Joey Barton's incredible rap sheet after his sacking by Fleetwood Town
Assaulting Ousmane Dabo in training, stubbing out a cigar in a youth player’s eye and trying to fight the WHOLE Man City team… Joey Barton’s incredible rap sheet after he was sacked by Fleetwood following yet another dressing room bust-up
- Joey Barton was sacked by Fleetwood Town after bust-up with Ched Evans
- Manager failed to see the funny side of a skit Evans performed at team meeting
- It’s just the latest acrimonious moment in Barton’s controversial career
- He served time behind bars in 2008 for assaulting a man in a McDonald’s
- At Man City, he fought with Ousmane Dabo and stubbed a cigar in player’s eye
- Barton had a poor disciplinary record during his playing days at various clubs
Joey Barton’s first managerial appointment has come to the kind of acrimonious end befitting someone shadowed by controversy for most of his playing career.
Fleetwood Town sacked Barton on Monday in the wake of a dressing room altercation with striker Ched Evans following a 1-0 defeat at Swindon Town last month.
As Sportsmail had revealed, Barton failed to see the funny side of a skit produced by Evans at a weekly team meeting.
Joey Barton has been sacked as Fleetwood Town manager following a bust-up with Ched Evans
Barton and Evans came to blows in a dressing room altercation that contributed to his sacking
It further soured his relationship with a section of the squad and there had been other clashes with first team players.
Staff members had also left abruptly during his time at the Lancashire club, with the competitive spirit Barton fostered not to everyone’s taste.
But he had been getting results on the field. Fleetwood reached the play-offs in League One last season, losing to Wycombe Wanderers in the semi-finals, and he leaves them 10th in the standings this time.
The nature of Barton’s sacking is, however, just the latest in a long line of controversies during his time in football.
December 2004
At a fancy dress Christmas party for Manchester City players, Barton, then 22, stubbed out a lit cigar in the eye of youth team player Jamie Tandy, causing damage to his eyelids.
Barton and Tandy then became involved in a brawl that other players had to break up. Barton was fined £60,000 by City but wasn’t sacked by the club.
May 2005
Barton breaks the leg of a 35-year-old pedestrian while driving his car through Liverpool city centre at 2am.
Barton’s career was almost over before it started after controversies when at Man City
June 2005
Barton was sent home from City’s pre-season tour of Thailand after assaulting a 15-year-old Everton supporter who had provoked him by shouting abuse and kicking his shin.
Barton had to be restrained from continuing his attack on the boy by team-mate Richard Dunne. He was fined £120,000 and underwent anger management therapy.
September 2006
The bad blood with Everton continued when Barton dropped his shorts and exposed his backside to their fans after City scored a last-minute equaliser at Goodison Park.
Barton had been abused by the fans throughout the match. The moment was captured by TV cameras.
Merseyside Police took no action but the Football Association fined Barton £2,000 for bringing the game into disrepute.
Barton was fined in 2006 for dropping his shorts at Everton fans who’d abused him
December 2006
Barton slammed England players for releasing autobiographies after an unsuccessful World Cup campaign that saw them knocked out by Portugal in the quarter-finals.
‘England did nothing in the World Cup, so why are they bringing books out?’ Barton said. ‘We got beat in the quarter-finals, I played like s***, here’s my book. Who wants to read that? I don’t.’
Three months later, Barton made his England debut against Spain by replacing Frank Lampard, one of those his criticism was believed to be aimed at.
Barton replaces Frank Lampard, whom he’d been highly critical of, for his England debut
March 2007
Barton is arrested on suspicion of assault and criminal damage following an alleged argument with a taxi driver in Liverpool. He was alleged to have ripped out the cabbie’s radio because he would not wait at a MacDonald’s drive-through while Barton got food.
He was later found not guilty of vandalising the taxi, with his cousin Joshua Wilson, 19, admitting causing the damage.
April 2007
Barton criticised City’s performance during a 2006-07 season in which they finished 14th in the Premier League.
‘If I was a fan I wouldn’t have paid to watch us at home this season,’ he told BBC Radio Manchester before laying into the club’s recruitment strategy.
City manager Stuart Pearce bans him from speaking to the media.
Barton with manager Stuart Pearce on the training ground at Man City in 2006 – their relationship would soon break down
May 2007
Barton is involved in a training ground incident with City team-mate Ousmane Dabo. Dabo said he had been hit several times, was left unconscious and required hospital for head injuries, including a suspected detached retina.
Barton admitted the assault and in July 2008 was given a four-month suspended jail sentence.
In November 2008, he was handed a six-match ban, with a further six suspended, after admitting an FA violent conduct charge relating to the incident. He was also fined £25,000.
Barton (left), walking with the aid of crutches, arrives at court after being charged with assaulting his Man City team-mate Ousmane Dabo (right) on the training ground
June 2007
After being sold by City to Newcastle for £5.8million, Barton aims a parting shot at Pearce, blaming his departure on a ‘relationship breakdown.’
November 2007
A studs-up challenge on Sunderland’s Dickson Etuhu during the Tyne-Wear derby leads to the News of the World headline ‘Ban Him’.
But Barton escapes sanction from the FA because referee Martin Atkinson had seen the tackle and taken no action.
