Why Barton is so important

[Nobby]

The words sound right but if he's been sober for 10 months his actions in his brief appearance against Aersenal still looked like the same old story. Heavy reckless challenge followed by a smirk of self-satisfaction. He needs to get his head down and provide some end product rather than be content to be a wrecking ball at Newcastle.

There was absolutely nothing wrong with that tackle.

I hope TRon is joking about that tackle against Arsenal, It was a great challenge. wonder if TRon thought the same about Beye's tackle against Man City

[themanupstairs]

More from the SSN from Teamtalk:

Barton told Sky Sports News: "In some people's minds, I will never be forgiven, and so be it.

 

"But at the end of the day, I know I am living my life clean, I am living my life in the right way.

 

"All I am interested in is repaying people's faith who have shown that faith in me.

 

"At the end of the day, I have stepped out of line a few times now, but nothing before has ever been as serious as it was in the summer when I had to go to jail, in front of courts and really know what life is all about.

 

"It has taken that. Some people, they never get that far down the line. It has taken that for me to sit up and take notice.

 

"I have probably had more chances than anyone deserves, I am the first to admit that.

 

"I have never thought, 'Oh well, I will get more chances because I play football', that's not the case.

 

"I have been fortunate enough that people have given me more chances. Hopefully, I won't need any more.

 

"But I am a human being and there will be times when people criticise things I do.

 

"But for me, the time now is to draw a line under the talking side of things and start letting my performances and my behaviour off the field take care of itself."

 

Barton acknowledges many of his problems have had alcohol at their root, and he revealed he has not had a drink for 10 months.

 

He is well aware he cannot change the past, but is determined to repay the faith of those who stood by him in his hour of need.

 

The 26-year-old said: "Hindsight is a wonderful thing and if you could go back and change the past, there would be people out there who would go back and change a lot of things.

 

"We have all got skeletons in the cupboard and things that we regret at some stage in my life and for me, I have probably got a few more things than the average kind of person.

 

"For me, it is a case of sort of drawing a line under that. I am not asking people in any way, shape or form to say, 'Oh, let's forgive and forget' because I can't condone the things I have done.

 

"The things I have have been involved in and mixed up in cannot be condoned. For me, it is a case of putting everything to bed.

 

"I have got my mind set on repaying a lot of people that I have let down, a lot of people who will be disappointed in the things I have done.

 

"In hindsight, if I could go back and change those things, I would.

 

"I can't, so all I can do from this day forward is try to do the right things, try to live my life clean, try to do things that will rectify the mistakes I have made in the past.

 

"At this moment in time, I am 10 months sober now and I am trying to do that."

 

Feels like I've said this before (probably have...) but those are very sensible and honest comments from someone who appears to know and can acknowledge his own problems. Let's hope he comes back into some form on the pitch and keeps his head down off it.

 

The words sound right but if he's been sober for 10 months his actions in his brief appearance against Aersenal still looked like the same old story. Heavy reckless challenge followed by a smirk of self-satisfaction. He needs to get his head down and provide some end product rather than be content to be a wrecking ball at Newcastle.

Nothing wrong with his behaviour at Arsenal IMO. I don't want him to become a bottling fanny, he may very well go in hard to some challenges. As long as he don't f*** up again outside of the pitch, I want him to be the very same Barton on it.

 

Agreed. Don't think he went over the top at all. The adrenaline from finally playing a game of football after prison must have been at levels most of us will never experience in our lifetimes. Sort of like coming back from the dead. He's saying all the right things at the minute, and I hope he follows through with his words. Welcome back Joe Barton.

[Elliottman]

More from the SSN from Teamtalk:

Barton told Sky Sports News: "In some people's minds, I will never be forgiven, and so be it.

 

"But at the end of the day, I know I am living my life clean, I am living my life in the right way.

 

"All I am interested in is repaying people's faith who have shown that faith in me.

 

"At the end of the day, I have stepped out of line a few times now, but nothing before has ever been as serious as it was in the summer when I had to go to jail, in front of courts and really know what life is all about.

 

"It has taken that. Some people, they never get that far down the line. It has taken that for me to sit up and take notice.

 

"I have probably had more chances than anyone deserves, I am the first to admit that.

