Dave Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 Barton criticises Man City season Joey Barton has labelled Manchester City's season a failure and called for the club to come up with a spending plan to push them up the Premiership. "This club and its fans deserve to be at the highest level," the England midfielder told BBC Radio Manchester. "If I was a fan I wouldn't have paid to watch us at home this season. "There has to be a plan. Everyone seems to have one in place but at the moment it just feels like this club is praying to get the right players this summer." The 24-year-old signed a new four-year contract last summer but is frustrated by the limited progress under manager Stuart Pearce this season. City have failed to score a Premiership goal at home since New Year's Day, and as well as questioning the value for money for the fans, Barton is also sceptical over the club's recruitment policy. "There is no way Reading have spent more than us and no way Everton have either, but they seem to have overachieved," he added. "Bolton have not spent big either. I know they paid a lot of money for Nicolas Anelka but we paid a lot for Georgios Samaras. "You have to face facts. We have not brought quality in. One or two have done all right but not enough to take the team onto the next level. "We can't gamble on players who have scored six goals in six games in the Pontins League or in Belgium. "I know a lot of the supporters are umming and ahhing about whether to buy their season tickets. "They go out and work hard. It is a lot of money to buy a season ticket at our place and they are not getting value for money." Full thing is here and needs to be heard: click. Lots of things that sound familiar there tbh. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovejoy Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 they must be pleased they have someone with the balls to say it Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JamesD Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 don't really think its the place of a player, no matter who they are, to be saying that about their club. Not professional at all. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovejoy Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 don't really think its the place of a player, no matter who they are, to be saying that about their club. Not professional at all. wish we had someone to say it. i think its more ambitious than unprofessional tbh, the fans are thinking it, so why should they have to put up with more bullshit from the players via the media -'we are confident next season' blah blah bollocks. as i said, wish we had someone with those balls Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Knightrider Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 Could you imagine him here? I couldn't, not after those comments Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 MCFC have said they're taking no action over his comments. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovejoy Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 MCFC have said they're taking no action over his comments. neither should they, they should be paying him extra for having the ambition and not going through the motions amd collecting his bit like most of ours do Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 he knows he is their best player by a country mile and therefore he knows he can get away with shouting his mouth off. Plus he'll have the fans on his side so is win/win for him. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 I spy Speccy loitering. Thoughts mate? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnypd Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 if he said that here, we'd drop him on the eve of an important european tie in lisbon and go out of the cup. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Spectrum Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 Here is a more complete version. Lasts about 9:30. Link. I would recommend listening to it. Unbelievably spot on, speaks exactly what everyone is thinking. Almost all of his critisms would apply to Newcastle too: Dropping points against poor sides, poor gameplan, signing average players....very interesting. Some arguements down here about if he was right to say it - Poll from a City forum: Was he right To say what he did? Yes! It Needed Saying. 68% (Including me) No! He Was Out Of Order. 32% Was great to hear someone from the team speak with such passion and insight IMO. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 Here is a more complete version. Lasts about 9:30. Link. I would recommend listening to it. Unbelievably spot on, speaks exactly what everyone is thinking. Almost all of his critisms would apply to Newcastle too: Dropping points against poor sides, poor gameplan, signing average players....very interesting. Some arguements down here about if he was right to say it - Poll from a City forum: Was he right To say what he did? Yes! It Needed Saying. 68% (Including me) No! He Was Out Of Order. 32% Was great to hear someone from the team speak with such passion and insight IMO. That was the reason I thought it was worth posting here tbh. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Knightrider Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 How would people feel if this was one of wor players saying these things about wor club? I'm not sure myself. I would rather the player went to the manager and board and said these things and if nothing was done about them, then go public. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 How would people feel if this was one of wor players saying these things about wor club? I'm not sure myself. I would rather the player went to the manager and board and said these things and if nothing was done about them, then go public. Again, this is why I felt like posting it. Nearly all of it would be spot on if you substituted the names imo. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovejoy Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 How would people feel if this was one of wor players saying these things about wor club? I'm not sure myself. I would rather the player went to the manager and board and said these things and if nothing was done about them, then go public. i would like to think they would have spoken to the manager and board first and seen no change so then took this action. would still love parker to come out with these things as its what we are all thinking anyway Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Knightrider Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 What is the betting though that the moral highgrounders would be up in arms if say Parker did come out and say these things? That's why I think a few players shy away from being opinionated, especially at NUFC. I can't remember the last player who was critical, probably Robert but it was always "we play too much long ball, and I never get the ball" or "I am not to blame as I'm a winger". I can remember Shay being critical once or twice but he chose his words well, as has Shearer in the past. How many times has Shearer had to bite his lip when interviewed after matches, he's done it a few times, looking really pissed off and very curt in his answers, just waiting to explode. He was like that on MOTD when we lost 5-1 to Birmingham too. Should have laid into them tbh. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Spectrum Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 How would people feel if this was one of wor players saying these things about wor club? I'm not sure myself. I would rather the player went to the manager and board and said these things and if nothing was done about them, then go public. I think its great hes done this publically. I'm glad to know we have a player who cares about the direction our club is going (ie, nowhere), rather than be happy to collect his money and pretend everything is wonderful, when it aint. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewellander Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 He clearly cares about the club and the fans. Good for him for speaking out. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skirge Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 He is a mouthy twat and even if he is right with some of what he said, its not his place to say and definaltey not to the media. Its not the first time he has ran off at the motuh and things that do not concern him, like his comments about the England squad. He is a decent enough player but he does have a nasty side to his game and he is another one of those players who's attitude would have fans wondering if he was worth the trouble. Just watch we will be the mugs that end up paying out a fortune for him. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GM Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 Voted not sure. Sometimes it's a good thing for someone to speak out and tell it like it is, other times it can be quite damaging. Always had a bit of a soft spot for City, so I hope the latter certainly doesn't prove itself to be true in this case. I suppose it's quite bold of him to speak out like that, and that in itself is quite impressive - especially in terms of how candid he is. Having said that, I can't imagine ANY of our lot, other than say Given or Solano, ever speaking out like that for us. Can you imagine how long a NUFC player would last if he spoke out like Barton has? Not very long, tbh. Transfer listed and out the club before you can say goodbye. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenny Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 There should be a vote for "out of order but spot on". Guess I'll have to be Spessel! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brummie Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 Good to hear players being honest like this. Reflections of the "players statement" at Villa last summer criticising the parsimony of the then board, and we saw where that ended up (it played its part, indirectly). I'd rather Barton style honesty than David James's endless bandwagon jumping in the Observer (see latest one, encouraging performance related pay from the safety of the arse end of his career). And FWIW, he was absolutely spot on with his comments about the England squad, too. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Knightrider Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 Having said that, I can't imagine ANY of our lot, other than say Given or Solano, ever speaking out like that for us. Can you imagine how long a NUFC player would last if he spoke out like Barton has? Not very long, tbh. Transfer listed and out the club before you can say goodbye. True. Yet if they call fans muppets and mugs, or refuse to play on the RW among other things, they get new deals or pay themselves more money. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jonny4Toon Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 Very true!!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dinho lad Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 He clearly cares about the club and the fans. Good for him for speaking out. Exactly my thoughts. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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