to be forgiven and let back into the team after his ban? Is he too good a player to be left out of the team on principle? If you were Mr Hughes what would you do with him?
I'd keep him in the team.Good player and person,he just has an anger problem that people know about and they exploit it and make the most of it,so he gets into trouble. He has had his problems in the past,but who hasn't?People who keep having a go at him need to sort their life's out. Joey Barton comes across as a smart,articulate man who speaks his mind and gives his all on the football pitch,but he has a dark side to him that is unleashed when the wrong people annoy him.
As an R, I'd be very happy if we had been able to terminate his contract after the internal investigation. His ego's too big, and his actions give the club a bad name. And on top of that, if reports are to be believed he's cancer in the dressing room.
For a while at Newcastle, I thought he'd turned the corner, but his move to QPR has only turned him again. He shouldn't be allowed to play football again anyway.
He needs to take that medicine they give to hyper active brats only probably about twice the usual dose and that may not be enough. Character is as important in recruiting a players as is skill and thank goodness Nicola places great emphasis on that otherwise we could end up with a chav like Barton. (I think we nearly did with the deal that fell through for Alexander Buttner who struck me as another chav and not the sort we would want to disrupt our squad of nice boys)
It's all very well saying he has an anger problem as if it's the same as having red hair or acne. Most people overcome an anger issue in infant school. I'm afraid you can take the boy out of the street but not take the street out of the boy...he's a professional player and should have sorted this out years ago. P.s. agree about Buttner...may have dodged a bullet there.
If Barton behaved like this in any other profession then he would not be employed. He would also struggle to get another job because he would have a disciplinary record that future employers would be aware of. I know footballers are employed to play football and I would agree that he is a good player BUT I think his ticking time-bomb temper and attitude leaves his manager playing russian roulette in every game.
A conviction for ABH would rule him out of most jobs. Lets face it, if he wasn't a footballer he would be on the dole, drug dealing or theiving (or all three).
Would you still play him when he gets back from his ban or drop him on principle? Last year he was probably too important to the team to afford to leave him out. But after their their transfer window..?
Personally, after his disgraceful behaviour on the last day I would never let him near my team again. Like you said, QPR have had a very strong transfer window so far, with more signings looking imminent. I would personally put him up for sale at any price, and flog him to a championship/league 1 team. (Maybe Pompey? Now there's a match made in heaven...) However, I am pretty sure they will keep him as a back-up, and use him to cover for any injuries. This will be after he has issued a "heartfelt" apology to the club, fans and Manchester City players. The simple fact is, no club could afford to just write off his contract and sell it, therefore all the power lies with Barton.
Well perhaps competition for a first team place is exactly what he needs. And after their transfer window he will. Ji Sung Park competing for his place could be the best thing for him and for the club right now because he will be forced to buck his ideas up.
I actually can't get angry about waht he did against Man City. It was one of the most entertaining things of the season. Must be the first proper left hook for a long time in football. Aguero didn't know what hit him.
I have an opinion of Barton, but it has already been said in various posts, to some degree. I would also point out that Barton will always be targeted by other players in order to be wound up, so as to increase the chances of his team being reduced to 10 players. It's an obvious tactic, and some opposition teams will adopt it, because their own code of behaviour stops at very little, in order to win a match. There have been other players like Barton, down through the years, whose on-field temperament has been tolerated because they have been good enough footballers. In fact, one of them is now a pundit - Danny Mills. Another made a name in films - Vinnie Jones. And are we to look back at Eric Cantona as a man with a halo..? I appreciate Barton is amongst the worst in a while, to come along, but as long as football tolerates bad behaviour in players, just because they are good enough, then every once in a while, another footballer with a fiery temper will come along.
I'm sorry, but I don't think "other people winding him up" can be considered a valid excuse. If someone tried to wind me up in my job, I would calmly walk away and resolve any dispute in the correct manner. Barton is a grown man, and if he can't act like an adult, then he shouldn't be allowed to play in view of the public. I agree that in the past there have been footballers who have made a name by being hard men, but that doesn't mean it should be allowed to continue. In the past, racist and homophobic abuse was widely tolerated, does that mean that should be allowed to continue as well? The point I am making, is that if Barton's behaviour was a one-off isolated incident where he lost his temper, it would be forgivable. But it is constant with him, he constantly walks a tight-rope throws second chances away, and betrays the trust of every club or manager that puts their faith in him. He is an utter disgrace.
They should have sacked him. Completely unacceptable behaviour from someone that should be in prison!
