I see the thug has apologized for his punch on Morten Gamst Pedersen which the referee missed at the game. The guy is a total and utter cock of the highest order and after his assault on his team-mate which he got charged for I really believe the tosser should never be allowed to play football and earn good money to allow him his lifestyle! He will never change, his family are just as bad and it makes me sick the clubs back him up and also employ him.
I remember him having a go at the big money Premiership boys saying they don’t live in the real world where money and getting away with things is concerned and I agree but then the twonk then turns up for a motoring offence in his £100,000 Aston Martin to court to find no parking space so he plonks it on the grass outside the building so he can get in the court! All Premiership players get paid very very good money and they should be forced to be good role models while they’re eanring the money and having all the good times in their relatively short careers – is that too much to ask for? I just wish the clubs would have the balls to not employ this thug and make him earn a crust like all of us – makes my blood boil.

Half decent player though – I think the ‘punch’ was just a heat of the moment thing but he got the ban which was needed!

Still he is a thug, but I think there are worse people in football

Can’t think of anyone worse tbh – who did you have in mind?

I suppose a thug like Stevie G(bh) is more objectionable on a certain level because he’s intelligent enough to pretend he’s not actually a nasty shithouse. Whereas there’s no such subterfuge with Joey.

I agree he’s a dick although wanting to punch Pedersen is a fairly common feeling I think.

It was in reaction to blatant cheating by the Blackburn winger. Pederson was running at ref demanding a pen when it wasn’t. Pure frustration by joey who has been impeccable with his behaviour for a while and playing really well. Any other player wouldn’t get this attention.

He has done time for assault and got away with other assaults. he has real issues and won’t change unless made to.

However I don’t see why he should be treated differently because he is a footballer. Its not as if he goes around making public policy statements then does the opposite.

All football clubs care about is winning games. Nothing else matters

What is apparent is that Barton has very very little respect from any other Premiership players for the things he’s done and what he says. We have seen the likes of Steven Gerrard hit that guy but what we don’t understand and have to put up with is the constant endless abuse from the public when they’re off the pitch and even knowing how much my local Premiership players get I guess he isn’t the first player to flip or will he be the last – some dorks just see them as an easy target and want make a name for themselves by having a go at the big names to look good for their mates.

Couple of points on this. He was being wound up by Pederson all game. I was there and every minute of the game Pederson was in his face, saying things to him, obstructing him, pulling his shirt etc etc. He’s put up with it all season, and I think Pederson tipped him over the edge.

Secondly Its a punch in the chest FFS, he didn’t stamp on him, or head-butt him, or punch him repeatably in the face, but because its Barton its blown out of all proportion. punches, elbows, little kicks happen all the time in football and its nothing new.

He will never change

He has changed, hasn’t had a drink since he got sent to Prison, attends regualy anger management classes, works with a charity concerned with drink and drug addictions.

his family are just as bad

as far as I know, and I may be wrong, he doesn’t actually pick who his family are.

I am not sure they have to be role models. Just because JB punched another player does not mean that I would punch say, the OP if I saw him because I know its wrong.

Clubs still take players like Barton, Marlon King and Lee Hughes is because they can do a job and as TJ says pro sport is about winning.

I would guess that there earning power is affected though, less clubs interested and clubs and knock a few grand off a similar players salary. Probably get less endorsements as well.

Barton probably gets wound up more then most palyers but he just has to try harder…

All football clubs care about is winning games

No shit Sherlock!!

quoted out of context as a wind up of course!!

attends regualy anger management

Well after Wednesdays performance they look like they’re working perfectly! Exucse me but there is a referee on the pitch who is SUPPOSED to be in charge – not some punch throwing jail bird!

Storm-in-a-teacup… being whipped up by the media because of who’s involved.

Call that a punch? With the palm of the hand?

Premier League footballers can’t even fight properly these days.

Warton, of course he was being wound up.

For the opposing teams, it’s a win-win to wind him up. Either he reacts, in which case he’s more likely to get sent off, or he doesn’t react, in which case you can get away with a lot more than a supposedly ‘clean’ player.

warton – Member

“He will never change”

He has changed, hasn’t had a drink since he got sent to Prison, attends regualy anger management classes, works with a charity concerned with drink and drug addictions.

Interesting. Is he he really doing that seriously or is he just paying lip service?

Was he not involved in some other fracas recently?

Hadge, imagine for 45 minutes someone is in your face constantly, calling you worse than sh*t, stopping you doing your job fairly, harassing you constantly. What would you do? In all honesty?

I would imagine that Pedersen would need to be punched a lot harder than that to fall over in a pub fight!

Was he not involved in some other fracas recently?

You mean when he was totally battered for 90mins by Carl Henry of Wolves? Got up and walked away from every tackle. He did one little tackle and got booked.

Most quality footballers have a certain ‘edge’ about them. Wether that edge is self commitment, emotional excess or even aggression, it is needed in some form for them to excell.

Joey Barton is no different. He has the aggression but unfortunately he maybe doesnt have the self control of other players. This incident is nothing more than a footballing incident. Given the choice Pederson would gladly have taken a little jab to the ribs and get the oposition player sent off every day of the week. Hell i have seen me offer my chin to opposition players if they fancy a short walk to get them sent off.

The guy has made a concerted effort imo and is playing really well. I dont like him, but i am not going to anhilate the guy for what is just a footballing incident.

TJ, I’m friends with a bloke that has worked with him on his addictions. he’s donated cash and a couple of minibuses to the charity, and he speaks to young people who are going down that path of drink and drug addiction

A slap in the chest FFS. Typical football overreaction to a bit of handbags. Why is there no thread about Essien’s two footed challenge? Because the idiot missed his target. Thankfully the ref spotted the intent and gave the dirty thug his marching orders. If he’d hit his target (whose name escapes me…Dempsey, was it), it may well have been a career ender.