 

"I have never thought, 'Oh well, I will get more chances because I play football', that's not the case.

 

"I have been fortunate enough that people have given me more chances. Hopefully, I won't need any more.

 

"But I am a human being and there will be times when people criticise things I do.

 

"But for me, the time now is to draw a line under the talking side of things and start letting my performances and my behaviour off the field take care of itself."

 

Barton acknowledges many of his problems have had alcohol at their root, and he revealed he has not had a drink for 10 months.

 

He is well aware he cannot change the past, but is determined to repay the faith of those who stood by him in his hour of need.

 

The 26-year-old said: "Hindsight is a wonderful thing and if you could go back and change the past, there would be people out there who would go back and change a lot of things.

 

"We have all got skeletons in the cupboard and things that we regret at some stage in my life and for me, I have probably got a few more things than the average kind of person.

 

"For me, it is a case of sort of drawing a line under that. I am not asking people in any way, shape or form to say, 'Oh, let's forgive and forget' because I can't condone the things I have done.

 

"The things I have have been involved in and mixed up in cannot be condoned. For me, it is a case of putting everything to bed.

 

"I have got my mind set on repaying a lot of people that I have let down, a lot of people who will be disappointed in the things I have done.

 

"In hindsight, if I could go back and change those things, I would.

 

"I can't, so all I can do from this day forward is try to do the right things, try to live my life clean, try to do things that will rectify the mistakes I have made in the past.

 

"At this moment in time, I am 10 months sober now and I am trying to do that."

 

Feels like I've said this before (probably have...) but those are very sensible and honest comments from someone who appears to know and can acknowledge his own problems. Let's hope he comes back into some form on the pitch and keeps his head down off it.

 

The words sound right but if he's been sober for 10 months his actions in his brief appearance against Aersenal still looked like the same old story. Heavy reckless challenge followed by a smirk of self-satisfaction. He needs to get his head down and provide some end product rather than be content to be a wrecking ball at Newcastle.

Nothing wrong with his behaviour at Arsenal IMO. I don't want him to become a bottling fanny, he may very well go in hard to some challenges. As long as he don't f*** up again outside of the pitch, I want him to be the very same Barton on it.

 

Agreed. Don't think he went over the top at all. The adrenaline from finally playing a game of football after prison must have been at levels most of us will never experience in our lifetimes. Sort of like coming back from the dead. He's saying all the right things at the minute, and I hope he follows through with his words. Welcome back Joe Barton.

 

agreed, people seem to think just because he smiled, he done something wrong! The tackle was fine, and i hope he gets a few more like that in on Saturday.

[TRon]

Reading his interview in full he does seem to have finally realised that he has reached a crossroads in his career. Hopefully he'll match the words with his actions from now on as well. He also admitted coming back to Newcastle overweight when he got out on bail. I thought he looked slow last season and that probably explains it. It would be great if we are going to see a fully fit and focused Barton at Newcastle for the first time showing what he can bring to the table.

[biggs]

This interview seems a bit more in depth and all i can say is good luck and lets move on the lad can only prove us all wrong and maybe this last episode is a watershed for him and he has a full career where he can say "bloody hell 2008 onwards was a lot better then the s*** i caused before that" ,at the end of the day its up to him to repay faith in him (how many times has that been said) .

 

New beginning for alcohol-free Barton

 

9:13am Thursday 23rd October 2008

 

comment Comments (0)  Have your say »

 

 

Having completed a six-match suspension on Monday, Joey Barton will make his latest return to action at the weekend. Chief Sports Writer SCOTT WILSON discovered the controversial midfielder has a desire to turn his life around.

 

HE is not looking for sympathy, and he is not attempting to defend actions that he himself describes as “indefensible”.

 

But as he prepares to make his first start of the season in Saturday’s Wear-Tyne derby with Sunderland, Newcastle midfielder Joey Barton is asking for the opportunity to turn his life around.

 

“I have made mistakes,” said the 26-year-old, who received a six-month sentence for an assault in Liverpool city centre last December and a suspended four-month sentence for a trainingground attack on former Manchester City team-mate Ousmane Dabo in May 2007.

 

“I’ve probably made a lot more mistakes than other people.

