Neil McCann comments on Glasgow Rangers midfielder Joey Barton’s performance against Celtic in the Old Firm derby.
Rangers’ Clint Hill and Joey Barton look dejected
Neil McCann has told Sky Sports that Rangers midfielder Joey Barton was trying hard against Celtic in the Old Firm derby earlier this month.
Rangers faced Old Firm rivals Celtic away from home at Celtic Park in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday, September 10.
Former Newcastle United midfielder Barton, who joined the Gers in the summer transfer window after leaving English club Burnley at the end of last season, featured in the match.
The 34-year-old started the game and played for the entire 90 minutes, as Rangers lost 5-1.
Rangers’ Joey Barton looks dejected
Former Rangers winger McCann has praised Barton for trying hard against Celtic.
The Sky Sports pundit, though, has criticised the Englishman for not showing respect for the Scottish Premiership.
In a recent interview with talkSPORT, as reported by Sky Sports, Barton said about the Scottish Premiership: “It’s a much lower level and I’m trying to help people get to a higher level.”
“Joey Barton is out of order for disrespecting the league that he’s playing in and working in,” McCann told Sky Sports. “He shouldn’t be disrespecting fellow professionals in this league and he shouldn’t be disrespecting his team by saying about this ‘lower level’ he’s operating in.”
“What I’ve heard is he’s not a bad professional and he’s not being a bad influence,” added McCann. “Yes, he’s a bit mouthy, but we all know Joey’s like that anyway, so deal with it.
“That leads me to Mark Warburton. If you’re signing Joey Barton, you know what he’s coming with. He’s strongly opinionated.
“But I think Joey Barton is quite a driven guy. I watched the Old Firm game, in particular and asked ‘did he chuck it?’ He didn’t chuck it. Even when Dembele was scoring the fifth goal, he was throwing himself at it.”
Rangers’ Joey Barton
Barton is currently serving a three-week suspension, as announced on Rangers’ official website last week.
The former Manchester City and Queens Park Rangers midfielder recently told talkSPORT about a training ground bust-up between him and Rangers midfielder Andy Halliday following the Gers’ 5-1 defeat to Celtic in the Old Firm derby at Celtic Park.
Rangers’ Joey Barton
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
