And back to the great Joey Barton debate. I don`t mean Joey Barton is great, just mean over the years it has made for a great debate!
We were linked with the thug, sorry, freudian slip, I mean midfielder a few years back and now it seems we – along with many others – are again being linked to the th… midfielder who has been told he can leave Newcastle United for free (he has one year left on his contract but has been outspoken against their board… which to be fair isn`t exactly out of order when you look how the Toon have been treated since that Ashley guy took over!)
The Club announced he can go yesterday, Barton said on his twitter doo dah (official term): ‘Somewhere in those high echelons of NUFC, they have decided, I am persona non grata. I am on a free but the honour of wearing those B+W stripes, surpasses that. One day the board might realise, what the shirt signifies. HONOUR and PRIDE. Thanks for your continued support……….. #toonarmy.’
He is apparently on £60k a week and although he could insist on seeing out the next season, with the likes of Arsenal, Man Utd, Spurs, Villa and so many more being linked, that will probably not happen.
OK, so I put a poll up on the front page yesterday asking if you`d like him and Prepared started a thread in the forum: Click Here
Got to say, I`m shocked so many, according to the poll, are keen to have him at the moment (69% as it stands)… you`d like a guy who stubbed out a cigar in a youth team members EYE? Who beat up a team mate at Man City and who behaves like this?
Is he a reformed character? Pederson got the answer to that with a punch to the chest ON THE PITCH last year. Why that wasn`t dealt with by police I will never know. Why can`t I go to a game and punch an oppo fan in the lungs and NOT go to court but he can? The field of play doesn`t negate the law does it? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9AfwVuttS4&NR=1
Does it matter what he is like? Well, that is where it starts to get a bit fuzzy. A few years back I doubted I`d go to Villa Park if that player was there, now I`m not so sure as you read about a different player behaving appallingly every other week nowadays it seems. Maybe it isn`t for us to make moral judgements? Then again, it is our money we pay to go to games so I guess we do have a small right to say if we don`t want certain types at Villa?
And the flipside. How long have we been waiting for a ‘nasty snarling` type of player in our team? When was the last midfield general? As I`ve mentioned before and someone on our facebook side of things said yesterday, the last real general in midfield was probably Andy Townsend.
ALSO… Alex McLeish HAS to be the man who decides which players can or can`t get us doing the business and winning things. He is already up for a hiding if he doesn`t get started quickly, so for me it will be totally up to him. If it was my decision it would be a big no, no, no though and he`d not be a player I`d be looking to clap I don`t think!!!!!!!!!!!!
Not sure Gabby would welcome him? Remember this? www.guardian.co.uk
Anyway, a few comments from the forum:
Deanovilla: “Joey Barton will never learn his lesson and never change his ways. You can tell that whenever he speaks or by his body language on the pitch. ” Adding, ” If he showed an ounce of remorse or a willingness to become a decent human being then just maybe he’d deserve a 4th chance or however many he’s on now, but I have no doubt in my mind that after 3 weeks at the club he’ll have tried to hang Delfouneso, stabbed Gary Gardner and run over Sid Cowans. Really lets not go here. Just not worth it. He’s not THAT good. If he was Messi then it’d be a risk worth taking but weighing it up, its too big a gamble.”
lerneravfc: “I don’t care what other clubs do. I don’t want a violent thug in a villa shirt.”
charizma: “The bloke is a thug pure and simple. No way should he be allowed to play football, don’t care who for. Certainly not for the Villa, end of story!”
villan57: “I just can’t comprehend why any football fan would want this thug at their club .”
dominic22: “We all know the type. And his type we do not want in our great club. Trouble follows him, he is a bully and racist scum as is his family, without a doubt at some point in his contract we would create mayhem. I go with my kids and they love our players, how can I let them have posters of people like him, or look at him with any pride. As I did we Brian Little etc. We are a family club and I am all for giving people a chance but after the 6th or 7th chance you start to think maybe just maybe he is a wrongun”
More positive views:
1958Villan: “In a purely football sense we have to ask ourselves, at this particular time, would Joey Barton improve our team? If the answer is yes, then we would be silly to let him get away without at least trying to sign him.”
prepared: “The more I think about it the more I couldnt care about him as a man. If he can enhance our team, I’m all for it.”
dudley villan: “I think we all feel the same about Barton the person; and in truth there might be nothing at all in this speculation. Now, I am not McLeish`s biggest fan, far from it, but he is the Villa manager and he has to be given the chance to do it his way or how can we ever judge whether or not he is good enough. If he believes Barton can improve the team and that he can control the player`s disciplinary issues, then he has to be allowed to get on with his job.”
ciggiesnbeer: “He is a complete asshole on and off pitch. He winds up opposing players, makes opposing fans hate him and insists his team mates give their all for the cause. Talented, unpleasant and determined. I would welcome him at Villa with open arms. He is exactly what we could use. Put some damn teeth into our squad.’
Iniesta: “In terms of football, he’s better than any of our midfielder’s and his acquisition is a must, especially for free, i was thinking against Chelsea that we missed someone with bite in the middle who will throw himself into tackles, infact he’s not bad with a set-piece either, i want him, i hope we get him, exactly what we need. Snap him up Big Eck, you can keep him on the straight and narrow son.”
V01: “Yes. On the pitch last season he was quality, would really add something to the midfield. off the pitch he has cleaned up his act, with a manager like big eck I don’t see him being a trouble maker definitely feel he’s worth a punt for free just make sure the contract has a clause allowing us to terminate in the case of any of his past behaviour.”
Forum thread… WARNING… very strong opinions and language, not for the feint hearted, politically correct of kids: Click Here
Lively debate raging on our facebook part of Vital Villa as well:
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