Jon Mcleod
Andrew MacdougallBarton's moment of glory reveals dark side
Joey Barton, the Newcastle midfielder, demonstrated once again on Tuesday night why he is a fearsome footballer and a tormented sole.
When Shola Ameobi was brought down by Ryan Donk in the 10th minute of the Premiership game between West Brom and Newcastle, Barton ignored instructions from the bench and team-mates - he seized the moment, grabbed the ball, placed it on the spot and fired the Geordies into the lead.
His manager Joe Kinnear was full of praise for his defiant midfielder. “He showed a lot of bottle to do that,” said Kinnear told the BBC after the 2-1 victory. “He stuck it away well and he's trying to prove a point - all he wants is to play football and be given a chance.” Kinnear, however, also admitted that Barton was not the designated penalty taker - Nigerian striker Obafemi Martins was. “He’d have been in trouble if he'd missed, but fair play to him, he’s obviously a very confident lad,” joked Kinnear.
The way in which the midfielder, who was returning for a six-match ban for assaulting his former Manchester City team-mate Ousmane Dabo, thrust himself back into the spotlight with such force of character and confidence was in many aspects admirable, and yet it revealed an unnerving and highly destructive element of his personality.
By snatching the ball and claiming the moment all for himself, Barton defied the all authority around him (his team-mates and manager), displayed an incredibly arrogant streak and exercised self interest in the extreme. For Newcastle, desperately needing a win, it was crucial to take the lead, but Barton saw only personal gain and pushed aside the player deemed most qualified to take the spot kick. Brave, maybe, but it was certainly selfish and his “stick it to them”, “prove a point” attitude could have cost the team dear.
Sound familiar? It is this over-fuelled ego and deep-routed malice (mistakenly viewed as courage) that has causes him such trouble off the pitch in the past and will no doubt do so in the future.
When Shola Ameobi was brought down by Ryan Donk in the 10th minute of the Premiership game between West Brom and Newcastle, Barton ignored instructions from the bench and team-mates - he seized the moment, grabbed the ball, placed it on the spot and fired the Geordies into the lead.
His manager Joe Kinnear was full of praise for his defiant midfielder. “He showed a lot of bottle to do that,” said Kinnear told the BBC after the 2-1 victory. “He stuck it away well and he's trying to prove a point - all he wants is to play football and be given a chance.” Kinnear, however, also admitted that Barton was not the designated penalty taker - Nigerian striker Obafemi Martins was. “He’d have been in trouble if he'd missed, but fair play to him, he’s obviously a very confident lad,” joked Kinnear.
The way in which the midfielder, who was returning for a six-match ban for assaulting his former Manchester City team-mate Ousmane Dabo, thrust himself back into the spotlight with such force of character and confidence was in many aspects admirable, and yet it revealed an unnerving and highly destructive element of his personality.
By snatching the ball and claiming the moment all for himself, Barton defied the all authority around him (his team-mates and manager), displayed an incredibly arrogant streak and exercised self interest in the extreme. For Newcastle, desperately needing a win, it was crucial to take the lead, but Barton saw only personal gain and pushed aside the player deemed most qualified to take the spot kick. Brave, maybe, but it was certainly selfish and his “stick it to them”, “prove a point” attitude could have cost the team dear.
Sound familiar? It is this over-fuelled ego and deep-routed malice (mistakenly viewed as courage) that has causes him such trouble off the pitch in the past and will no doubt do so in the future.
