Joey Barton signed for Rangers a year ago this week, but didn’t even last half a season.
Rangers’ Joey Barton
One year ago this week Joey Barton clinched his high profile move to Rangers.
The midfielder quit Burnley to move to Rangers after helping the Clarets win promotion to the Premier League, and felt the switching to the Scottish Premiership was the right move for him.
It turned out to be the opposite, with Barton enduring a tumultuous year with his reputation in ruins.
Rangers’ Joey Barton before the match
Barton was ostracised from the first team after a training ground bust up following an embarrassing 5-1 loss to Celtic.
His contract was terminated and the manager who signed him has since departed. Barton re-signed for Burnley but has since been released and is serving a lengthy suspension for betting on football matches.
12 months ago though the future seemed bright for Barton, and he made a vow to try and topple Celtic.
He told The Scottish Sun: “There’s an incredible challenge here. Rangers expect to win titles. Second in Scotland is nowhere.
“That brings with it enormous pressure. I’m somebody who thrives on that. I can’t wait to dig in.”
Joey Barton applauds fans as he is substituted
Barton’s season could not have gone worse, and Rangers got nowhere near where they wanted to be.
They finished 39 points behind Celtic and didn’t even manage to land second place, finishing behind Aberdeen in third.
The Gers face a huge challenge next season simply to get close to their rivals, and the optimism that existed in Barton’s comments a year ago is replaced with a dose of realism.
Celtic’s Scott Sinclair with Rangers’ Joey Barton after the game
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