A reformed character at Newcastle?
There was a time not so long ago when Joey Barton was about as valued a member of the Newcastle squad as Ricky Gervais would be welcome at a Golden Globes after party.
From training ground bust ups to branding a youth team player with a cigar, not to mention a spell behind bars, Barton has hardly been the model professional in recent years.
There was a point after Barton was sentenced to six months in prison for his part in a violent assault that any hope of the Newcastle midfielder making the most of his promise seemed to have gone. The summer of 2008 was a dark time for Barton.
During Kevin Keegan’s second spell as Newcastle boss, the fiercely loyal Keegan stuck by the controversial Barton in the face of calls to rid the club of a player deemed to be nothing but trouble.
Since dropping into the Championship, Barton appears to have found the stability in his life that was absent from the early part of his career. Part of the Championship topping side of last season, Barton has showed his best level of performance since he first emerged in a Manchester City shirt, eight years ago.
Whenever an English midfielder hits a vein of good form there are inevitable questions raised about future international honours. For Barton, his England career has been as chequered as it has been brief, a solitary substitute appearance against Spain in 2007, the limit of his higher honours.
Barton himself has talked up the prospects of a potential return to international colours, although regardless of his improved behaviour, such a selection would appear unlikely. England coach, Fabio Capello has had enough drama over the conduct of his top stars in recent months and will not want the potential aggravation of selecting the midfielder.
It would inaccurate to label Barton a completely reformed character. Even during this season where it has been said that the former Manchester City midfielder has improved his behaviour, Barton has been on the receiving end of a three match ban for punching Morten Gamst Pederson during his side’s game with Blackburn back in November.
The problem is, Barton talks a very good game. I have heard a number of experienced sports journalists talk about how genuine and sincere Barton can appear in person. It is clear that his drinking ruins a large portion of the good work the Newcastle man has done in the community.
At 28, Barton could still feasibly make the step up in class he has threatened during periods of his career to date. Should he want to do this outside of the confines of St James’ Park time is not on his side.
But will other clubs really want to bid for Barton? There is an inevitable level of conjecture surrounding potential transfers at this time of the season, so any interest in the one cap wonder could well turn out to be nothing. I would seriously dispute if a handful of strong performances would be enough to erase the memory of years of bad behaviour.
There is no doubt that a focused Joey Barton would be a valuable asset, and one that a host of top flight clubs would be interested in. Should Barton keep his nose clean and help push Newcastle up the table, then Alan Pardew may well find himself inundated with offers. Until then the controversial hard man very much remains on probation, both in the eyes of his club and the football community.
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