Joey Barton - Is there a way back?

[Anchorman 0]

I don't think there is a place for him in the team. I think Halliday, Rossiter, Holt, Crooks (when fit), Windass, Forrester, will all be in there before him. Kranjcar will always be fighting for a place as well.

He wont sit on the bench, that's for sure.

[der Berliner 3,803]

Are we any wiser about what was actually said at the time? Did he say to e.g. Kiernan and Senderos what he (and thousands of other Bears) thought about their game that day? We'll probably never know.

 

As for hype ... much of that was media driven, not Barton driven. His twitterings are sure not something that should be exaggerated, even though the media in Scotand never saw anything alike. It looks some got caught in that hysteria too. As for Barton and his performances, you wonder what people expected? He's a midfield destroyer and defensive midfielder. It was not him who were a) at fault for the goals we conceeded, not the chances we did not convert.

 

Halliday is doing a great job at DM, so he was last season. But to say he's been brilliant throughout the season is stretching it a little (sic!). We need a full squad and even now we've seen more injuries to our DMs and CHs than the last two seasons combined.

Edited October 4, 2016 by der Berliner

[aweebluesoandso 290]

He was a gamble, I thought it was a risk, as many did, but a risk worth taking. Sadly i don't think the gamble has paid off, is it worth trying another gamble on him knuckling down and shutting his twitter account down, proving us wrong? He's addicted to his twitter account, that brings to much unwanted attention to himself and the club, the press are waiting like Vultures for his next twittershit outpouring.

 

The gambles failed sadly, time for joey to take a one man flight into twitter space, one small step for Joey, one huge step for Rangerskind.

Edited October 4, 2016 by aweebluesoandso

[calscot 0]

Not sure I completely agree with that. On the whole possibly - but there are plenty who are saying "didn't want him even before he actually signed" - surely that isn't something that can be put down to being unimpressed with his attitude, unless talking about his "previous".

 

I think that's consistent with not having a go. To me it's all very valid viewpoints and any criticism has a lot of facts to back it up.

 

Some fans didn't want him because of his well documented bust ups and controversial media outpourings - combined with his age and burden of wages, and the fact he wasn't exactly a top class international player at the peak of his career; I don't think there are many who didn't think it was somewhat of a gamble.

 

Some were optimistic about the bet paying out, some were pessimistic. Fair enough, it's all about opinions from that point.

 

Since then the reality has been that we haven't played well, he hasn't done much that makes people think he's a first choice player who enhances the team (never mind someone who is supposed to lift us up a level), and when you start with the bust up with the manager, his subsequent twitter and media ramblings have put him in quite a bad light in many people's eyes, which is highly exacerbated by his hubris on twitter and in the media when he signed.

 

So now, even a lot of the optimists are writing him off as a lost bet, and the pessimists are most likely feeling quite vindicated in their initial viewpoint.

 

To me it seems that rather than being scapegoated or harshly judged, the reality is that people justifiably don't see him as much of an asset any more. I think most would be very happy if he worked his way back into the team and became the player of the month, taking the team to a higher level. However, I don't think there are many who are optimistic about that, and are happy to keep playing the likes of Halliday or Rossiter instead - until they look like they are playing badly enough to want to try something else.

 

I think he's worked his own passage from marquee signing to squad player, or even the transfer list, in a very, very short time - for both fans and management.

[calscot 0]

As for hype ... much of that was media driven, not Barton driven. His twitterings are sure not something that should be exaggerated, even though the media in Scotand never saw anything alike. It looks some got caught in that hysteria too.

 

You have to put his twittering in the context of probably having more followers than the whole of the Scottish sport media outlets put together - he has a lot of responsibility there, and he didn't get that following by not being sensationalist.

 

As for Barton and his performances, you wonder what people expected? He's a midfield destroyer and defensive midfielder. It was not him who were a) at fault for the goals we conceeded, not the chances we did not convert.

 

He came with a lot of self promotion and hype, so I think we maybe expected someone who wrestles hold of a game, and is of a shade of the quality of the likes of Barry or even Ian Ferguson. I think Terry Hurlock actually made more of an impression. We've had plenty of other players who have played that position and looked like quality.

 

I think if he came as a lesser known EP journeyman, a model professional, at 29 years old, who followed the party line media wise, and didn't get that suspension, then we'd be thinking he maybe needs more time and match fitness...

 

Halliday is doing a great job at DM, so he was last season. But to say he's been brilliant throughout the season is stretching it a little (sic!).

 

I don't think anyone thinks that Halliday is brilliant, and it's been suggested we needed someone of a higher standard with better defensive qualities, and Haliday could move into a more attacking position - Barton was supposed to bring that (and Rossiter too).

 

We need a full squad and even now we've seen more injuries to our DMs and CHs than the last two seasons combined.

 

Agree with that, but we also don't need expensive passengers, so we have to hope that Barton's ego doesn't turn him into one...

[scotjo 19]

Yes there is.

[der Berliner 3,803]

BTW, AFAIK, he is still a Rangers player. No need to speak about him in the past. He's hardly played half a dozen games thus far, with ever-changing personell about him. The team has settled into some kind of formation for about three games running, and I'm not just counting that DM slot.

[craig 5,199]

BTW, AFAIK, he is still a Rangers player. No need to speak about him in the past. He's hardly played half a dozen games thus far, with ever-changing personell about him. The team has settled into some kind of formation for about three games running, and I'm not just counting that DM slot.

 

Jason Holt can make many a player look good. Barton hasn't had the pleasure of playing beside him yet.

 

We badly missed Holt. And we also badly miss Windass. A midfield 3 of Holt, Windass and Barton or Halliday holding would be very effective IMHO, both in an attacking sense (Windass & Holt) and defensive cover (Barton/Halliday)

[Scott7 6,158]

"I think Terry Hurlock actually made more of an impression."

 

Oh, yes. Much more.

[BlackSocksRedTops 3,806]

I don't think there is a place for him in the team. I think Halliday, Rossiter, Holt, Crooks (when fit), Windass, Forrester, will all be in there before him. Kranjcar will always be fighting for a place as well.

He wont sit on the bench, that's for sure.

 

I have to agree. If he was a 30 goal a season striker with undoubted quality, you would have to bit your tongue and deal with this extras but we are well covered in that part of the pitch. I tend to think if he stays, it's just going to be the Barton-sideshow and tbh, that's the last thing we need right now