Turf Moor faithful lap up return of prodigal son
Rangers exit hasn’t dented Barton’s confidcnce, insists George Boyd
THE conditions of his departure from Rangers last year mean that nobody at Ibrox – not the directors, the manager, the coaching staff or players – is permitted to give their thoughts on Joey Barton.
But you do get the distinct impression that precious few of them were overly distraught to see the back of an individual who failed to shine on the park and proved to be a divisive figure off it during his brief spell in Glasgow.
The opposite, however, was true at Burnley, whom he helped to win the Sky Bet Championship and secure promotion to the Barclays Premier League last season, during the summer. His decision to turn down the offer of a contract extension was greeted with dismay both in the stands and in the dressing room at Turf Moor.
His return there just eight months on has been met with widespread rejoicing. The midfielder was hailed as a hero by adoring Clarets supporters on his homecoming on Saturday long before he produced the moment of magic that clinched yet another home victory for them.
When he stepped up and stroked a free-kick through the defensive wall, beyond Southampton goalkeeper Fraser Forster and into the bottom right corner of the goal just six minutes after coming on as a substitute, the outpouring of adulation was immense.
Barton was only on the park for the last 20 minutes of the match at the weekend. But during that time he still contrived to produce the sort of commanding display in the middle of the pitch that eluded him in his eight outings in this country.
While his match-winning cameo may have been galling for anybody of a Rangers persuasion to witness, it came as little surprise to anyone in Burnley.
George Boyd, the former Scotland international who won the late freekick from which Barton netted the winner, confirmed they were delighted to have their prodigal son back.
“Joey’s been great since he came in and it was set up for him to score the winning goal on his first home game back,” he said. “He is a good fit with this club. He was brilliant for us last season and he has come back in seamlessly.
“He’s come on, given everyone a lift at the right time and pushed us on to get the win. The longer the game went on, the more we were all over them. I said to Joey it was made for him to score that free-kick. He’s a lucky boy isn’t he? It was a great way to end it.”
Barton made his return for Burnley when he started in the Emirates FA Cup match against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light nine days ago – a game he helped his side draw 0-0.
However, Sean Dyche left the 34-year-old out of his side at the weekend. The cup tie had been his first outing in four months, since he had featured in the 5-1 defeat by Celtic at Parkhead back in September in fact, and his manager clearly felt that playing from kick-off was asking too much of him.
But Boyd, whose tireless work on the right flank helped to wear down opponents who had, with Virgil van Dijk once again impressive, defended robustly throughout, predicted that his match sharpness and influence would grow in the coming weeks.
“He’s had a long break and obviously hasn’t played for a while,” added Boyd. “But his fitness levels last week at Sunderland, where he lasted 90 minutes, were brilliant. He came on and looked strong on Saturday.
“So the more games he gets, and the more rhythm he gets back in his game, the better. You are only going to see a better Joey Barton.”
The highly public suspension for a breach of discipline in September and subsequent termination of his contract in November must have been difficult for Barton to deal with, despite the various bust-ups and brushes with authority that he has been involved in throughout his career.
But asked if he thought that Barton was a more subdued character as a result of his experiences, Boyd replied: “No. This is Joey we’re talking about! He’s one of the most confident people I know. He’s got that belief in himself and he’s fitted straight back in so nicely. He’s exactly the same as he was last time.”
Barton, who was banned by the SFA for one game for breaking their rules on gambling last year, faces an FA suspension over identical charges. The former Manchester City, Newcastle United and Queens Park Rangers player stands accused of placing 1260 bets over a 10-year period.
For now at least, things would certainly seem to be looking up for Joey Barton at Burnley after his chastening experience at Rangers.