Ibrox side Glasgow Rangers are set to take on Ross County at the weekend, but Joey Barton will not feature.
Glasgow Rangers new boy Joey Barton has told the Jim White Show on TalkSPORT, which was broadcast on 16th September, that he has great respect for Andy Halliday.
Barton was banished from Rangers training, after he reportedly had a dispute with Halliday in training (BBC Sport).
However, Barton insists that he has no problem with Halliday – as he is a player who he has great respect for.
“We sat in the dressing room afterwards. There is no issue with me and Andy,” Barton insisted. “He’s a mad passionate Rangers man. He is someone I have great respect for, and he’s someone whose mind you have to pick because he knows the club so well.
“The way it’s been handled has been strange, because of my past history. It does look like something more than that has happened and that’s why I have decided to get on the radio and speak to you.”
When asked why he had been asked to leave Rangers training, but Halliday was still available for selection, Barton said: “Andy stopped on the training ground, but the manager pulled me in afterwards and asked me to explain what he said.
“I told him in no uncertain terms where I believed it to be at. He said I need to think things through. While I didn’t agree with that, he’s the manager and I need to accept that.”
Barton will now miss Rangers’ match against Ross County at the weekend, and there are already question marks forming over his future at Ibrox.
Barton insists that he is still fully committed to Rangers, but he has not made the best start at the Ibrox club.
The 34-year-old has failed to show his best form on the pitch, with Rangers getting off to a fairly disappointing start to the new campaign.
Barton’s future at Rangers is now up in the air, and he is scheduled to meet up with Mark Warburton next Monday to clear the air.
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