The Self Destruction of Joey Barton

With Newcastle in critical condition as their premiership survival hangs in the balance, one player who will not be helping the club to survive is Joey Barton.

After being red carded on Sunday in Newcastle’s 3-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield, Joey Barton has been given a three match ban. This means he will play no part in the clubs remaining three games of the season. However, Newcastle have also choosen to suspend the troublesome player indefinately.

The club refused to comment on the lenght of the suspension, but many pundits are predicting that his appearance on Sunday may be his last for Newcastle.

Barton has already missed large amounts of the season due to suspension and injury. His appearance on Sunday was only his ninth of the season. I think that given the circumstances, Shearer and Newcastle would not have expected to win at Liverpool. However, I think that using Joey Barton was a good way of getting him some game time so that he may be of more use in the final three games.

When your team is dangerously close to relegation and with a huge game against Middlesbrough coming up, you have to consider think about your actions on the pitch because it may well affect the future of the club. For Joey Barton to be sent off in the situation that Newcastle are in then he is simply unprofessional and does not care about the future of the club. Anyone that really cared about the club would want to make sure that they can play in the biggest games that could make a difference.

Barton has had a troublesome time since moving from Manchester City to Newcastle. First he was charged with assault, then banned for 10 games due to a prior Man City training ground bust up with teammate Ousmane Dabo. Many called for Barton to be thrown out of the game. How many second chances can one player have?

There is no denying that he has talent. However, I have failed to see Joey Barton really shine on the pitch since he left Man City. A number of managers have tried to take him under their wing and have tried to help him to settle down.

During his short returning period at the club, Kevin Keegan was keen on giving the player a second chance. I think if Keegan had been able to stick around then maybe he could have had a more positive influence on the midfielder, maybe even encouraged him to become a little more mature on and off the pitch.

The current situation looks pretty bleak from a Newcastle point of view. Barton will now play no part in deciding the future of the club and whether the club stay up or do go down, it seems increasingly unlikely that he will remain at the club beyond this summer.