When will Barton/Emre/Duff be back?

[madras]

Barton is aiming to be back for the Liverpool game.

everton shirley ?

LOL yes it is Everton, I was told by me mate on the phone it was Liverpool, he said it was in the Journal, just looked and it is Everton.

 

 

Joey eyeing a dream debut

 

Sep 27 2007 by Luke Edwards, The Journal

 

JOEY Barton is hoping to make his eagerly-awaited Newcastle debut against the club he once supported as the midfielder prepares to end one of the most frustrating periods of his career.

 

Barton grew up in Liverpool following the fortunes of Everton before making his name at Manchester City and, while he will be forced to watch United’s trip to the City of Manchester Stadium from the stands on Saturday, he is confident he will be involved against the Toffees eight days later.

 

The 25-year-old will begin full contact training at Newcastle’s training ground next week and the prospect of facing Everton is a fittingly tantalising one as he enters the final stage of his rehabilitation from the broken foot he suffered in a pre-season friendly with Carlisle.

 

“When I finally get back is the million dollar question for me,” said Barton, who has regularly travelled with the rest of the Newcastle squad to away games this season even though he has been injured. “I’ve not been training with the boys because I can’t do contact stuff, that should happen next week but I hope to be involved in the Everton game.

 

“That’s the target at the moment and it’s obviously an exciting one for me. That has given me an aim and I’m pushing to be involved in the squad for that one.”

 

Barton would have relished the opportunity to go back to his former club Manchester City this weekend as Newcastle look to put their Carling Cup defeat at Arsenal behind them, but he has reluctantly had to accept that he will have to wait for the return fixture at St James’s Park to meet his former team-mates in battle.

 

The Merseysider, though, is willing to bide his time after suggesting the enforced spell on the sidelines, which came just weeks into pre-season training at his new club, has given him a new focus in his career. “I’ve been trying to get involved as much I can and I travel to a lot of the away games, but it’s difficult not

 

being on the pitch,” said a player whose commitment to his new club will delight supporters. “I do as much as I can in the dressing room, but I’m desperate to get back.

 

“The medical staff are slowly guiding me back in and hopefully it’s going to be sooner rather than later. The longest I’ve ever spent out through injury was six weeks so this has been hard to take.

 

“Injuries are part of the game we’re involved in, but it’s still difficult to deal with when you get one before you’ve even played a competitive game for your new club. I’m in a new environment and I wanted to put a marker down, show people what I could do, but I’ve not been able to do that so I’ve been stuck in limbo a bit.

 

“However, I’ll bounce back strongly. Everything happens for a reason and I’ve had the chance to look at different aspects of my game and work out how I’m going to fit into this Newcastle team.”

 

While Barton’s presence would be a major boost in midfield, the player is also mature in his response when he declared he did not presume he would walk straight into a side which sits in fifth place in the Premier League.

 

He added: “I’ll enjoy it even more when I’m playing, of course, and hopefully I can get back into the side. I think if you take the Derby game out of the equation it’s been a great start to the season in the league.

 

“Even when I’m fit again I might have to wait for my chance to get into the midfield because the players in those positions have been playing well and I’m not going to assume anything.

 

“I joined this club because I thought I could be successful and win trophies, I don’t see any reason why that view should change from what I’ve seen so far this season.

 

“There is obviously a lot of work to be done, but we are starting to get a strong squad with competition for places. That is the way to be successful, as Arsenal showed in the Carling Cup on Tuesday night.”

thank fuck,liverpools not till november