Bad News For Kev As Joey Barton Jailed
One footballer definitely going somewhere this summer though is Joey Barton. Nowhere as nice as Didier Drogba or Frank Lampard may finally end up, mind – Barton's off to the slammer. He's been sentenced to six months in jail after admitting assault and affray outside a McDonald's in Liverpool just after Christmas.
Bad news for Barton, and bad news for Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan, who would have been impressed with the midfielder's performances towards the end of the season. Barton's talent has never been in dispute. A high-energy midfielder, the guy can run all day and has the kind of box-to-box ability that reminds many of a certain Roy Keane in his prime; like Keane, Barton also has a hair-trigger temper that too often gets the better of him. But while Keano was fiery on the pitch, off it he managed to calm down before he landed himself in serious trouble and threatened his career.
Barton hasn't quite mastered that yet. This isn't the first time he's in bother with the law, and he's still to stand trial for being accused of attacking a team-mate during his time at Manchester City. Things could get a darn sight worse before they get better.
Can Barton dig himself out of this pit he's currently in and resurrect his career? Well, he's still young enough to have plenty of years in him if he sorts himself out, and for the final few months of the season he kept his head down and let his football do the talking, which is a sign that he can do it when he puts his mind to it.
But whether he'll do that at Newcastle is another matter. The club have issued an ominous statement saying they are 'considering the verdict', and not a lot else. Watch this space.
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