JOEY BARTON SHOULD HE STAY OR SHOULD HE GO?
Gordon Smith’s verdict in Post Match
IS one of the saddest periods of Joey Barton’s career poised to end in a quick-fire divorce?
That’s the key question as Rangers controversial midfielder prepares to make his return from exile tomorrow.
A return that will be played out against the backdrop of the Notice of Complaint served against him by the SFA for allegedly placing bets on 44 football matches.
I should start by reiterating the fact I respect Joey Barton as a quality football player.
And, as his decision to pay for himself to be put through his paces at Qatar’s Aspire Academy reminded us, that is exactly what he is.
When Joey was at Burnley last season, he was their star man, with his selection in the Championship Team of the Year well deserved.
But every player has to fit in with the club he is at.
Fit in with the group of players. Fit in with the style of play the manager wishes the team to play. And fit in with the way he wants to work. That hasn’t happened at Rangers. Barton has struggled to make the impact he predicted he would, and has been criticised for slowing down the tempo of a team which did pretty well prior to his arrival, comfortably winning the Championship title and reaching the Scottish Cup Final last season.
His lack of impact will have angered and frustrated him.
I think it is fair to assume that anger and frustration will have played a part in the training ground incident which saw him suspended for a few days.
It could also have surfaced during the meeting with Mark Warburton on his return, which saw his banishment extended to three weeks.
Had Joey become a key player for Rangers, that anger and frustration would not have surfaced.
Mark Warburton did not comment on Barton at all, a stance that has continued after news of the Notice of Complaint on the betting charge, and with it the possibility he will pick up a playing ban from the authorities.
Instead, the Rangers manager has confined himself to talking about the players who are out on the field.
Those statements, however, have been loaded with significance.
The manager has repeatedly stated how exciting his side’s recent performances have been, even in the wake of the defeat in Aberdeen.
He also went on the record to admit to having made a mistake not playing Andy Halliday ahead of Barton, and even made him captain for the night for the Light Blues’ first game after the Barton incident had surfaced.
It is not hard to read the message hidden between the lines.
Namely, Warburton believes Rangers are better off without Joey Barton.
That might not necessarily be a view shared across the club.
As I have said before, he is a high-quality, high-profile footballer, who will have helped with season-ticket sales.
The cynical will say that was the motivation for the signing of Barton in the first place.
On top of all that, there might not be the appetite for a messy divorce. It’s messy enough with allegations of match betting now hanging over Barton.
My feeling from the outset of the controversy was that if Barton returned displaying the right attitude, he could still have a role to play.
The Qatar training trip is being read by some as a clear sign of that and his eagerness to stay on at Ibrox. I am not so sure. He could just as plausibly have been striving to make sure that if a move elsewhere – back to the English
longer have to deal with a man who has proved one of the season’s biggest distractions.
Barton is an outspoken man, and it could be the manager sees him as a direct threat to his position.
It is a job, of course, which lends itself to insecurity.
Even if he doesn’t, Warburton has to carefully consider the impact Barton’s presence has on the dressing-room.
Monitoring team spirit is an important part of the manager’s job.
If the group, among whom Andy Halliday is a well-liked figure, is not prepared to welcome the player back, then Warburton has a problem and one which he could well do without as he seeks to consolidate after Rangers’ disappointing start to the campaign.
My hunch would be a parting of the ways is on the cards. I don’t see why they would have banned him for three weeks otherwise, and the betting allegations haven’t helped. What is for certain is that Barton’s new book will eventually be updated with a new chapter – My Rangers Experience.