MikeyT Posted 7 April 2011 Posted 7 April 2011 http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_6856794,00.html Joey Barton admits he is bemused as to why he is not involved in the England team as he feels he is best English midfielder around. The Newcastle man has issued a damning verdict on the current England side singling out Manchester City midfielder Gareth Barry for his most fierce criticism. Barton, who has one England cap to his name, has been continually overlooked by England boss Fabio Capello despite his impressive form for the Magpies this season. The former Manchester City player admits he would love to add to the cap picked up against Spain in 2007, but believes his past misdeameanours are counting against him. "Honestly, I think I'm the best [English midfielder]," Barton told the French magazine So Foot. "If you watch the fourth goal, when [Mesut] Ozil was up against Barry, it was like the hare and the tortoise. " Joey Barton on Gareth Barry "Luka Modric and Samir Nasri are very good, but in terms of English players... well, Jack Wilshere isn't bad, but Frank Lampard's on the way down and Steven Gerrard's been injured a lot." Problem "I'm English and I love playing for my country. "Maybe the people at the top have a problem with me. I don't know. But the trouble I had was four years ago. They should be able to forgive, shouldn't they?" Barton saved his most withering remarks for Barry, who captained England in last week's friendly with Ghana. "Did you see the game against Germany at the World Cup?" asked Barton. "If you watch the fourth goal, when [Mesut] Ozil was up against Barry, it was like the hare and the tortoise. "Barry's got a very good agent," Barton indicated as the reason for the player's success. "He's also discreet and always agrees with the manager. "He's like the guy who sits in the front row and listens to the teacher. I certainly don't lose any sleep when I play against him." The 28-year-old believes England are stuck in the past and that if they do not change their approach they will never win the World Cup again. "We English will play the next 50 World Cups and we'll never win one," added Barton. "The people in charge at the FA played football maybe 50 or 60 years ago and still think that we can win a World Cup in the same way we did in 1966. "We're too focused on tradition in England, like always having to play 4-4-2. Sometimes you need to experiment, drop a bit deeper so you have more space to move into. "France, Italy and Germany have done it. We've been doing the same thing for 20 years."
Stevosevic Posted 7 April 2011 Posted 7 April 2011 He's got a point, but i worry about the message it sends out to have an ex convict in the national team.
StanSP Posted 7 April 2011 Posted 7 April 2011 He's not the best English midfielder around - Jack Wilshere is (I know he acknowledges that). But I agree with him that Fat Frank and Gerrard are on the way down and clear to see that they're nowhere near as good as they were a few years ago. Love the fact he lays in to Barry though. One good performance against Ghana doesn't mean he's become a world-beater, so Barton's right in the fact that he's questioning his inclusion. He's also right in that the FA are too traditionalist, and that's what's keeping the players with the names in as opposed to players with talent and hunger. Without Rooney, Ferdinand, Terry, Gerrard and the like, we played so much better against Ghana. If Barton wants to show the same hunger and passion as those lads, then fair play.
ajthefox Posted 7 April 2011 Posted 7 April 2011 Barry is over-rated and the bit about being stuck in the past I'll agree with, so fair enough to him for coming out and saying that. Still, I don't think he should be in the team and claiming he's the best we've got makes him sound like an absolute twat.
Leicester Lass Posted 7 April 2011 Posted 7 April 2011 I get the feeling he's probably been mis-quoted saying he's our best midfielder. Even if not, it's difficult to argue with anything he's said apart from that.
Bryn Posted 7 April 2011 Posted 7 April 2011 I agree that there's probably been some toying with what he's said there. He's had a cracking season and probably would warrant a place in the squad over Barry.
ajthefox Posted 7 April 2011 Posted 7 April 2011 I agree he would probably give a little more than some of the current lot do but there's a difference between passion and running around like a nutcase waiting to make an over the top tackle like Barton sometimes does.
ScouseFox Posted 7 April 2011 Posted 7 April 2011 Like fuck is he the best English midfielder. Surely there's no way even he would've said that, must be some sort of misquote involving the fact he spoke to a French magazine. He's not even Newcastle's best English midfielder, Nolan's much better and more worthy of a call up.
davieG Posted 7 April 2011 Posted 7 April 2011 I thought the England Manager's picked the squad and decided on the system they play not the FA many of whom have never played football at any professional level
lcfc_jme Posted 7 April 2011 Posted 7 April 2011 Absolutely correct, Dexter. It's scary how easy you are to agree with at times. Can't really argue with Barton. Gerrard always seems to have this niggling injury or that niggling injury at the minute and is missing a lot of games. Fat Frank has struggled to find his best form in a Chelsea side beginning to show their age this season. And as for Barry, deary me. He's an insult to professional football. The guy's crap. It was embarrassing how Ozil raped him at the World Cup. Scott Parker has been miles better than Gareth Barry for a long time (not that it'd be difficult) and I'm glad that people seem to be seeing that now. Carrick is an extremely limited midfielder and even he'd be a better choice than Barry.