Barton squares up to Sunderland’s Phil Bardsley during his time as a Newcastle player
December 2007
Having sat out Newcastle’s Boxing Day game through injury, Barton goes drinking in Liverpool city centre afterwards.
At 5.30am on December 27, he gets into an argument in a McDonald’s and CCTV footage shows Barton punching a man 20 times, knocking him out, before attacking a teenager and breaking some of his teeth. Barton spends New Year behind bars.
May 2008
Barton is sentenced to six months in jail after admitting assault and affray. He serves 74 days of his prison term at Strangeways in Manchester.
November 2008
Having served his jail term and the six-month ban for the Dabo incident, Barton is accused by the media of making a racist remark to Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor. However, this is never proven.
Barton clashes with Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor during a 2008 fixture
May 2009
Barton is sent off in his first game back from a long-term injury for a reckless tackle on Liverpool’s Xabi Alonso. Barton receives a three-match ban for the red card but is then suspended indefinitely by Newcastle.
That stemmed from a dressing room argument with manager Alan Shearer and his assistant Iain Dowie following the game.
Barton appeals after a reckless tackle on Xabi Alonso saw him sent off at Anfield in 2009
November 2010
Barton stayed at Newcastle but in a match against Blackburn Rovers, he punches Morten Gamst Pedersen in the chest. He admits an FA charge of violent conduct and was banned for three games.
August 2011
Barton leaves Newcastle and joins Queens Park Rangers. In one of his first games for the club, Barton is involved in a physical confrontation with Wolves player Karl Henry.
After the game, Barton goes onto Twitter and gives a TV interview criticising Henry, whom he calls ‘Kelvin.’ ‘Noone knew Kelvin Henry before he started kicking lumps out of me,’ Barton said.
October 2011
Claims the FA tried to get him to moderate his language on Twitter but says he has no intention of doing so.
January 2012
Is sent off for head-butting Norwich midfielder Bradley Johnson. Appeals unsuccessfully against his suspension.
In the same month, he launches a remarkable attack on recently sacked QPR manager Neil Warnock, telling him to ‘shut it’ and comparing him to hapless fictional England manager Mike Bassett.
Also launches an online tirade against the FA, calling them an ‘Orwellian organisation’ in need of a ‘drastic shake-up.’
Bradley Johnson holds his nose after Barton headbutted him during a match in January 2012
March 2012
Hits out at QPR fans who booed him for a poor performance in a 3-2 win over Liverpool. Barton was so bad he was substituted after 60 minutes. He admits it was ‘the worst I’ve ever played in my career.’
May 2012
Barton is sent off in QPR’s final day match at Manchester City for elbowing Carlos Tevez in the face, kicking Sergio Aguero in the back of the knee and then attempting to head-butt Vincent Kompany. His former team-mate Micah Richards drags him off the field.
QPR lose 3-2 but avoid relegation thanks to Bolton only drawing. Barton said after the match he was trying to ‘take [one] of their players with me.’
The FA subsequently ban Barton for 12 matches and fine him £75,000. QPR strip Barton of the captaincy and fine him six weeks’ wages, or about £500,000.
Barton was sent off for elbowing Carlos Tevez and trying to fight other Manchester City players during QPR’s match there on the final day of the 2011-12 season
Sergio Aguero rolls on the floor after being kicked by Barton during the infamous 2012 fight
January 2013
Gets into a Twitter spat with former Liverpool and Germany midfielder Dietmar Hamann, calling him a ‘maggot’ and a ‘dog’ after Loic Remy decided to move to QPR and not Newcastle.
April 2013
While on loan at Marseille, Barton calls Paris Saint-Germain defender Thiago Silva an ‘overweight ladyboy’ on Twitter. Marseille have to apologise to their rivals PSG and Barton is handed a two-game suspended ban.
February 2015
Back at QPR, he is sent off for the ninth time in his career against Hull for taking a swing at Tom Huddlestone’s groin following a foul by Darnell Furlong.
Barton grabs Tom Huddlestone’s groin and is sent off during a match at Hull in February 2015
September 2016
Shortly after joining Rangers, Barton says newly-appointed Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers is suffering a ‘mid-life crisis’ during a radio interview.
In the same month, he is sent away from the Rangers training ground following a training ground argument with Andy Halliday.
He is subsequently suspended for three weeks and Rangers terminate his contract two months later.
April 2017
Barton, then a Burnley player, is banned from football for 18 months after admitting a FA charge in relation to betting. He was also fined £30,000 and warned about his future conduct after placing 1,260 bets on matches over a 10-year period.
Barton admitted he was addicted to gambling but contests the punishment was excessive.
In July 2017, the ban is reduced by five months on appeal but his playing career is over.
April 2019
Police launch an investigation after Barton, who was appointed Fleetwood manager in June 2018, allegedly assaults Barnsley manager Daniel Stendel in the tunnel after a match, leaving him with a damaged tooth.
In November, Barton pleaded not guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
The trial date has been delayed until June 2021 by the Covid pandemic.
Fleetwood boss Joey Barton (right) and Barnsley manager Daniel Stendel pictured at Oakwell
Police blocked Barton’s car and prevented him from leaving Oakwell after the 2019 incident
January 2021
Barton is sacked as Fleetwood manager in the wake of a bust-up with striker Ched Evans.
Share this article
Source: Read Full Article