Three things in life are certain: death, taxes and Joey Barton stirring up controversy. The Rangers midfielder has been suspended by the club for three weeks after a training ground bust-up with teammate, Andy Halliday. Many are saying this could already spell the end of Barton’s eventful time in Scotland.
Of course, this is nothing new. We should hardly be surprised given that Barton has continuously played the pantomime villain throughout his playing career. Sure there have been lulls when he may have appeared a changed man. His most recent came when playing for Championship side, Burnley.
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Barton was the model professional and an extremely effective member of a side which gained promotion to the promised land of the Premier League. He even made the Championship team of year. However, like any lull in the midfielder’s career, this was merely the calm before another inevitable storm.
Scotland braces for the Barton storm
Since arriving in Scottish football the Englishman has done nothing but ruffle feathers. First, it was a war of words with Celtic captain, Scott Brown. Barton claimed: "People keep talking about Joey Barton v Scott Brown. He ain't in my league. He's nowhere near the level I am as a player. He can't get to me. If I play well, Scott Brown doesn't stand a chance. That’s not me being blasé. That’s me stating what I believe.”
The Rangers player has also poked fun at Celtic manager, Brendan Rodgers’ appearance and claimed he was in the midst of a mid-life crisis.
As if publicly criticising your rivals wasn’t bad enough, Barton has moved onto his own team. Following a bust-up with Andy Halliday he was suspended for the rest of the week in question. After what looked like an initial apology on Twitter, Barton went onto to subsequently tweet that his apology didn’t mean that he was in the wrong.
Also read: Joey Barton not handed Championship winners medal after Burnley clinch Championship
He then called up radio station, TalkSport to discuss the matter. Barton questioned manager Mark Warburton and called the way he’d dealt with the situation “strange.” Moreover, he insisted that he had nothing to apologise for. His reward? A three-week suspension.
Instead of keeping a low profile, the midfielder revealed, whilst promoting his new book, that with the benefit of hindsight he wouldn’t have joined Rangers. He also claimed Celtic wanted to sign him from under the nose of their Glasgow rivals; a claim that was emphatically rejected by Celtic chief executive, Peter Lawwell.
Barton has a pop at Scottish football
Just in case he had any allies left in Scottish football, the midfielder then put the boot into the Scottish game as a whole. He said that it’s at a much “lower level” and that he is trying to raise it to a higher level. So far he’s struggling to make any impact.
You’d think there couldn’t be any more drama – you’d be wrong. Add in a Scottish FA betting probe against him and claims he could manage England better than Sam Allardyce or Roy Hodgson, and you’re just about up to date. Remarkably, all of this has happened in the space of three months.
The 34-year-old has been making the headlines off the pitch, but he’s also been making them on it; namely because his performances have been forgettable at best. Not once has he looked like the player who drove a Burnley team to Premier League promotion. Instead, he’s gone missing and was badly found out during Celtic’s 5-1 demolition of Rangers.
Furthermore, let’s not forget this is a player who has been convicted on charges of violent conduct twice and who also has three FA charges for violent conduct. He’s used to playing the bad guy. The only difference now is that he is controversial in a different way. Gone is the violence, the temper and the red cards and in their place lies a constant stream of controversial remarks.
Already planning for an exit from Scotland?
Joey Barton is the football equivalent of Katie Hopkins. He lives to make grandiose statements which are aimed to cause shock and awe and ultimately keep in him in the headlines. After all, he only has one person’s interests at heart, and that unsurprisingly is his own. If any of the comments he has made help him sell more copies of his book then it will have been mission accomplished.
In a recent interview Barton stated: “Make bold statements and work towards them. Say you are going to be the best player in the league and work towards it. Don’t come in and play it down. Be bold.”
Rangers fans and fans of Scottish football wait with bated breath to see whether any of these “bold statements” are achieved. So far, it’s all been hot air. With enemies in Scottish football and, more importantly, potentially within the Rangers dressing room, Barton’s days in Glasgow look numbered.
