A SLOG ON THE TYNE
Barton: My old team are torturous to watch
THEY were once the Premier League’s great entertainers.
Now Warren Barton fears that Newcastle United are in serious danger of becoming a top-flight irrelevance.
And the former St James’ Park favourite is calling for action – before it is too late.
Newcastle are just two points off the Premier League relegation zone, but Barton stops short of calling for the sacking of manager Steve Bruce.
“What’s happening now saddens me,” he says.
Deteriorated
“At the moment, it’s a grind. Even with the problems with the ownership, the football was a little bit better (under Rafa Benitez) but now that has deteriorated as well.
“Everything that could go wrong has gone wrong.
“Yes, the club has had some terrible injuries problems this season but even when everyone was fit the football wasn’t great. It’s not the kind of football that the fans want to see and it’s not the kind of football that we as ex-players want to see either.
“It’s torturous, it’s hard to watch. It’s tough for the players as well because you can see that a lot of those players want to go forward, they want to express themselves.
“It’s devastating for people in that area because it’s such a great club and the fans are so loyal and devoted.
“If you want an example of what can be done, then look at what has happened at Glasgow Rangers.
“That’s a huge club that has been through some tough times.
“Steven Gerrard has gone in there and changed everything from top to bottom – they’re playing great football, they’re sound defensively and there’s a really good vibe around the stadium and the training ground.”
Newcastle won a host of admirers in the 1990s and early noughties.
“We had a go – that’s was our motto,” says Barton (below), who played for the club between 1995 and 2002.
“Those people had worked hard all week and they wanted to walk to the football stadium, which is the absolute heart and soul of the city, with optimism and pride.
“That’s not happening now. “I’m not saying I expect us to beat Liverpool or Manchester City. I just expect the club to compete.
“You play the game because you love it and you want to go out there and enjoy it.
“I’m not seeing that with this team.”