Holt credits Barton for being a guiding light in his career
IN the pantheon of great Scottish football role models, Joey Barton ranks somewhere between Boli Bolingoli and the Aberdeen eight.
A combustible temper and fondness for a snarky quip against the standard of the SPFL make for an easy villain but, to Livingston’s new signing Jason Holt, Barton remains a valued and trusted influence on his career.
An eye-catching signing for
Mark Warburton in 2016, Barton arrived at Rangers telling the world he was going to be named Scotland’s Player of the Year. Six months later he was gone, his contract terminated after a series of average performances and a training-ground bust-up with
Andy Halliday.
Without a hint of irony, Barton would later describe the standard of Scottish football as ‘pathetic’ yet he rated Holt highly enough to invite him on loan to improve his Fleetwood Town team.
Although officially contracted to Rangers until June, Holt admits he effectively checked out of Ibrox when Steven Gerrard took charge two years ago.
When he needed somewhere to get his game back on track, Barton was there for him.
‘Joey was great with me, I really enjoyed my time at Fleetwood,’ said Holt. ‘He has great ideas and the season just past when they came close in the play-offs tells you how well he has done.
‘I only have praise and good words about my time there.
‘There is a perception around him but when I worked with him every day at Rangers, and then Fleetwood, I could see his ideas and passion for the game.
‘He just wants to learn every day and that comes across on the training pitch. It was really enjoyable.’
Holt suspects his three years in blue will ultimately rank as the best of his career but admits he needs a new home after his loans at Fleetwood and — more recently — St Johnstone.
He has signed a two-year deal with Livingston and hopes to make his debut against his old club this afternoon.
‘I loved my time at Rangers, it was a great experience, five years in total but really only three as part of the squad,’ he said.
‘It’s a special club and I think everyone who leaves says you don’t get anything like it anywhere else. I think that’s true.
‘I spoke to Steven
Gerrard when he By Graeme Croser first took over. He told me I wasn’t going to get the amount of football I would like, so I made the decision to go out and play.
‘It was pretty clear I wasn’t going to have my contract renewed, so it was a case of keeping fit and waiting for the opportunity to sign with somebody else. This move gives me some security and it’s a chance to play regular football.’
Holt has been training with Livvy for the past month. An unused sub as the West Lothian side picked up a first Premiership point of the season at Motherwell on Wednesday, his manager and namesake Gary believes the 27-year-old adds obvious quality.
He said: ‘The good thing is that Jason has been in training with us. He knows how we play, he knows the messages that we’re trying to get across and his experience will help. In the society we’re in, I don’t think there are enough leaders, people to roll up their sleeves and dig their mate out.
‘Even if you’re having a bad game, you’re still allowed to have a go at people in the right way to get the best out of them.’
Sentiments of which Barton would doubtless approve.
‘Joey always demanded a lot as a player and manager,’ continued the player. ‘There are already high standards here but that’s something that is the norm for me.’
After three consecutive wins to start the season, Rangers arrive at Almondvale knowing they can stretch their lead over champions Celtic to eight points today.
The younger Holt can state with some certainty that the Ibrox team will not breeze onto Livvy’s plastic pitch taking the result for granted.
‘At Rangers, the pressure is there every week, you know you can’t drop points,’ he said. ‘So coming here is no different to any other away game. Get in, get the win and let’s go. ‘Livingston have made it difficult for every team coming here over the last couple of years. We will be looking to do that again.’