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| Barton (image from BBC Sport) |
Joey Barton has been handed a 12 match ban from the FA for
his latest on-field fracas, which took place at the Etihad Stadium on the
pivotal final day of the season clash between his relegation-threatened QPR and
title-chasing Manchester City, where he seemed to strike Carlos Tevez before
stupidly kicking Sergio Aguero and then confronting Vincent Kompany. His unprofessional
behaviour, which could have potentially lost his side its Premier League status,
has brought in to question whether Joey Barton will ever remove his dark
streak, and whether QPR are willing to take the risk.
Only the most die-hard Joey Barton fans would condone his
latest behavioural lapse, though those of a QPR allegiance may not have been so
forgiving should the R’s have gone down. Barton I feel should have no
complaints about receiving such a lengthy ban, or the £75,000 fine to accompany
it. Behaving the way he did, in such a huge game watched by millions worldwide,
and thousands of children at that, Barton tainted the reputation of his club
and the premier league whilst setting a poor example for young aspiring
footballers.
Going down to 10 men left Rangers in a precarious position, exacerbated
by the fact they had lost their captain, QPR and Joey Barton were thankful that
Stoke secured a point against Championship destined Bolton. The question now
remains whether they are willing to run that risk in the future, baring in made
Barton’s history of unprofessional behaviour.
Ever since Barton burst on to the footballing scene, he has
never been able to spend long enough out of the headlines – for the wrong
reasons. From stubbing a cigarette out in a youth team player’s eye, infamously
dropping his shorts in front of the Everton fans to being sent to jail for six
months for assault during his time at Newcastle United, Barton it seems has
never been able to remove the stain that has continued to tarnish his
reputation.
Interestingly, Barton is definitely not stupid, presenting a
cultivated persona, most recently he even appeared on the BBC’s “News Night”.
It is therefore hard to figure out how a man of learning as he shows himself to
be, who must be well aware of his role as professional footballer, could allow
himself to behave in the unprofessional manner as he did in Manchester just a
matter of weeks ago.
This leaves QPR, Mark Hughes and Tony Fernandes, the club’s
owner, with a dilemma. Should they keep their erudite but common-sense lacking
captain? Fernandes has said there is uncertainty over Barton’s situation, with a
QPR spokesman saying an independent review will take place.
For me, Barton is too much of a liability, in particular for
a club who do now have financial backing that could, as they aim to do, take
them to the top half of the premier league, perhaps further. With such financial
fire-power, should the club take a risk on a player reaching the end of his
player career who they can easily replace? I believe it isn’t worth it, and I
feel the QPR management will feel the same way.
Barton will have a lot of thinking to do this summer, not
just over his conduct, but perhaps what club he will find himself playing for come
September.
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