BARTON IMPRESSED

The English midfielder Joey Barton, who is currently on a season long loan deal with the French club Marseille, has praised the talent of the striker Andre-Pierre Gignac by comparing him with the Paris St Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who is as one of the best strikers in the world.

Joey Barton recently completed the season long loan deal to France after falling out with his current club QPR. He recently made his debut for the team after the completion of the 12 match ban given to him by the English FA. He has praised the talent of the striker Andre-Pierre Gignac, who has been linked with several clubs across the world.

Gignac scored the winner for Marseille after coming on from the bench in the match against Toulouse. Barton then appreciated the contribution of the former Toulouse player by saying that he can be compared with Zlatan Ibrahimovic because he is extremely talented. He has also said that Gignac is one of the important members of the team and is an extreme pleasure to play alongside him. Barton has also repeatedly stated that he would like to extend his loan spell with Marseille into a permanent one if it is possible. He has said that he is enjoying life in France.

“He’s one of our most important players. He’s the equivalent of Ibrahimovic at Paris Saint-Germain. He’s a great number nine. He can score from anywhere, and showed that on Saturday. The team started well with him in form, and it was a big loss for the club to have to do without him after his injury. We have a small squad. We don’t have the money of PSG. We need everybody fit. Bastia isn’t an easy place to go to, and Toulouse was a tough game,” said Joey Barton.

BARTON WANTS TO STAY

The former Newcastle United midfielder Joey Barton has said that he would be extremely happy to extend his stay with the French club Marseille after going to like the club and the city in the first few months of his Marseille career.

The 30-year-old recently completed the season long loan deal to Marseilles in the summer after his club QPR decided to remove him due to the number of incidents that caused bad image to the club last season. Joey Barton was suspended for 12 matches by the English FA for a series of incidents in the final match of last season against Manchester City.

After failing to find a lower league club in the English football, Joey Barton moved to the French club Marseille on a season long loan deal. He is set to play a game for the French club due to the 12 match ban he is currently suffering from. Yet, he has said that he would be extremely happy to play for the club till the end of his career after going to like the club and the city. He has also said that he does not know what the future holds for him, but would be happy to stay at Marseille.

“I don’t know [if I will stay beyond my loan] as it’s not my decision; it is between Queens Park Rangers and Marseille. If I had my choice, I would stay here for the rest of my career because I love this place, I have a great relationship with the people, the staff, the manager, the players, the fans, and I feel like I’m at home. I haven’t played many games. I can’t wait to put the Marseille shirt on, to show people that I like to play football,” said Joey Barton about his future.

BARTON SET FOR DEBUT

The assistant coach of Olympique de Marseille, Franck Passi, has said that Joey Barton might play his first match for Marseille against Fenerbahce in the Europa League. That match is going to be played on 20th September. Barton has signed a 1 year loan deal with Marseille this summer. Barton is a contracted player of QPR but can’t play for them becasue the FA have banned him for 12 matches due to his violent behaviour in a match against Manchester City in the last season. (Man City news wanted it to be more like a 12 month ban!)

Barton has also received a warning from the club that his contract would be terminated if his behaviour is found to be violent again in the future. According to the transfer rules of FIFA, Barton can’t play in the Ligue 1 matches in France at the moment, but, the ban doesn’t stop him from playing in Europe. So, he is expected to play against Fenerbahce.

Franck Passi said that Barton has been out of the game since the last two months. He hasn’t trained enough in the last few days. So, he might not be ready to play in the entire match, but, he could be sent on the field as a substitute in the later part of the match against Fenerbahce. As per Passi, Barton is technically very good. He has got great skills and he would not take too much time to get back in form. His inclusion would definitely prove to be beneficial for the club.
On being asked whether Barton’s inclusion in the team would be helpful for the young players, Passi answered positively.

He said that Barton has the experience of playing in different conditions and he can definitely help the young players in developing their game. As per Passi, the club has a lot of expectations from Barton in the ongoing season and hopefully, he would deliver for the club.

BARTON MIGHT MOVE ON

QPR are considering letting the midfielder Joey Barton leave the club on a short-term loan deal. The former Newcastle United midfielder has been found guilty of bad behaviour in the final match of the last season.

He has been banned for 12 games by the football Association. If QPR decided to keep the £ 80,000 per week footballer at the club, then they would face the risk of not having the star midfielder for almost half of the Premier league campaign. As a result, they are looking at the possibility of loaning him to a lower division club. This would help them get round the ban imposed by the football Association because there are 46 games in the lower divisions as opposed to the 38 games in the Premier league.

The football Association has also confirmed that the Premier league club will be able to use this to their advantage because the ban can be transferred to another club. The QPR owner Tony Fernandes revealed after learning the lengthy ban that he would consider selling the star asset because he has brought a bad image to the club. However, the former England midfielder has escaped with a ban and a hefty fine from the club. He has also been stripped of the captaincy as well.