Amen to that Darcy.

Fair enough Warton

Until recently I’d always winced that Barton played for ‘my’ club, but this season and last he has really tried to sort himself out on and off the pitch.
I’m usually cynical about these things but I felt that his apology had a certain amount of genuine feeling about it, rather than it just being a PR thing.
Hopefully he can have a mid season rest now and continue to put the ball on to the head of that other thug that plays for us!

Barton (& his family for that matter) are a bunch of thugs. He failed to complete school, dropping out to pursue a footbal career, and will hopefully spiral into a self destruction mode in the not too distant future. He doesn’t deserve to get away with such actions, there are still kids who will see his behaviour and try & get away with it.

He was involved in a fight in Liverpool around last christmas IIRC, back to his usual haunts with his usual mates, and they beat up a local girl on a night out.

Justice would be him being found in a merseyside park with an ice axe in his head lol!

So if Gary Glitter attended sessions for whatever he gets up to and donated money or bought mini-buses to Childline we would all think he’s changed his ways??? Yeah right.

Don’t bring me into this.

missingfrontallobe – your an idiot!

last christmas IIRC

– nope maybe xmas 2008

You think that for having a few squabbles (along with other idiots) justifies death with an axe? Do yourself a favour and piss off. You know nothing.

carbon337 – Member
missingfrontallobe – your an idiot!

last christmas IIRC
– nope maybe xmas 2008

You think that for having a few squabbles (along with other idiots) justifies death with an axe? Do yourself a favour and piss off. You know nothing.

You do recall his cousin killed Anthony Walker in a park in Huyrton with an ice axe don’t you? OK, not Joey, but shows how splendid a family the Bartons are in general.

Now **** off.

He was involved in a fight in Liverpool around last christmas IIRC, back to his usual haunts with his usual mates, and they beat up a local girl on a night out.

utter bollox.

Justice would be him being found in a merseyside park with an ice axe in his head lol!

aaah a nice little reference to the man his step brother killed, well done. tosser.

PS I didn’t finish school either, so do i deserve to “spiral into a self destruction mode in the not too distant future”?

Pmsl GG – ok your excused this time

Again, he doesn’t choose his family, it may be hard for you to understand, but we don’t pick who our families are. Barton didn’t decide to have a step brother who is a murderer.

Why would anyone wish for someone to ‘spiral into a self destruction mode’ and be murdered with an ice axe rather than TRY to sort his personal problems out and change?

Not a very pleasant point of view really. 🙁

You do recall his cousin killed Anthony Walker in a park in Huyrton with an ice axe don’t you? OK, not Joey, but shows how splendid a family the Bartons are in general.

Now **** off.

I think statement proves me right. Enough said.

+1 for DD

There are far worse thugs than Barton on the field. Gerrard elbows someone in the face most weekends and gets away with it. The Essien tackle could have ended the guy’s career, but because of who they are (ie: not JB) and because it takes place within the context of the game it’s more accepted. They know far more what they are doing than JB did, who has admitted he has an anger management issue and snapped this time. And I genuinely believe regrets it.

Unfortunately he’ll get wound up by someone every time he walks onto the field. It’ll happen again at some point, have no illusions but while he can control and channel the aggression he’s playing bloody well.

Who should we really blame for it then? Not many walks of life where you would be encouraged to wind up a fellow professional and then run screaming to the authorities when you get the desired effect.

Gerrard does not elbow someone in the face most weekends as I guarantee the tv judges would show it everytime! All these football shows be it on Sky or the Beeb DO pick up on what goes on as there are cameras all over the place and these days play like that doesn’t go un-noticed so please make statements that are fact! As for the Essien tackle it has made the news, I missed it – haven’t seen it yet but I hope if it was as bad as people say then he gets his just rewards – as does any player who commits such bad fouls.

I’m as much of a sucker for a redemption story as anyone. I was waiting for the Saturday article in the Sport section of the Guardian any weekend now…on the changed life of Joey Barton. I’m guessing this story will have pushed that particular one a few months back now.

I was talking about this with a mate a few weeks ago and we remarked that it was only a matter of time before he messed up again. I was expecting a much bigger mess up than him hitting someone in the chest. If I were Pederson, I’d be asking for my name to be kept out of this out of this – what kind of a pussy is he FFS? If you wind up a spikey character all game in the hope that you’ll get him to crack, you ought to be ashamed of yourself if all you manage is to get him to punch you in the chest. I’m guessing he went down like a sack of spuds…like he’d been mown down by a militiaman wielding an AK-47 right?

Jeebus – I’ve just looked at it. Indeed Pederson is down on all fours, head in his hands crying like a baby. Has he no shame at all? Goodness knows what would happen if he’d been hit properly. I wish reporters after the game would make players watch and justify their actions after being tickled. It never happens though. Why is this?

It’s no wonder fans of other contact sports laugh at footballers.

It seems no matter what Barton does to try and mend his ways, we the public, the media and footballers themselves are intent on dragging him back down to his previous levels.

I’m no fan of Barton but I think he has shown signs of improvement recently. I suspect that Pederson was ‘encouraged’ to wind him up and then play up the inevitable reaction. Doesn’t excuse Barton tapping him but, my God, it says a lot about Pederson and his management.

Employing role models does not win trophies so clubs will continue to pick players based on playing ability above all else.

It would be nice if all players were Roy of the Rovers but the fact is players get into competitive sports because of their desire to win, not because they have the desire to set a good example.