Saving Private Barton: how the FA can help Newcastle save Joey
Joey Barton’s story is tragic - a promising and talented footballer who has made bad decisions, decisions that have now brought him to a crossroads in his life. Where he goes on from here and what he does with his career will depend a lot on how he views the past (whether he perceives himself to be the victim or the victimiser) and perhaps more relevant to football, how the people around him help him move forward.
Make no mistake - Newcastle United, the PFA and the FA each have key roles to play in Barton’s future - and here’s how they can help the player while punishing him for his actions:
FA need to consider Newcastle’s and Barton’s future
Banning Barton from playing football - for 5 games, 15 games, a whole season or a lifetime is not the answer. It won’t help football (although it would help the FA’s image), it won’t help Barton and it won’t help Newcastle. Keegan has talked about giving Barton a supportive environment and a genuine chance to make good - I believe that while it should be his last chance, he should still get a shot.
In addition, the FA will be grossly negligent of their responsibilities to football in England if they rule on Barton’s case without catering for Newcastle’s current predicament - facing undue punishment for an incident that happened before they bought the player. Sure, in hindsight it’s easy to say that Allardyce made a mistake (a costly one for Newcastle given Barton’s wages and lack of minutes on the pitch in the first season) but the target of the punishment should be Barton, not Newcastle and it’s the FA’s responsibility to account for this.
The ideal solution would be to punish Barton without punishing Newcastle - and with that in mind I suggest the following:
- Barton must agree to a contract amendment that puts him on 50% salary (50% basic + 50% bonuses) for the next season. This can be renegotiated next summer.
- Barton is also on a one-year probation - if violated he gets a lifetime ban from football, and if he comes through it without any problems then all restrictions mentioned above are removed.
- Failure to comply results in an immediate lifetime ban from English football.
There’s a part of me that likes to think that Barton can reform himself if he’s given the chance. Keegan will give him the space and TLC needed, but the FA have to ensure that Barton doesn’t go scot-free AND that Newcastle are not unnecessary punished for actions not committed when he was on their books (lucky, lucky City).
PFA and Barton
Hugo has talked at length about what the PFA offers to footballers - I’d like to see the PFA step in and help Barton with his anger management problems and to sort things out so that in the future he doesn’t harm his own career or hurt anyone else.
Most people at this age refuse to change, and therefore end up destroying their lives. Barton has a slim chance, and a slimmer window of opportunity to avail himself of that chance. We have to do everything possible to give him that chance.
Newcastle and Barton
Barton owes Newcastle a lot for the backing they’ve given him. I know that the reason is financial - they don’t want to lose a player for nothing when they paid 5m+ for him - but in Keegan they have a manager who can motivate and reform players while in the Geordie faithful they have that rare communal support that Barton can rely on as he works on being a more responsible person and footballer.
If Keegan and the Newcastle fans back him, if the PFA give him all the help he needs and if the FA make sure that he’s back to playing football as quickly as possible, there’s every chance that Barton might be saved.
Although in the end it comes down to how Barton behaves, it all starts with the FA and their decision on the matter. Let’s hope they make the right one.
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Discussion - 22 Responses
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Good article I think you are 100% correct, if he was sacked now what does that tell people, you go to jail after you make a mistake there is no way back even to earn legitmate money in your career. The way some people bang on, easy target, they are worse than the Daily Mail readers who want him shot………….
absolute nonsense. The toon knew what he’d done when they signed him. too late to moan about it now. In fact they ‘re lucky he isn’t serving a longer custodial sentence for the Dabo attack.
1. If it was Amateur football (i.e. me or you) Barton would be banned sine die.
2. Barton has had at least 5 chances to redeem himself from attacking people.
3. Thatcher got a very long ban for one punch, in the heat of battle. Barton has admitted he made a sustained attack on a team mate in training and should get a longer ban.
4. He is a nasty nasty footballer.
A ridiculous article.
You seem to be falling for the cult of celebrity and proposing to excuse Barton because he’s a premiership footballer.
Anyone else would face a sanction from their employer or sporting body in addition to that of the law - why should Barton be any different?
He deserves everything he gets and quite frankly Newcastle deserve to lose out too, everyone seems to be ignoring the consequences and victims of his crimes.
