Couldn't agree more. All said and done the only question really is what is Barton fighting for?
One thing I'm sure of is he won't walk away from it, he would rather be run over by a tank than back down. Wether that position he takes is based on a legitimate complaint or a psychological aberration will have no bearing.
It's a mess that won't go away.
Unfortunately, it has to go away, one way or another. If he won't join another club, he'll have to go on gardening leave. He's basically declared war on his employer, trying to use the support of fans to back himself up. There's no sign of a change of owner, so he's the one that will have to go. Whether he already realises that, I don't know. If he hangs around, there's a danger that he's going to poison the atmosphere in the dressing room.
He's an intelligent bloke, but unfortunately far too self-centred to see the bigger picture.
what makes you think he's an intelligent bloke ? he's admitted some of his failings, that doesn't make him intelligent and his fuck ups are more often more than just passion.
He does come across as more intelligent than many footballers, but everything is relative. In the grand scale of things I would hesitate to proclaim him a genius.
FWIW, he got five B's and five C's at GCSE. Better than most, I'd imagine.
Swap one of his B's for an A and thats what I got, and i'm a fucking spacker.