 

“If you don’t make mistakes, then you don’t give other people the opportunity to throw stones. But all I would say is that, hopefully, I’ve learned from my mistakes.

 

I am trying to put things right and get my football career and my life back on track.”

 

Some will say that anything Barton achieves now is too little, too late. Others will argue that a convicted criminal has no place on a Premier League football field.

 

But having served 72 days of a six-month jail term earlier this summer, Barton is determined to atone for his mistakes.

 

“I deserve every bit of criticism that has been levelled at me,” he said. “I can’t stand here and try to defend myself because I am indefensible. I am the first to acknowledge that – I am indefensible – but all I can do in the future is to try to put right what I have done wrong.”

 

If Barton is to atone for his errors, then December 27, 2007, will be a seminal date in the process.

 

On the one hand, it marks the evening when his life was at its lowest ebb. Having been drinking in Liverpool, he punched one man 20 times before embarking on another assault that left a teenager with broken teeth.

 

But from another perspective, the night of December 27 could prove to be the source of Barton’s salvation.

 

At the moment, it represents the last time he touched alcohol. In the subsequent ten months, the midfielder has acknowledged the existence of a serious alcohol problem and attended a series of courses designed to help him stay off the drink.

 

There is, of course, no guarantee of their success.

 

But having reflected on the destructive nature of his relationship with alcohol, Barton is determined to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Tony Adams and Roy Keane, players who eschewed their previous lifestyle to save their footballing career.

 

“There are bits of me that I don’t want to be,” he said.

 

“And the majority of those things come out when I am drinking. It’s well documented that I have had problems with alcohol in the past, and the thing I went to jail for was alcohol related.

 

“I am not using that as an excuse because it was my own stupidity, but alcohol does something to you that makes you do things you would not necessarily do when you are sober.

 

“It will be levelled at me that I had a fight with Ousmane when I was sober, and I understand that. But I know that if I drink again, I am putting my football career in jeopardy.

 

“I have to put everyone that has believed in me first, and that is why I will not drink again. I have not had a drink for ten months, and I feel better instantly.”

 

As well as working with the Sporting Chance clinic to sever his dependency on alcohol, Barton has also been delivering talks and seminars to youngsters who are experiencing troubles in their own lives.

 

He intends to extend these initiatives in the future, and is keen to use his own experiences as a warning of what can go wrong.

 

While the majority of his experiences in prison were harrowing, this summer’s incarceration convinced Barton of the influence a footballer wields.

 

And having previously abused his privileged position, the England international is now hoping to use his status to reach youngsters and offenders who might otherwise be difficult to engage.

 

“Prison wasn’t a nice experience, but hopefully people will see the stupid mistakes I have made and think to themselves that they won’t make as many mistakes as I have,” said Barton.

 

“You can’t make everyone happy and I’ve probably made a lot more people unhappy than a normal person.

 

But some young kids might look at Michael Owen and David Beckham, who are unbelievable professionals, and struggle to relate to them because they are squeaky clean.

 

“I have met people on the street and in prison and, sometimes, they relate to you because of what you’ve been through. When I speak, I speak from experience about the things I’ve done wrong in my life and how I have tried to change them. I think they respect that.

 

“I want to talk to people about what I know about, and explain what has helped me through the difficult times.

 

“I have a debt to everyone at the club, and in the local area, who has had the embarrassment of having to read about me going out drinking and doing stupid things. I want to repay that.”

 

Part of that repayment will come on the field, with Barton confident that his performances will improve now that the threat of a jail sentence has been lifted.

 

“The last 18 months have been hell. I knew I was going to jail. At the end of last season, when everyone else was planning to go on their holidays, I was thinking about going to jail. I wasn’t playing particularly well, but that was down to my own stupidity.”

 

Stupidity that, like his drinking, he now hopes is at an end.

[Ronaldo]

he finally realised that he had reached a crossroads in his career about a year ago in that BBC interview

 

 

[AyeDubbleYoo]

I really hope he turns things around this time, maybe prison was the one thing that would set him right. But I won't be holding my breath, I've seen plenty of interviews with him in the past where he comes across as intelligent, articulate and then goes on to do something stupid again soon after.

[nobby_solano]

well lets hope this season is the making of him, it's a dare to be great situation, he's got the ability, we're behind you joey, clean slate, make us proud! 