More punishment - less excusing is required
The guy has served a custodial sentence and has the threat of further time behind bars hanging over him. That punishment was handed out by the courts, any further punishment handed out by the FA would ammount to him being punished twice for the same offence. Which I believe is something illegal under European law.
Good to see a sensible article on the subject of Barton, there has been so much vitriol spouted out over the last few days, its hard to grab a slice of reality, what Barton has done ( on a number of occassions now) cannot be condoned , and, if I was honest I wish we had never signed him, but regardless of who he plays for “another chance” would appear to be the only sensible solution for all involved ( though I know it doesn’t make good headlines, daly mail, express, independent) BUT it is down to the player now, newcastle can create the environment for him to continue with his extremely well paid career, I can only hope for all involved ,including us black and white season ticket holders , that he can start again , and actually get down to showing why BFS bought him in the first place.
Actually, my sympathies are with Newcastle, not with Barton. If he had been at City at this time I would have supported the ban - right now it would be cruel on Newcastle to ban Barton.
Jamie - the FA and Newcastle are free to reprimand their employees as appropriate. Since the FA can effectively ban Barton for life if they choose to, they should also be able to support a financial penalty on Barton (the whole idea is to hit Barton where it hurts while giving him and Newcastle a chance to sort things out). If Barton doesn’t agree, the FA / Newcastle can kick him out if needed.
What that be wrongful dismissal? I’d like to see Barton take that one to court. His best bet right now is to do whatever Newcastle says.
And as I said, I’m all for helping Newcastle. Banning Barton doesn’t help them.
Sensible article. At the end of the day all parties should be able to say confidently that they gave the lad a chance to reform…a chance i believe he’ll take and turn out to be s’one we’ll all admire….I believe in second chances…all humans have been given a second chance..but some of us are so quick to point the finger, forgetting that the remainin 4 pt back at us…
How many more chances does he get. Lets be honest for all the things he’s done inside and outside football and still he doesn’t give a toss knowing he gets chance after chance.
God knows how many he got at Man City, this could possibly be the 5th or 6th !!!
If this was the first time he’d tried to reform I’d have some sympathy for him. You all say give the lad a chance. He’s had chance after chance after chance. At some point you have to draw the line. Stubbing a lit cigar in a youth players eye, assaulting a young everton fan abroad, the Dabo attack, numerous run ins with the law (not just the two that went to court). What next? If Newcastle hadn’t of (stupidly) paid 5 and a half million for him and had instead got him on a free he would of been sacked months ago and you know it.
I’ve already given him more than one last chance so I’ve got no time for him. He’s a thug and should have no place in our ‘beautiful game’.
Millo
whata crock of shite, if that was so why did not City sack him? Why did rangers not sack ferguson or Arsenal sack Adams for drink driving or Man U for Keane careers ending tackle on Haaland or cantona the list goes on and on.
There are other things that happen in society that are not punished and as one hack said this morning other people serve time for GBH and return to work citing a colleague of his and a brickie, why should Barton not, Role model you will cry, what about Prescott thumping a voter? or the MP who has fraudiently spent 50000 on his sons education and was not even charged no lets target a person that has served his time pleaded guilty, give him a chance.
this article makes 100% sense, and i’m an arsenal fan.
I think you are an idiot.
Barton is a maniac. The F.A. should ban him for 15 matches. Newcastle should have voided his contract and told him to piss off. They would lose money on his transfer fee but they would save money on wages. He’s nowhere near good enough to consider overlooking the fact that he is a maniac. He’s simple not worth the trouble.
Edmundo - yeah. Stoichkov - yeah. Cantona - yeah. Cassano - yeah. Barton - NO!
although joey has made a klot of mistakes i beleive that newcastle were 100% right in their desition.
he has made mistakes btu sacking him would not have solved anyhting it would have just shown peolple that if you go to prison tere is no way back what sort of message will this giev to young lads who have been inside.
people are to quick to point the fingr and call for others head it is alot harder for people to try and help him move on.
he can not be all bad as he has made it from a council estate in liverpool to a prem footballer and this take some personality.
i tiink that joey will take this chance and will become a great role modle to others who have made mistakes in theor lives!
100% correct artical.
