Joey Barton was on TalkSport this afternoon with Adrian Durham and he divulged that he had a few meetings with McClaren with a view to returning to NUFC. Apparently the blockers were put on it by Ashley due to Bartons previous fallings out with him and Lambeeezy. I would love to have the guy in the squad right at this moment in time. One of the ones that actually seemed to give a **** last time we went down.
I absolutely love the bloke. He'd be first on my team sheet and should never have been pushed out the door. Love his passion.
He clearly has real affection for the Toon. He spoke about how he, along with a few others, felt a real level of responsibility about getting us back up last time, having been in the team that took us down. Definitely a passionate and intellectual bloke who loves the club, the area and the fans.. Granted, he's a bit of a loon at times, but still................!!
Type of player I'd happily have in the Championship not sure about in the Premier League if we go up. It's like Nolan he knows how to play to get a team promoted.
He came across very well and spoke a lot of sense. Certainly gave the impression that McClaren wanted him and was overruled.
Barton was speaking well of the need for a spine too. Got me thinking that a bid for the ageing Barry or Carrick may be a good move for next year. Experience and steel.
Carrick would be a good shout. Local lad, wealth of experience and a good solid, no nonsense performer........................... but surely there is an exotic sounding French kid that could do half as good a job for twice the money?? Lets go for him instead because Carrick has no resale value and we are always looking to the future, even though we are completely ****ed in the present!!! All hail 'The Structure'
The amount of money we've spunked on French midfielders is obscene. Ashley's an idiot for allowing Carr the idiot to buy them. What a regime! Fkn halfwits.
Hardly!! Who's talking about spitting dummies out?? Instead of trotting out the party line through that ****ing gormless grin of his though he could have actually fought a little harder to get him into the club. He tried to sign Barton for Derby too, so he was on his radar for a long time. Perhaps he could have used the media to create a stir around Barton to try and force the boards hand........... the board that he was supposedly a member of by the way. Perhaps he could have insisted that his judgement had to be respected and no matter what had gone before he had to be trusted with transfers. Dropped his name into an interview and state that a Joey Barton was just the type of player he needed at the club. Maybe he could have just shown an inch of backbone throughout the whole of his tenure.
How do you know that he didn't try hard? We can't criticise SM for saying he wanted a player, the club saying piss off and then him not quitting, surely?
Who said he should have quit. You really are stretching my point just a little bit fella. Lets agree to disagree.
One thing that Barton would have brought that was sadly missing all season, was a prescience in the Dressing Room - A Leader. Something that no matter how much money you spend, you cant guarantee. As it happens he had a very good season with Burnley and unless they sell him , he'll be playing in PL next season.
Yep this, take him back in a heartbeat now, far more have him in midfield in the championship than Wynaldum and Sissoko, Barton is a total grafter, shame he had so many injuries with us. Prem though, I'd more have him as a squad player. On that note, if we've got sense, we should look at getting Nolan back for next season, he'd definitely do a job for us in the Championship.
Don't like Barton but 3 seasons, 3 promotions with different teams tells you something, don't see too many with much Championship experience in our team (Darlow, Elliot, Lascelles and Townsend I think) that aren't out of contract this summer. As for Nolan would have him on the coaching staff, being interesting to see where he does turn up next year, Bolton could be a destination for him.
I would say Nolan's still got a few good seasons in him left, and is more than just coaching staff material atm - up until the end of last season he was playing regularly in the Prem with West Ham, it's just West Ham had moved up a level now and are challenging for top 5, whereas Nolan is more of a "solid midtable" midfielder. He only went to LO for the manager position, and as that hasn't worked out, he's clearly selling himself short right now - he's only 33 and would be a regular in a lower-midtable Prem/top championship team. We clearly need a gutsy goal scoring midfielder next season, in the mould of Rob Lee in 92-93, and Nolan would be perfect.
