On the first day of the 2011/12 season, Joey Barton received a gentle slap from Arsenal’s Gervinho and reacted like a man who had been shot in the face. Despite his occasional pronouncements about the moral high ground and the correct way for a professional footballer to carry himself, his actions were, let’s face it, acutely embarrassing.
On the last day of the same season, this time against Manchester City, he was sent off for elbowing Carlos Tevez and reacted in the most extraordinary manner. By the time he finally left the pitch, Barton had kicked Sergio Aguero, aimed a head-butt at Vincent Kompany, exchanged pleasantries with Mario Balotelli and needed several people to escort him from the field of play. It was all highly unpleasant, and perhaps served as a timely reminder that underneath the veneer of an accomplished player there still remains the presence of a thuggish individual who will never be able to control his demons.
Quite where Barton goes from here remains to be seen, but the bigwigs at the English Football Association are likely to impose a lengthy ban that will mean his 2012/13 season is unlikely to start in August like everyone else. A series of incidents over the years will certainly need to be taken into consideration, so the powers that be will almost certainly throw the book, the pen, the desk and the chair at him. He has been charged for two acts of violent conduct and a ten-game ban seems the least he can expect.
It doesn’t seem that long ago when a series of good performances at Newcastle had some commentators predicting a long run in the England side, but one substitute appearance in a friendly is all Barton has to show so far. After the latest incident at the Etihad Stadium, the chance of any further England games is about as likely as a Stewart Downing hat-trick for Liverpool.
Joey Barton moved from Newcastle to Queens Park Rangers in August 2011, and soon became a favourite with the fans thanks to some excellent performances. However, it was to prove an inconsistent season for the midfielder, with occasional good performances interspersed with just as many poor ones. When manager Neil Warnock was sacked the following January, his replacement Mark Hughes kept Barton as club captain.
Hughes has, perhaps understandably, remained relatively quiet about the incident, but it’s safe to assume he had a few words to say about in the sanctity of the dressing room. The man labelled “Sparky” was known as a bit of a scrapper in his playing days, but it’s difficult to imagine he would be anything but angry about the scenes that unfolded before his eyes against Manchester City.
Predictably, Joey Barton chose to use Twitter to give his side of things, and his various tweets included an apology to the QPR fans and ‘anyone who was offended by it’. He also said he didn’t think it was a sending-off, although most independent observers would disagree with that. It has to be said that Tevez was fully involved in the fracas as well, but if Barton thinks the Argentinean over-reacted perhaps he should look at his own actions when Gervinho’s hand brushed his cheek the previous August. What goes around often comes around, as they say.
So what happens now for Joseph Anthony Barton? It’s far too early to say whether QPR will even want to keep him, let alone allow him to represent the Rs as club captain. When the dust settled on the unsavoury incident and Manchester City’s stunning victory, the fact remained that Rangers had managed to avoid the dreaded relegation, and they will now look to consolidate a Premier League place for many years to come. They have the infrastructure to become regular diners at the top table, but whether Barton stays with the club is a different matter.
He’s too talented to be lost to the game altogether, of course, but his footballing ability isn’t the only consideration. With an occasional hair trigger and a propensity to do something daft at some point in the future, any manager that thinks he can keep him out of trouble will be taking a big gamble.
