Joey Barton

[Daxter]

Joey Barton has labelled Manchester City's season a failure and called for the club to come up with a spending plan to push them up the Premiership.

"This club and its fans deserve to be at the highest level," the England midfielder told BBC Radio Manchester.

"If I was a fan I wouldn't have paid to watch us at home this season.

"There has to be a plan. Everyone seems to have one in place but at the moment it just feels like this club is praying to get the right players this summer."

The 24-year-old signed a new four-year contract last summer but is frustrated by the limited progress under manager Stuart Pearce this season.

City have failed to score a Premiership goal at home since New Year's Day, and as well as questioning the value for money for the fans, Barton is also sceptical over the club's recruitment policy.

"There is no way Reading have spent more than us and no way Everton have either, but they seem to have overachieved," he added.

"Bolton have not spent big either. I know they paid a lot of money for Nicolas Anelka but we paid a lot for Georgios Samaras.

"You have to face facts. We have not brought quality in. One or two have done all right but not enough to take the team onto the next level.

"We can't gamble on players who have scored six goals in six games in the Pontins League or in Belgium.

"I know a lot of the supporters are umming and ahhing about whether to buy their season tickets.

"They go out and work hard. It is a lot of money to buy a season ticket at our place and they are not getting value for money."

Has his critics and rightly so, but seems to talk a fair bit of sense. I would take the guy at Bolton. Just the type of midfield player we need.

[Bruce Rioja]

I quite like Joey Barton, even more so when I read this in this month's 4-4-2.

The spat between Joey Barton and Frank Lampard rumbles on. When Barton sat near him for breakfast at a recent England get-together, Lampard swiftly moved tables. Barton quipped "I'm not gonna nick yer food, you fat bastard".

Absolutely outsanding stuff!

[Soldier_Of_The_White_Army]

[a1]

I quite like Joey Barton, even more so when I read this in this month's 4-4-2.

The spat between Joey Barton and Frank Lampard rumbles on. When Barton sat near him for breakfast at a recent England get-together, Lampard swiftly moved tables. Barton quipped "I'm not gonna nick yer food, you fat bastard".

Absolutely outsanding stuff!

joey barton = scouse . would you take the chance ?

mind, if joey was made of scouse , frank'd have 2 meals

[communistworkethic]

I heard the full interview on GMR, most of what he said must have been exactly what every City fan is thinking. The thing was he even accepted some, if only a little bit, of the blame himself.

I'd always thought of him being a retarded scouse thug but for the most part he made a lucid well-thought out deconstruction of Citeh's predicament.

I did like the line " if i was a city fan I'd be thinking twice about renewing my season ticket" on the day they've extended their renewal deadline by a week - nice one Joey.

Could you see fat boy Nolan making such a statement?

[cowdrill]

he's too busy telling players like Fabregas how to conduct themselves on the field!

[Backgammon]

Always had time for Barton. Apart from being a good player, he doesn't bullshit anyone. A spade's a spade.

It's friggin refreshing to hear a top player speak the truth, rather than give a politically correct answer then feck of in their Bentley.

[Athers]

Let us not forget that Barton is a few sandwiches short. Cigar anyone?

[Backgammon]

Let us not forget that Barton is a few sandwiches short. Cigar anyone?

Oh, I agree, he's been a cock in the past, and some of his tackling can be almost be crimnal assault but it's still nice to hear a footballer with an opinion that accually relects what the fan's are thinking. He doesn't seem to be as afraid of speaking the truth as other professionals.

His comments about the world cup were spot on. The comments about City are spot on. I think he just plays and speaks from the heart, and I respect that about him.

[a1]

Always had time for Barton. Apart from being a good player, he doesn't bullshit anyone. A spade's a spade.

It's friggin refreshing to hear a top player speak the truth, rather than give a politically correct answer then feck of in their Bentley.

aye , he's bin accused of racism too.. , lets not kid ourselves - he's on 10 grand a week at least.. i can be socialist / 'honest' / one of the normal people on £10k a week ..

[hisroyalgingerness]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/footbal ... 612933.stm

strikes again, literally

[Daxter]

Still would take the nutter.

[Nozza]

Still would take the nutter.

Alreet, Alan?

[Soldier_Of_The_White_Army]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/footbal ... 612933.stm

strikes again, literally

Could actually be a good thing. The last time shitty had a quality player it took 20m+ to pry him away. At this rate they will be looking to get rid, and I don't care what anyone says, this guy would be fantastic for us!

The more he pricks around, the less anyone will want him and the lower his transfer fee becomes.

All it needs then is for us to sign him, and on his first day Sammy to headbutt him in the bollocks and say "right, now the pep talk is over, go get fxcking changed!!"

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

People who laud this guy as being some straight-talking, breath of fresh air, honest man-of-the people are seriously misguided.

He's just another mouthy Scouse thug, who happens to be good at football.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Victim Ousmane Dabo - isn't he the geezer we wanted? (not Hamann, hur hur)

[Soldier_Of_The_White_Army]

People who laud this guy as being some straight-talking, breath of fresh air, honest man-of-the people are seriously misguided.

He's just another mouthy Scouse thug, who happens to be good at football.

Diouf

Toft

Anelka

We hardly have a fantastic record ourselves. The bottom line (as sad as it may seam) is that we need players like this to act like dxckheads. No-one wants them, and it lowers their transfer fee.

A lot of the backroom staff are actually employed for this reason. That's what Sam new. He could get world class players at the club by two methods, bad boys no-one liked, or older ones that want to experience the Premiership before they retire.

Barton has everthing needed to be the next Gerrard or Lampard. The only thing in our favour is the fact that he plays for a crap team and hasn't quite been hailed as the next Gazza by the Media and pundits and the fact no-one at his current club can handle him.

We have people in the back that Sam employed just for this kind of thing.

[cowdrill]

ing

[Daxter]

People who laud this guy as being some straight-talking, breath of fresh air, honest man-of-the people are seriously misguided.

He's just another mouthy Scouse thug, who happens to be good at football.

Diouf

Toft

Anelka

We hardly have a fantastic record ourselves. The bottom line (as sad as it may seam) is that we need players like this to act like dxckheads. No-one wants them, and it lowers their transfer fee.

A lot of the backroom staff are actually employed for this reason. That's what Sam new. He could get world class players at the club by two methods, bad boys no-one liked, or older ones that want to experience the Premiership before they retire.

Barton has everthing needed to be the next Gerrard or Lampard. The only thing in our favour is the fact that he plays for a crap team and hasn't quite been hailed as the next Gazza by the Media and pundits and the fact no-one at his current club can handle him.

We have people in the back that Sam employed just for this kind of thing.

Too right. The guy is a brilliant midfielder someone are team could really do with.

Think of the mobilty in midfield, the drive, the energy, the goals, the quality that would be in a midfield containing Andranik and Joey Barton.

[warthog]

He's the sort of player where you'd say 'let Sam sort him out.'

Only Sam's gone, so leave well alone.