Joey Barton Bio Send To Friend  

It is difficult to write a profile of Joseph Antony Barton while concentrating on football matters.

At time of writing, Barton is serving a six-month sentence for common assault and affray while also up on four-months suspended sentence for an attack on former Manchester City team-mate Ousmane Dabo.

Newcastle had paid what looks like a wasteful £5.8m. Sam Allardyce's reputation for turning around the bad pennies made many think Barton would turn around his career at St James'.

The very beginning of his career maybe pointed to trouble ahead...

Barton should have earned his debut as a second half substitute in the trip to Middlesbrough in November 2002... until a thief intervened!

He left his shirt in the dug-out during half-time, and when he returned someone had stolen it. With no spare shirt, his hopes of debut were dashed.

He eventually made his bow in a 2-0 defeat at Bolton Wanderers in April.

A red card in an FA Cup tie at Tottenham in 2003/4 for an incident as the teams went in at half-time had Keegan fuming - but against all the odds City came back from 3-0 down to win 4-3 with ten men.

Barton became a first team regular in 2004/05 season, but that same term the disciplinary problems began. At the club's Christmas party he poked a cigar in the eye of a youth team player - City almost sacked him then.

Following that, on the club's pre-season tour of Thailand in 2005, Barton was sent home after a fracas in a hotel bar which allegedly saw the player attack a young Everton fan.

After beginning the 2005/06 season in superb form, leading to calls for an England call-up. It was generally thought the player had beaten his demons.

But a month later, as the transfer window was about to close, Barton handed in a written transfer request.

Middlesbrough immediately came in for him, but he turned down the move and apologised for his actions and a few months later signed a new contract.

In February 2007 he was awarded his England debut, replacing Frank Lampard for the final 12 minutes of the 1-0 friendly defeat to Spain at Old Trafford.

In March he was questioned by police with regards to an alleged criminal damage incident involving a taxi driver in Liverpool. And six weeks later came the Dabo clash which saw him suspended by City.

It was always going to be the end of the road for Barton at City after 153 games and 17 goals.

But Barton did not leave City quietly after Newcastle met his £5.5million release clause. He insisted he be paid the £300,000 he was due for leaving without requesting a move but City claimed the release clause ruled that out. In the end the Magpies had to pay £5.8million to push the transfer through.

After a season 2007/8 in which football played a minor role he was reunited with Kevin Keegan. Yet his footballing future remains in severe doubt.