@rab
You go on about Ferguson, Adams, Cantona, Keane…. all who got another chance and were better for it. Barton has had his second chance… on more than one occasion. You can’t just keep giving second chances forever can you? Man City would of sacked Barton after the Dabo incident - there is no way he would ever have played for the club again. But why sack him when you can fob the maniac off to Newcastle for five and a half million?
He pleaded guilty yeah lol. He was jailed for the incident in Liverpool then pleaded innocent for the Dabo incident. When it was obvious he was gonna lose the case he changed his plea. Now you tell me this… how can someone who is currently in jail for a violent crime… get a suspended sentence for a separate violent crime. What a joke. He should still be inside. There’s also the incidents he’s got away with… the attack on the taxi driver.. driving without tax and insurance… assault on a minor… etc etc etc.
He’s a thug pure and simple so no I won’t ‘give him a chance’ - not again.
I am all for second chances but Barton has had far too many already. He will never play for England again and one more mistake in the next 10 years and his career ought to be over, and he has already made about 5 in the last 6 years.
I feel for him in a way, as a City fan I saw him emerge some years ago and mature into a good footballer (barring his distribution) but running parallel to that there were always incidents which indicated he would run into problems.
I say I feel for him because of the the fact it was his step-brother a perpetrator of the tragic murder in Liverpool in 2005, and that cannot have been easy to deal with. I’m aware that the victim’s parents would have found things a lot more tough don’t get me wrong but I felt for Barton because of the stick he would get from fans for something he wasn’t involved in.
But that was it, there was an incident prior to that where he stubbed a cigar into the eye of a youth team player. There was an incident in Thailand - not long after that murder as memory serves - where he was involved in an altercation with an Everton fan.
With that in mind you would think ok this is not good but as a fan you will stand by him. His actions over the next few months just took the piss, to be honest, I know we weren’t great under Pearce but slamming in a transfer request in February 2006 after we stood by him through all that, well that was his decision.
The season after was the one where he pretty much matured, in footballing terms anyway, his goals for the best part kept us up as we just could not seem to score and he was rewarded with the England cap. (Transfer request long forgotten as I think he realised he was not as good as he thought he was when none of the big four came in for him).
He was not keen on staying with City, we stood by him through a lot and Keegan was, ironically, giving him a second chance about 4 or 5 years ago with the cigar incident. But his attitude as he developed as a player towards us changed - he started becoming arrogant towards us and I resented that.
There was always, despite the talent, that risk he would go off the rails and the Dabo incident and what happened in Liverpool have just shown him to be a mentally unbalanced thug, in my opinion. I have got no time for him anymore, I feel for Newcastle because as much as I have taken the piss out of them down the years they are a good set of fans and I can’t believe Keegan is still standing by him but that is life. They still have £5.8m invested in him at the end of the day. Glad he is not in a blue shirt anymore though. Very, very glad.
To Jack, Geoff and Millo: Spot on. The last chance saloon has just closed it’s doors in my book.
for once i agree with your article
What a sigh of relief City fans breathed when they got rid of this accident waiting to happen. He has had more chances than he deserved or a right to expect. He’s a nasty little thug.
I have never been that bothered about commenting on stories before, however after reading “Save Joey” I felt I had to air my opinion.
Lets take football and the rich rewards that it can provide out of the equation and put Joey into an office job shall we? Joey has always been just a little hot tempered, he assaulted a younger employee at a function but it was brushed under the carpet as he was a promising talent.
Later on in his career he seriously beat up someone in a canteen arguement which left the victim with horrific injuries. He then left to work elsewhere and then went to prison for another serious offence. On his CV his references will not be good. Would you employe this man? Would you give him his job back if his victim also worked for you. What message would it send out to your other workers about your management abbilities?
Lets get real, in a normal society this man would be a criminal for life, but because he plays football and can throw around his weight and money it’s deemed as acceptable?
He is a thug and a bully, if anyone reading this knows someone who has been a victim of assault they know the harm it can do in the long term.
Sack him ban him for life, and he will end up where he belongs, in the gutter or back inside and good ridance.
Tragic is definitely not the word I would use to describe Barton’s story to date.
A lifetime ban is not the answer but Barton still deserves to be punished for what he’s done.