Barton book lays bare battle with his demons

[JFK-1 1,693]

EVEN Don King would have struggled to russle up more pre-event publicity than Joey Barton has received for the launch of his autobiography. But thankfully the finished product goes at least some way towards justifying the hype.

 

Ghostwritten by Michael Calvin, No Nonsense sees Barton lay bare his self-destructive tendencies, particularly his struggles to control the omnipresent violence which is a product of his tough upbringing on the St John’s council estate in Huyton, Merseyside. Having said all that, as its mention of Scottish football is restricted to just three pages and doesn't touch on his current turmoil at Rangers, the second volume might be even more sensational.

 

No Nonsense would not be the worst choice of stocking filler for Christmas, but it should perhaps come with an inbuilt health warning. Amazingly, considering how much of the 33-year-old's life is already out there in the public domain, it transpires there is still more about Barton to learn - everything from the fact that he attended AA meetings in jail right down to the fact he was known only as Joe or Joseph until Manchester City coach Derek Fazackerley christened him Joey to the media on the eve of his first-team debut. Incidentally, that debut itself is one humourous interlude in proceedings. It was delayed six months when his first team jersey, left in the technical area at half time, was stolen by a fan nearby with City having no replacement kit printed up in his name.

 

If episodes like that provide the light relief, no punches whatsoever are pulled when it comes to Barton's depiction of the numerous scrapes he has found himself in throughout his career. This is a product both of nature and nurture, particularly the influence of his father Joseph.

 

For all the warmth Barton exudes towards a man whom he calls his 'hero', one of the life lessons he passed on was telling the 12-year-old Barton how to beat the bullies by holding their neck with his left hand and punching them repeatedly on the face with his right. When an Alsatian bit him as a youngster, leaving a mark on his nose which remains to this day, Joseph Barton senior's remedy was to run over the dog, then reverse back over it to make sure that it was dead. The horrified owner was urged to depart the scene or else suffer a similar fate.

 

Violence and disagreement has never been far from home: his brother Michael was sentenced to 17 years in prison, his cousin Paul 23 years for a racially-motivated killing. One of his uncles would wait till mum and dad were out before persuading Joey to let him in the house, hiding a bag full of £20 and £10 notes and promising young Joey the change if he kept his mouth shut. After all, it was enough to buy several Subbuteo teams.

 

How all this family trauma manifested itself onto Barton the man reveals itself as you turn the pages of this book, with blanks filled in along the way on incidents such as the affair when he stubbed a cigar out in the eye of Man City youth team player Jamie Tandy during a Christmas party. If his reaction to it all wasn't so brutal, you almost sympathise with Barton's rationalisation (it had been one prank too many when Tandy had set fire to the back of his shirt). Another ferocious row followed on a pre-season trip to Thailand, Barton going hell for leather with Richard Dunne, before a final training ground set-to with Ousmane Dabo.

 

While the 34-year-old's insecurities are also on display here - he feared being stabbed to death during his six-month period in prison - the picture painted here is of a man genetically incapable of backing down from an argument. His stand-off with Mike Ashley at Newcastle is a case in point, as he led a dressing room rebellion after refusing to be bullied into signing an agreement waiving bonuses at the club.

 

While Barton generally leaves Ashley and his cohort Derek Llambias without a name, one diverting detail which emerges is the fact that he was using Ashley's helicopter to get to training due to his curfew conditions, a gesture he felt was free until being heartily invoiced for the privilege.

 

He is aware of the contradictions in his persona, some of which may still bubble on today. "I wanted people to like me," he says in the book. "I wanted to be light-hearted, to laugh and joke with those around me, but everything I did had the opposite effect. I wanted to be a good team-mate, and yet I ended up fighting with them. I wanted to be successful yet everything I did conspired against that."

 

All this hinterland, plus his refusal to be silenced on Twitter, is fascinating context when you look at Barton's current predicament at Rangers but there are plenty of other nuggets in there too. Blessed with only one England cap, a friendly against Spain, he says England's golden generation was in fact "the me generation", and also awards himself the rather generous score of eight of ten for his appearance on Question Time. If not exactly top marks, this autobiography is a more than decent effort too.

 

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/rangers/14759958.No_nonsense_from_Barton_as_new_book_lays_bare_his_battle_with_his_demons/

[barca72 440]

Cry me a river. What have you done for Rangers?

[JFK-1 1,693]

Well at this stage he has done nothing for Rangers any of us will care to remember. As for the future he has a £2 million contract we're going to have to pay to put him out the door and I think in the meantime if the only alternatives are pay him or keep him we should keep him and make him get his head down and get fit.

 

After his suspension is up it will likely be at least another 6 weeks before he could get a sniff at a first team place and in that time we're going to have a chance to see how the team performs with no Barton in it. If they perform well he is going to have to work very hard indeed to get back into the reckoning and if he is as driven as he claims to be then in some ways that's an ideal situation for both him and us.

 

If he is truly as dedicated a professional as he says he is then prove it. Get fit and force your way back into that team. He can't suddenly have become a bad footballer in a matter of weeks after being the best player in the English Championship last season. If he can show us that Joey Barton he could still redeem himself.