[TRon]

I really hope he turns things around this time, maybe prison was the one thing that would set him right. But I won't be holding my breath, I've seen plenty of interviews with him in the past where he comes across as intelligent, articulate and then goes on to do something stupid again soon after.

 

Actions will speak louder than words. In a contact sport like football he'll have his work cut out keeping a lid on it but it really is his last chance for me. If he can't straighten himself out after this it's never going to happen. It would be nice to think we will be talking about Barton the football playmaker at Newcastle this season rather than Joey the thug.

[Parky]

"Time will be the great teller but one thing I do know is that I'm sober and I've not had a drink for ten months - since Dec 27," said Barton who may return to action in Saturday's Tyne-Wear derby at Sunderland.

"I've had problems with alcohol in the past and the thing I went to jail for was alcohol-related. I'm not using that as an excuse. It was my own stupidity."  JB

[LoveItIfWeBeatU]

You can listen to Barton's 10 minute interview here: -

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/7685468.stm

[Dokko]

We cannot afford not to give him our support right now, he could make a difference if he's in the right mood.

[relámpago blanco]

I just know if he Keane will have targetted him for the game.  If he plays watch the tackles, elbows etc going in on him in an effort to see a reaction, I guarantee it.

[mofo]

nailed on for a goal against the scum 

[themanupstairs]

I just know if he Keane will have targetted him for the game.  If he plays watch the tackles, elbows etc going in on him in an effort to see a reaction, I guarantee it.

 

Keane is bastard enough to be thinking that way. Should not start against them

[biggs]

I just know if he Keane will have targetted him for the game.  If he plays watch the tackles, elbows etc going in on him in an effort to see a reaction, I guarantee it.

 

Keane is b****** enough to be thinking that way. Should not start against them

Tbh i couldnt careless if Keane targets him ,a derby match is full of physical  contact weather its Barton or any toon player if they go in with the dirty tricks  and hard challenges so be it and if the ref is worth his salt he will act accordingly .Refs know whats going on as they read the papers and know the storys and if they act in a professional manner we will be treated as we should expect ,but as we know some refs are shit or seem to make decisions that go against but any club have historys of dodgy refs.

[Tisd09]

Even though Barton has done some stupid things in his life I don't think he is daft enough to fall for rough house tactics in a local derby. I think he will expect the niggly challenges and the crowd baying for him. He has already mentioned the treatment opposing fans will have for him and he is used to the booing anyway. He is bound to get verbals from the opposing players and this is what maybe his downfall, but if he is a reformed character he should be able to ignore any unsavoury taunts.

 

 

[Nobody]

I know you should never wish injury on your players, but I have to say, if it's the only way for Barton and Guthrie to play together, I hope Butt picks up an injury as soon as possible. Barton and Guthrie are just the type of CMs I want, both box to box.

[La Parka]

I know you should never wish injury on your players, but I have to say, if it's the only way for Barton and Guthrie to play together, I hope Butt picks up an injury as soon as possible. Barton and Guthrie are just the type of CMs I want, both box to box.

 

[Tooj]

I like him.

[Nicky]

I know you should never wish injury on your players, but I have to say, if it's the only way for Barton and Guthrie to play together, I hope Butt picks up an injury as soon as possible. Barton and Guthrie are just the type of CMs I want, both box to box.

 

The Times reckon Butt could miss out with a foot injury

[Fatwax]

I met him a few years back when I was at the Sheffield Wednesday v Man City FA cup match. He was injured and before the game he went into the Wednesday fans area to buy some food. It's so bizarre, like others have said. I shared a few words with him and he comes across as a level headed and inteligent person.. then the next day he'll do something utterly thuggish.

 

I've yet to see an interview tha portrays him as the person that beat up a youth outside McDonalds etc.

 

 

[La Parka]

I know you should never wish injury on your players, but I have to say, if it's the only way for Barton and Guthrie to play together, I hope Butt picks up an injury as soon as possible. Barton and Guthrie are just the type of CMs I want, both box to box.

 

The Times reckon Butt could miss out with a foot injury

 

Hmm

[Adam]

BARTON IN BUTT BUST-UP !

 

Blaters the headline on the back of the cron tomorrow.

[Nobby]

I like him.