Fair Play to Joey Barton

[AlFayedsChequebook]

He has always split opinions in football, but he seems to have turned a corner:

Joey Barton says emotional vulnerability nearly ruined his career
• Newcastle midfielder discusses his troubled past
• 'I wanted to be alone – me against the world'

Joey Barton has said he blames the destructive behaviour which nearly ended his career on his own emotional vulnerability.

The Newcastle midfielder, talking to Esquire, said he had no excuses for his track record, which includes a six-month jail sentence for assault, and that giving up alcohol had allowed him to understand why he struggled so badly to fit into the world of professional football.

"It's not an excuse for me to say, 'Oh, I had it rough, I had it this, I had it that.' I never. The reality of it is I was loving stupid. There is no two ways about it.

"I think it was my struggle with perfection. Nothing was ever good enough. I'd try setting new goals but the slog, the never being content, was basically consuming me.

"Football is such a fickle game; one minute, people are saying you're brilliant and the next minute they tell you you're poo. It's not a normal environment; it gets you down. I had a phase where I didn't want to know anyone, I didn't want to be anyone's friend. I wanted to be alone. I wanted to do this on my own – me against the world.

"Now I'm like, 'What the f*ck was I thinking?' I just went into myself. It suited me, I knew I could respond to it and if anyone said anything I could go, 'F*ck you, I'll do it my way.' My vulnerability shut me down a bit."

Barton said he finally broke the cycle of indiscipline and aggression when he gave up drinking, which gave him a chance to refocus on his career.

"I look back now to the lad who went to jail and I think, 'How the f*ck did I get from there to here?' If you said this is what you'll be doing in three years' time, I'd have said you were insane."

He told the magazine his focus now was on becoming a good role model.

"[My father] was more like a mate than a dad. He never taught me how to be a man; he never gave me the tools. I only realised later it's like a line of dominoes. My granddad was never taught to express his emotions, other than not to show any sign of weakness, and that was passed down to my dad.

"I want to be a good role model and, one day, a good father to my children. Being a man is not just about standing up for yourself and saying, 'I'm a f*cking man.' Being a man is how you deal with things; how you give your kids the tools that I've now got without them making the mistakes I made.

"Obviously they'll f*ck up, but that's human nature."

[The Equalizer]

Fair play to the bloke for being that open.

[HatterDon]

I don't buy it -- any of it. I think it's a ghostwriter who jotted down some bulleted items from the latest version of the DSM. Barton's still the swaggering thug he's always been, his comments about his appropriateness for the England team were filled with his denegration of fellow professionals.

He's a narcissitic, violent little toerag who'll wind up doing hard time before all is said and done.

[LRCN]

he does this every few months. complete twit

[Lighthouse]

I am so pleased I didn't put away the sick bucket. "Daddy didn't give me the tools to become a human being so that's why I became a tool instead". Says member of Jets during break from West Side Story.

Give me a break.

[AlFayedsChequebook]

I don't buy it -- any of it. I think it's a ghostwriter who jotted down some bulleted items from the latest version of the DSM. Barton's still the swaggering thug he's always been, his comments about his appropriateness for the England team were filled with his denegration of fellow professionals.

He's a narcissitic, violent little toerag who'll wind up doing hard time before all is said and done.

He was pretty spot on with the England comments though - he has been one of the best midfielders in the league this season, often playing out of position, and rightly pointed out how sh1t the England team are and what a closed shop based on reputation they are.

[epsomraver]

he has been one of the best midfielders in the league this season, That's his opinion, not shared by most, he was his usual crap dirty self at the cottage, trying to get players booked etc, out and out thug, good at sitting on a 16 year old, backed up by his mates and punching the defenseless bloke, he is scum and always will be

[AlFayedsChequebook]

he has been one of the best midfielders in the league this season, That's his opinion, not shared by most, he was his usual crap dirty self at the cottage, trying to get players booked etc, out and out thug, good at sitting on a 16 year old, backed up by his mates and punching the defenseless bloke, he is scum and always will be

I think it is an opinion shared by quite a few people.

Lets face it, if he didn't have all the baggage, we would love to see him at the Cottage.

[Dixie]

he has been one of the best midfielders in the league this season, That's his opinion, not shared by most, he was his usual crap dirty self at the cottage, trying to get players booked etc, out and out thug, good at sitting on a 16 year old, backed up by his mates and punching the defenseless bloke, he is scum and always will be

Totally agree.
I would rather support Scotland than see him represent England.