Old Firm KOs do very odd things to you .. I had a pop at Advocaat
Stuart Pearce – a ferocious player in his day – was forced to give him leeway.
He said: “In training at City, Joey would do certain things and Stuart handled it in a way he wouldn’t normally – because it was Joey.
“Some of the other players rose to the way Joey was as a character – but others crumbled.
“Joey was one of our main players so we needed him to be happy. Little spats in training were a regular occurrence at City. But it wasn’t just Joey, it was most of us. But it was only to try to get a positive reaction and make the team better. It wasn’t to intimidate people.”
Ball has revealed that in his younger days Rangers legend Richard Gough prevented him being more like Barton in the way he spoke to people.
He said: “Joey reminds me of what I was like as a youngster at Everton. I was passionate about the club but when I wanted to put a point across my frustrations would boil up and I’d do it the wrong way.
“Gough pulled me aside and said: ‘ Michael, you’re right in what you’re Ball lets rip at Advocaat during Old Firm defeat
saying but your approach is wrong.’ He was right. He taught me that it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it.”
Gough’s influence at Goodison had a lasting effect until Ball’s clash with Advocaat. But a truce was forged in laughter and Ball said: “A few days after the incident with Advocaat we had a meeting and it ended up quite comical.
“He couldn’t understand my Scouse accent so he brought John Greig in as interpreter and we ended up laughing.
“We shook hands and moved on. That’s what Mark should do with Joey.”