LESSONS BARTON HAS TO LEARN QUICKLY
WHEN Crystal Palace appointed Roy Hodgson in September, Joey Barton was less than impressed.
“He has no personality or charisma at all,” said the former Burnley midfielder. Barton – who will assume his first managerial post at Fleetwood in June – may have a surfeit of both.
Not by chance has Hodgson spent four decades in the dugout. Like Chris Hughton at Brighton, the 72-year-old trades on dignity and respect. His players are motivated not by fear or cajolery but by their desire not to let a decent man down.
Though several have questioned his tactics, you would need to Google very hard to find reports of Hodgson falling out with a colleague.
The same cannot be said of Barton. Even if we discount a misguided youth, the training ground bust-up that ended his brief stay at Rangers in 2016 revealed a man still prone to caustic confrontation.
Frustrated by his teammates’ perceived inadequacies, Barton sneered they were playing “s*** teams in a s*** league”, mocked their ability, then turned on peacemaking manager Mark Warburton. Does that sound like a leader of men to you?
Charisma doesn’t automatically make a good leader. Barton is an intelligent man and student of the game. Hopefully he is savvy enough to realise that brutal home truths and an abrasive manner will not wash in a modern dressing room.
If not, his managerial career will be a lot shorter than Hodgson’s. About four decades shorter.