Wymsey Posted 7 April 2011 Posted 7 April 2011 Maybe Capello may not want Barton in the squad due to his bad behaviour off the pitch which had occurred on many occasions and wants players that are respected outside football.
StanSP Posted 7 April 2011 Posted 7 April 2011 Maybe Capello may not want Barton in the squad due to his bad behaviour off the pitch which had occurred on many occasions and wants players that are respected outside football. Capello surely can't use that excuse though otherwise Terry, Rooney, Gerrard and Ashley Cole wouldn't be consistently included in the squads.
Jimothy Posted 7 April 2011 Posted 7 April 2011 Maybe Capello may not want Barton in the squad due to his bad behaviour off the pitch which had occurred on many occasions and wants players that are respected outside football. Think we all kinda of got that could be the case, and Barton even refers to it in the article. So well deduced there Anyway, Barton's troubles, as many and as frequent as they have been, are long in the past. Bar punching Morton Gamst Pedersen I don't think he's been in trouble on or off the pitch since joining Newcastle. If we're gonna drag up past behaviour, the current captain is hardly any better, what with mocking Americans after 9/11 and was there and alleged attack on a taxi driver too I think. Then there Ashley Cole and his gun, Gerrard lamping DJ's, Wilshere getting in scuffles and abusing taxi drivers and Andy Carroll, glassing people. The England squad are hardly a bunch of well behaved, straight laced, tea totallers are they. Don't see why on current form Barton shouldn't be included, he's playing very well.
Libertine Posted 7 April 2011 Posted 7 April 2011 Think we all kinda of got that could be the case, and Barton even refers to it in the article. So well deduced there Anyway, Barton's troubles, as many and as frequent as they have been, are long in the past. Bar punching Morton Gamst Pedersen I don't think he's been in trouble on or off the pitch since joining Newcastle. If we're gonna drag up past behaviour, the current captain is hardly any better, what with mocking Americans after 9/11 and was there and alleged attack on a taxi driver too I think. Then there Ashley Cole and his gun, Gerrard lamping DJ's, Wilshere getting in scuffles and abusing taxi drivers and Andy Carroll, glassing people. The England squad are hardly a bunch of well behaved, straight laced, tea totallers are they. Don't see why on current form Barton shouldn't be included, he's playing very well.
Libertine Posted 7 April 2011 Posted 7 April 2011 Why is punching Pedersen funny? It's not. It was the way you put it. Like 'bar whalloping someone he's done nothing wrong recently'. Otherwise I agree with your point.
Jimothy Posted 7 April 2011 Posted 7 April 2011 It's not. It was the way you put it. Like 'bar whalloping someone he's done nothing wrong recently'. Otherwise I agree with your point. Well I know if I didn't mention it someone would bring it up. I can think of a few players who have clocked up a longer list of incidents in that time. I think one punch to the stomach of a lippy Norwegian in 4 years is pretty lame by Barton's standards.
Mack Posted 7 April 2011 Posted 7 April 2011 Barton would be a liability, and is not as good as he thinks he is. Interviews like this show he not so happy being out of the media spotlight. Expect a summer drunken punch up.
Miquel The Work Geordie Posted 7 April 2011 Posted 7 April 2011 Barton should be in and around the squad really, despite his off (and frequently on) the field temperament, he's a talented footballer. He's always had that in him. There'd be no questioning his commitment if selected for England again, and it seems the Premier League is littered with Englishmen like Barton that have the skill to do well for their country, but are constantly over-looked. How Kevin Nolan, a player who's often the heartbeat of the club he plays for (almost always in the top-flight, too), has never received a call-up ahead of squad players for bigger clubs is beyond me. I'd love to see the pair of them playing for England, to be honest. It'd certainly beat swearing at the likes of Barry and Carrick as they pass it backwards.
Matt Posted 7 April 2011 Posted 7 April 2011 As a player I like him, He's certainly better than Barry and I wouldn't say he's any worse than 1 or 2 other midfielder that are and have been selected for England. As a person, he's a twat, loose-cannon, his personality and reputation (Albeit better recently) has let him down in the past and he made that name for himself and perhaps considered to much of a gamble to play for the national team.
StanSP Posted 7 April 2011 Posted 7 April 2011 Apparently Barton has been tee-total for a while now, which could coincide with his solid performances this season and shows he's willing to put the past behind him?
Miquel The Work Geordie Posted 7 April 2011 Posted 7 April 2011 He punched Morten Gamst Pedersen in the chest. Get the man in the team.
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