Joey Barton

Being a Newcastle fan, the Joey Barton saga is something I have followed closely over the summer. A player that would not struggle to get in even the best teams in the country is now seemingly unwanted by the Newcastle hierarchy. The media claims events behind the scenes have lead to the cut-throat attitude taken by the club, but is letting last year's player of the season go to potential rivals for free really the smartest piece of business by the Newcastle board?
In May, it was revealed Barton would not be offered a new deal. Since then, Barton has taken to twitter to criticise the club, and express his discontent at not being offered a new deal.
I like Joey Barton. Even when he was at Manchester City and was one of football's so called 'bad boys', I thought he was a brilliant footballer. In the past few years he seems to have calmed down and let his form on the pitch do the talking. He is the sort of player I feel is right for Newcastle. His passion on the pitch mirrors that of the fans, and he appears to have a genuine love of the club and the area. He may have his moments of stupidity- His mindless punching of Morten Gamst Pedersen against Blackburn last year- but the grit and determination he shows each match vastly outweighs his occasional misdemeanors. When Newcastle were 0-4 down at home to Arsenal last season he visibly motivated and spurred the team on, scoring two penalties, and almost single handedly dragging the team back level.
I do believe some of his twitter comments have been silly. Criticising your employers in such a public forum would end up in unemployment for many outside of the football world. I also believe however that his tweets regarding the club's affairs are derived from his passion for the club, not from any desire for publicity.
Allowing him to leave for free would be a ludicrous decision by the board. If they genuinely believe that he has a negative effect in the dressing room, then they may feel they have no option, but I do believe that this is the sort of passion that key players can have- just look at Roy Keane.
Barton is the sort of player that I feel the team should be built around. He is 28- the peak of his career- if his transfer listing were to be rescinded I feel he could become the key player for Newcastle in the coming years. A Kevin Nolan if you like. Someone who the rest of the team can look to and who the fans will always give everything, whether the team be 4-0 up, or 4-0 down.