“If it was me I would say it was a great idea. It’s not against the rules, some might argue it’s against the spirit of the game, but until that loophole is closed then why would you not exploit it? You can’t play any kind of football during that time. It just goes to show that [QPR] realise Joey Barton is a good player, no matter what you think of him and what he’s done. He has a value,” said the former Manchester defender Danny Mills.

BARTON ACCEPTS FINE

QPR midfielder Joey Barton has now been stripped of the captaincy at the club, while he has also been fined six weeks wages for the indiscipline that he showed in the final match of the last Premier league season, according to the Man City news website.

QPR took on Manchester city’s final game of the last season knowing that they had to draw the match if Bolton won their match against Stoke city. QPR managed to surprise everyone by taking the lead against title chasing Manchester City. However, with an hour of the match gone, QPR captain and midfielder Joey Barton got himself sent off for a challenge on Carlos Tevez, in a tackle reminiscent of Cesc Fabregas‘s lunge on Chris Eagles seasons earlier.

However, the major altercation came after his sending off. Joey Barton was involved in the bust up with a number of Manchester City players, while also involving many QPR players as well. His needless red card meant that QPR were reduced to 10 men.

They subsequently lost the match, but were saved due to the fact that Bolton also lost their match against Stoke city. Following the match, it was rumoured that QPR would be willing to listen to offers for the £ 80,000 per week man. However, he has now escaped with a fine and will also know how to do without the captain’s armband.

“My behaviour was wrong and I accept the punishment that has been imposed upon me as a result. I apologise to the manager, my team-mates and of course the QPR fans for my actions. I also apologise to the Manchester City players, staff and supporters,” said Joey Barton on the official website of QPR. He also said on Twitter that he is certainly not worried about having been fined six weeks wages, but is more disappointed when it comes to losing the captaincy and also having to do without 12 Premier league matches.

BARTON SET FOR SUSPENSION

QPR midfielder Joey Barton is set for a long suspension after his retaliation following the red card in a match against Manchester City on the final day of the season.

QPR were fighting against relegation in the match given that Bolton were leading their game against Stoke city. However, a moment of madness from QPR captain Joey Barton led to him receiving a red card from the referee Mike Dean. Joey Barton is clearly seen from the television replays elbowing Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez. However, while he was explaining the situation to referee Mike Dean, Sergio Aguero got involved in the war of words.

Joey Barton retaliated by hitting the Argentine in the knee. This led to him being escorted from the pitch. However, it is learnt that the English football association will be taking serious action on Joey Barton. The former England midfielder will face a three match suspension from the original record, but the current ban is likely to be around 9 to 10 matches at the start of next season. QPR managed to survive in the Premier league despite the 3-2 defeat against Manchester city due to the fact that Bolton could only draw their game against Stoke at the Britannia stadium.

“Can do nothing but apologise to the players and the fans. Still don’t think it’s a sending off. Tried to take 1 of their players with me. Still not my proudest moment but who gives a f*ck, we are safe……….and that is all that matters,” said Joey Barton later on his Twitter account. QPR have one of the worst disciplinary records in the second half of the season. Striker Djibril Cisse has been sent off numerous times for QPR, despite the fact that he arrived at the club only in January.

BARTON ACCEPTS BLAME FOR GOAL

Joey Barton has said that he was at fault for the second goal that Manchester United scored in the recent visit to the Loftus Road. Manchester United won the match 2-0, with Rooney scoring the opening goal under just 1 minute and Michael Carrick extending Manchester United’s lead later on in the match.

Michael Carrick’s goal came after Joey Barton conceded possession cheaply and the England midfielder went down the other end to score the goal. It was a match in which QPR were expected to challenge Manchester United in the same way they did against Chelsea.

So far, QPR’s home form has been pretty poor and the recent defeat to Manchester United only added to the woes for QPR manager Neil Warnock. Even though the away form has been pretty good for the team, Neil Warnock would be hoping to make the Loftus Road as a fortress.

However, it is the away from that is keeping them afloat in the Premier League table. The mistake by Joey Barton proved to be very costly because Manchester United were struggling to score the very important second goal at that point. The second goal by Michael Carrick effectively killed off the tie because Manchester United then kept the ball brilliantly.

“You’ve got to be on it against reigning champions and today we feel short. Wasn’t for lack of effort. Roll on Sunderland wed night. Second goal was my mistake. It happens. Its gone. Time to move forward again, “Joey Barton said on his Twitter account regarding the defeat and his role in the second goal. Joey Barton has been one of the influential players for QPR this season. Hence, it is very unlikely that he will be losing his place as a result of this mistake. The defeat leaves QPR just a few points above the drop zone.