Edited September 23, 2016 by JFK-1

[Gribz 850]

I refuse to read that even for free.

 

A Millionnaire who feels pity for himself when their is starvation and homelessness ongoing for real people. ...no thanks.

[JFK-1 1,693]

RANGERS midfielder Joey Barton's autobiography titled 'No Nonsense' has been longlisted for the presitigious William Hill sports book of the year award.

 

The 34-year-old was suspended by the Ibrox club for three weeks following an altercation with teammate Andy Halliday and Mark Warburton earlier this week.

 

'No Nonsense', co-written by Michael Calvin, was released today and tells the story of Barton's eventful career and early life.

 

The shortlist will be announced on 18 October and the winner on 24 November, with the triumphant author taking home a £28,000 cash prize, £2500 free William Hill bet and a day at the races.

 

Longlist for William Hill Sports Book of the Year

 

Today We Die a Little: The Rise & Fall of Emil Zátopek, Olympic Legend by Richard Askwith

 

No Nonsense: The Autobiography by Joey Barton, with Michael Calvin

 

Endurance: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Emil Zátopek by Rick Broadbent

 

Football’s Coming Out: Life as a Gay Fan and Player by Neil Beasley with Seth Burkett

 

‘How’s Your Dad?’: Embracing Failure in the Shadow of Success by Mick Channon Jr

 

Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William Finnegan

 

For the Glory: The Life of Eric Liddell by Duncan Hamilton

 

Watching the Wheels: My Autobiography by Damon Hill, with Maurice Hamilton

 

Forever Young: The Story of Adrian Doherty, Football’s Lost Genius by Oliver Kay

 

Eat Sweat Play: How Sport Can Change Our Lives by Anna Kessel

 

Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight

 

Chasing Shadows: The Life & Death of Peter Roebuck by Tim Lane and Elliot Cartledge

 

The Belt Boy by Kevin Lueshing and Mike Dunn

 

Mr Darley’s Arabian: High Life, Low Life, Sporting Life – A History of Racing in 25 Horses by Christopher McGrath

 

Find a Way: One Untamed and Courageous Life by Diana Nyad

 

Mister: The Men Who Taught the World How to Beat England at Their Own Game by Rory Smith

 

We Had Some Laughs: My Dad, The Darts and Me by Dan Waddell

 

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/rangers/14758927.Rangers_midfielder_Joey_Barton_s_autobiography_up_for_sports_book_of_the_year_award/?ref=rl&lp=3#comments-anchor

[cooponthewing 1,139]

Well at this stage he has done nothing for Rangers any of us will care to remember. As for the future he has a £2 million contract we're going to have to pay to put him out the door and I think in the meantime if the only alternatives are pay him or keep him we should keep him and make him get his head down and get fit.

 

After his suspension is up it will likely be at least another 6 weeks before he could get a sniff at a first team place and in that time we're going to have a chance to see how the team performs with no Barton in it. If they perform well he is going to have to work very hard indeed to get back into the reckoning and if he is as driven as he claims to be then in some ways that's an ideal situation for both him and us.

 

If he is truly as dedicated a professional as he says he is then prove it. Get fit and force your way back into that team. He can't suddenly have become a bad footballer in a matter of weeks after being the best player in the English Championship last season. If he can show us that Joey Barton he could still redeem himself.

 

Problem with doing this JFK is that I feel it would be better to pay the 20k a week and NOT play him than 20k a week and play him, as long as the team were happy, the dynamic was good and we were playing well/winning.

Essentially I don't want to pay 20k a week to the guy and have him disrupt the team. If we have to pay it then so be it, let all other employers see he is quite happy to sit here and do nothing for the money.

I would prefer not to have to pay it, however it's the lesser of two evils imo.

[Tannochsidebear 2,406]

Far too many have condemned Barton without knowing the facts.

 

Let me say from the off that I didnt want to sign a convicted criminal and was really disappointed when it was announced. I dont watch English Championship football so the last I seen of Barton was his red card for QPR when Man City won the league on the last day of the season, and cant say I have ever been noticed him that much or been impressed with him on any occassion he has been playing in a game I watched.

 

But now that he is our player, I wont get involved in slaughtering the guy for something we dont know muchabout. All we know is that there was no physical violence, merely verbals, but of a sufficient nature to warrant in the managers eye a 3 week suspension. We dont know what was said, if the punishment fits the crime, or how his team-mates feel about it. He may still have the support of his teammates, we just dont know.

 

He didnt get the same pre-season as the rest of the squad, his criminal conviction ensuring he couldnt travel to the USA and had to remain training on his own. It is therefore no real surprise to see him seemingly not quite at the pace of the games we have played. He rightly points out that he got MOTM in our first game and some glowing tributes on here and elsewhere so it clearly hasnt all been bad.

 

I wont lose any sleep if he has his contract terminated, and I will happily accept him back in the team if MW feels he can do the job he signed him to do, whatever that was.