Is is simply for a loophole for the QPR midfielder to escape a ban; or a more meaningful reason behind the potential lower league switch?
Nowadays instead of only ruffling feathers on Twitter Joey Barton has a website all to himself, where he exhibits his different views on football, culture and just life in general. At the top of the homepage it reads.
‘Depending who you listen to … I’m a footballer, ex-con, ranting anti-celebrity, ‘’footballs philosopher king’’, loving dad and violent thug rolled into one. Whatever your label for me, I’m Joey Barton and this is my site.’
He really has summed it up hasn’t he because Joey Barton, love him or hate him has become one of the biggest names in football because he is an absorbing character.
This week he is hitting the headlines after a deal has reportedly materialised that will see him complete a 6 month loan deal at Fleetwood Town in League Two.
The question that immediately cropped up into my own mind was, why?
The obvious answer and the one seemingly doing the rounds at the moment is that Joey is simply after a way of getting back to playing football sooner, as his 12 match ban for his admittedly shameful actions against Manchester City on the final day of last season, will evaporate much faster playing in the Football League. With the added bonus of Fleetwood Town being in the Johnstones Paint Trophy that ban will evaporate even quicker.
But a 6 month deal will see Joey play a fair amount of games for the club and despite Fleetwood’s obvious ambition, with the arrival of Jon Parkin, Damien Johnson and Dean Howell at the Lancashire club; it will still be a coup.
Do I think Joey Barton is considering this loan move just to get back to playing football quicker, well it’s kind of a yes and no answer?
Yes because I truly believe the man loves playing football but no because, in a strange way the exact same reason.
Joey has admitted himself that he became slightly disillusioned with football toward the end of last season and training at Fleetwood has reinvigorated his love for the sport. His tweets are always a blast but seeing his delight at a hard pre season session was a joy to see. I think getting back to playing at League Two level, where football is perhaps a little more pure in its form is something Joey would really thrive on, coming back to QPR as a better player and person at the end of it.
At the moment there’s no knowing if this deal is actually going to happen but I would like to see it. For all the trouble Joey has been in over the years and for some of the mistakes he makes which can at times be violent, misinterpreted or plain instinctive he has always been someone to put his hand up and say he was wrong.
I like him, he is an honest, outspoken and interactive footballer and you don’t get many of those playing in the highest league of English football anymore and if he was to sign for Fleetwood Town I would take a vested interest in his progress.
What do you think about English football’s marmite player and his potential move to Fleetwood Town?
And check out his views on Training at Fleetwood Town and the rest of his website it is, of course, absorbing.
http://www.joeybarton.com/training-with-fleetwood/#comments
images: © MT Hietala, © michael kjaer, © MT Hietala, © michael kjaer
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