It’s all too easy to get on Joey Barton’s case – and do you know why? The Newcastle midfielder just doesn’t know when to shut his mouth. It gets him into trouble, whether it’s on the training ground, in a Thai bar or speaking to journalists. As they say, actions speak louder than words and the former Man City player should be pre-occupied with helping his beleaguered manager rather than having to retract statements he made about the Newcastle fans:
“Of course I never questioned any fan’s loyalty – who could question the loyalty of any Newcastle United fan, or their right to be unhappy if performances are not going well? In fact, I actually made the point that it is up to the players to lift the fans when results are not going our way.”
Barton couldn’t be misquoted by journalists if he didn’t bother speaking to them in the first place. OK Joey, you’ve got opinions, well done. But if you’re obliged with some media duties, just reel off a few bland cliches, it doesn’t mean we’ll think anything less of you. Indeed, it would be a marginal improvement on waist-high challenges and becoming more renowned for controversy than footballing ability.