UKH

He has money, extraordinary sporting talent, and is a thoughtful and sensitive commentator on contemporary Britain with more than a superficial interest in politics.

So why can he not just stop hitting people?

It's a family trait, isn't it?

I only know his name through the hitting people issues, so I take it this bit isn't you being sarcastic Rob? If not, where has Barton given his opinions?

Well since his initial arrest was on suspicion of racially aggravated assault he probably has some strong opinions about foreigners, which, again, would seem to be a family trait.

No I'm not. Barton had a column for a while in the Big Issue, he's appeared on Question Time, and whenever he comments his views are invariably leftwing and liberal. Check him out on Wikipedia.

Then he goes and hits someone again.

Agree totally.  Many would say:  'his working class upbringing has influenced his behaviour', but there must be more to it than that.  He needs help.

He's an interesting character isn't he?  Spends months tweeting about how he's sipping Espresso whilst reading Nietzsche, how he attends AA meetings, eschews violence... And then lamps someone whilst drink on a beach / in the tunnel after a match etc etc...

I know someone who used to play in the same football team as his dad (also called Joey), said his Dad was just like Joey, quick with his fists.  Little Joey was hanging around then too, used to nick stuff in the changing rooms but nobody said anything as Big Joey, or for that matter Little Joey would set about you if you did.  

Seems to me he's not comfortable in his own skin.  Has this reputation as a violent horrible fella, but feels he's a misunderstood intellectual.  I don't think he's thick, but I also don't think he's anything like as clever as he thinks he is.  His appearance on Question Time was laughably poor and he embarrassed himself badly with a misogynistic analogy.

I think he just gets frustrated and isn't able to control his anger and lashes out once in a while, realises that everyone thinks he's a fool for doing so, so works hard to try and paint himself as in a different light, then someone frustrates him again.

If he spent as much time and effort on his anger management as he does trying dispel his reputation he'd be fine.

Personally, I don't really mind him.  Bit of a thug but a good player.  Would have featured for England far more than his 1 cap if he could have learnt to control himself.  

Aye. Man has issues. He was ordered to undergo anger management classes after his first famous assault conviction. If his brother's doing time for racially aggravated murder as well, well, I blame the parents.

How he was ever accepted in the football world after putting a cigar out in a young team mate's eye is beyond me.

All this man has ever done is prove he's not fit to be in a "role model" position

He's done some very bad things, no question; but why you think footballers are automatically role models baffles me. They're employed to play football. Are accountants role models? Are lawyers? Builders? 

I've never seens a kid run up to an accountant, lawyer or builder and ask for an autograph.

You’ve clearly never seen the signing booths at AccounteX.

Are you drunk? Has he got something on you?

Extraordinary? Certainly not, as professional footballers go he was average at best. Thoughtful political commentator?Where did you see this thoughtful side of what can mostly be described as a confused and out of control thug who has a string of violent offences including drunken attacks on innocent bystanders at 3am for which he got a 6 month pridon sentance, burning team mates with cigar ends and charged 3 times by the FA for violent conduct. 

He seems to to me to be a rather confused individual searching for an identity who doesn't hesitate to mete out violence when it suits his mood.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joey_Barton

He is a thug and a bully who was more mouth and hack than skill. I’ve never understood why he gets so much attention.

I loved his Allo allo accent in the press conference he gave during his stint playing in France though! Well worth looking up if you’ve not seen it! Brits abroad

youtube.com/watch?v=dovfYaQoPoY&

'he was average at best'

I think the quote from Nick Hornby is apposite here. I haven't got the quote to hand, but something along the lines that nowadays the very weakest player in the Premiership is in a different stratosphere from most of us . And he was never the weakest.

And no he hasn't got anything on me, I'm just amazed and saddened that someone who writes so lucidly and with such thoughtfulness in the Big Issue can turn so nasty so regularly. 

I used to share a house with someone a bit like him once, he would play chess to a high level in the week - doctors and professors would visit to play him in the evening - but a Saturday night wasn't complete until he'd been involved in serious violence.

Obviously proper violence is much worse but...

I can't do anything but despise him after his dive against Lincoln in the FA Cup. Embarrassing. 

My very fallible memory is that Hornby described a mate who was the star football player of Cambridge University, but then couldn't get a game with Cambridge United who at the time were near the foot of the fourth division. The gist is the same, though.

The bit I remember was about Gus Caesar - http://remotestorage.blogspot.com/2011/01/hornby-on-excellences-long-tail.h...

He wasn’t called Stuart, was he?!

jcm

Can't remember it was a long time ago, in Coventry. He was a fitter at MF.