Joey.

After reflecting on the game yesterday and the games before it, I have to ask what exactly Joey is bringing to the team right now. HIs passing is as poor, his long balls are poor. His dead balls are poor. Ok so occasionally he breaks up opposition attacks but as soon as he's done it he give the ball away with a poor pass, or wastes it with a Hollywood pass that goes astray. I think his bad things out weigh his good things right now and as such I think he should be dropped. How many of our wins came while he was injured. I just feel we've done better without him this season tbh.

 

I tend to see more of the good things he does; and if it's a case of the old 'rose tinted specs' worn on my part, then so be it.

The best way I can answer this, is to observe that there's other players that have 'showed' less, contributed less, and I'm sure if it was analysed on a per cent basis; would come out worse comparing per cent mistakes to positive outcomes.

Factor in a perennial observation that Joey Barton, like most others, is 'playing in a position that does not get the best out of his abilities' and I'm still none the wiser.

As captain, and in the absence of another player showing the fitness, resilience and desire to usurp his position, I guess Joey Barton picks himself at the moment. As such, we'll just have to accept that he's there on merit and accept that he won't get everything right all of the time.

A wider question to answer though, with all of the observations we make on a week-by-week basis, is whether any of these observation are being fed back to any of the players as areas for their development. If as most of us suspect, this is not the case, then we're daft expecting anything to change anytime soon.

 

I still think he's a good player but he's suffering from the same problems that pretty much all of them are suffering from at the moment.

But I also think that there isn't really a place for him in the team at the moment, in the sense that we are needing to play a certain way at the moment and he doesn't fit that. He cannot play instead of Henry, who has better defensive qualities. And he is not good enough to play Henry's role. If we had a better defence, we might be able to afford Barton in the team and let him play on the right, maybe?

 

Barton is being asked to make up for Henry's lack of passing ability and is failing.

 

Don't agree at all. Thought as usual Barton, Austin and Green were about our best yesterday. He is regularly more involved than anyone else, looks to try and fight harder than anyone else, he's the motor in our midfield and we need him. His passing is often good so the mistakes he makes are more than compensated for by his attributes for me.

 

You make some good point there sku re. them all not doing well. I just think that the area he loses/ gives the ball away place even more strain on an un-coping back line.

 

In that case if he is failing, he should be dropped. I see him doing more damage than good personally.

 

Barton has no discerninig football ability, he cannot, pass, tackle, create and certainly cannot deliver a dead ball. Has no pace and is constantly drawn out of his area - note how easy it is for opposing teams to simply run at us through the middle unopposed.
We then move on to his leadership and personal profile qualities - the only ones that would enjoy Barton as a leader would be neanderthal, unskilled types such as Hill and Dunne.
As for the mess he has caused and continues to cause on social media, well, it defies belief, such a Count is still with us. A plague on all our houses!!

 

Sorry Oslo, I just don't see it. Apart from some dead balls earlier in the season, I don't see many of his passes making their targets and if they do, they are often so hard the receiving player cannot control it.

Edit: As for him being the motor in our midfield, so he runs around like a headless chicken but does nothing with it on the odd occasion when he does win the ball.

 

Marmite...

 

I thought he did well last season and I am not a pathological Joey hater, I just think this season he isn't bringing enough positives to out weigh his negatives.

 

Not sure Joey playing or not playing will make any discernible difference to our performances tbh.

 

I have to stand corrected on the number of wins we've had with him in the team. 4 out of 5 wins, he's been in the team. I still think he's a bit of a liability right now though.

 

I've said it before , his a good CC player but an average EPL player

 

Although Barton concedes possession, and I understand it's incredibly frustrating, he'd still be in my team every week. He never hides during a game and I admire him for that. He also has the stomach to play in any fixture home or away, regardless of the conditions and you need characters like that for a team in our position.

 

I agree but where do we put him in the lineup and at the expense of who? Maybe dropping him and letting him fight for his place as a substitute would be good for him? It did Henry some good.

 

This, and also most of our squad bar one or two players..

 

I think that we need Barton right now. He gives 100% and puts himself about. Unfortunately, playing in a poor and static team he often misplaces passes, more than he would in a team with good movement, which is what everyone sees and consequently is critical of (including myself). He will give Mata and Di Maria a torrid time on Saturday.

 

If all of our team were average we would be doing much better, no?

 

Which other premier teams would he get in?
He says he's happy to stay at QPR if we stay in the premier league. He needs to start showing he's made of premier league material and delivering a pass once in a while