Joey Barton is one of the players who are key to Newcastle United this season.
Joey Barton – so far so good this season
Joey appeared just 47 times with 3 goals in his first three seasons on Tyneside, and manager Chris Hughton has said he wants to see Joey play more games for the Newcastle club. Well, that’s hardly surprising.
The Liverpudlian has had three serious foot injuries in his time at Newcastle, but recovered from the last one late last season, and played very well for Newcastle when he did start, in those final games of the Championship season.
Joey has always had faith in his own ability, and indeed he has nailed down one of the central midfield places at Newcastle, and has looked a good player in the three games Newcastle have played so far.
He labored long and hard and kept going, when we were over-run at Old Trafford in our first game.
But Joey kept playing and never gave up, while Paul Scholes showed you can still be a top class player at 35 years old – what a game the lad had that night – talk about running a game.
And then of course in the next game at home to Aston Villa, Barton scored that all important first goal, when he rifled in a shot from almost 30 yards out – what a goal.
Then at Wolves Joey had an excellent game, and was voted our Man of the Match, and he was cruelly tackled by the Wolves players, who seemed to try to get him to lose his cool in that game.
To Joey’s great credit he didn’t, and maybe, just maybe, he’s on his way back to putting his career on track again, and at the same time getting his personal life sorted out.
After all his silly mistakes of the past, Joey has seen full support from the Toon Army, and he has said often that he wants to repay the Newcastle club and fans, for the way they have stood by him during his stupid and immature misadventures.
Lots of clubs would have kicked him out – let’s be clear about that.
But Joey is doing everything the club has asked of him, and with the very down-to-earth Chris Hughton in charge on Tyneside, he will ensure Joey doesn’t get carried away, and if he can stay fit Newcastle should do very well this season.
And Joey himself could well have his very best season at the Newcastle club, and maybe he will go down as the bad boy who turned good on Tyneside.
We hope so – keep it up Joey.
Comments welcome.
15 comments so far
burnsie
Sep 4, 2010 at 11:51 AM
Comment #11st for the 1st time ever!!!!!!!!!!!!
Captain Beefheart
Sep 4, 2010 at 12:01 PM
Comment #2RE: ‘Nobody’s getting carried away with Newcastle’s good start..’ (ie: I can’t get it to load in non mobile form)
Au contraire, Ed, there’s a sizeable proportion of your bloggalites (new word, like it?) already preparing next year’s trips to Europe on the back of one win. W1 D1 L1 is not exactly a GOOD start, indeed by definition it’s an AVERAGE start.
Stop stoking up the fires of expectation until we get at least 10 games under out belts, the AC court case is over and Gosling has a definite green light from the doc (he’s not yet guaranteed to recover from this potentially career ending injury). Let’s also see how Tiote and HBA bed in with the team, and if Harper & Perch can stop the gaffs at the back.
Maybe, just maybe when we have 20 points from 11 or 12 games we can celebrate a potentially dull mid table eason free from relegation worries…. Then we can start building for next year.
(Maybe, shhhhh, get it?)
Robby Bobson
Sep 4, 2010 at 12:02 PM
Comment #3Joey has always been one of our best players, but he has hardly played. when he has played in a run of games (im thinking under Keegan) he has been a different class.
So far this season he dominated petrov and ireland, scored a cracking goal and got an assist.
It showed how good of a player he is, the way wolves were (disgracefully IMO) all over him. (They werent going in hard for the ball, they were just going for barton and the ref didnt book em so they carried on).
At home, him and guthrie in the middle makes me droole.
Robby Bobson
Sep 4, 2010 at 12:06 PM
Comment #4Captain Beefheart….but you were saying we shouldnt be expecting us to be dominating blackpool at st james park, even though they were probably the poorest team at st james last season and they havent really strengthened significantly.
Theres realism and theres down playing the players we have got.
TheMightyOne
Sep 4, 2010 at 12:16 PM
Comment #5Captain beefheart
Can I just ask, apart from giving away the pen vs villa what has Harper done wrong?
ginkoh
Sep 4, 2010 at 12:17 PM
Comment #6Don’t lose the attitude before we kick off the game. Whatever can happen in football. See Villa. We may attack them all day but cannot score, they attack only 1 chance and win us 1-0, who know ? Shouldn’t think they will come to surrender on next Saturday.
GeordieTartanArmy
Sep 4, 2010 at 1:02 PM
Comment #7ginkhoh – we won 6-0 what are you talking about?
cupiddstunt
Sep 4, 2010 at 1:14 PM
Comment #8I think biloba is alking about the up and comming game with blackpool and using villa as an example, and to a degree he is right.
We could dominate the whole game and get nothing but the woodwork they could have one attack on goal and go home with the points.
He is also right in as much as blackpool are not comming to SJP as whipping boys they will be looking for the win as well.
ruelfoxnhisblacknwhitesox
Sep 4, 2010 at 1:22 PM
Comment #9the lads are all fighters now which is the different to before, with that as base and the flair from routledge, spidermand and ben arfa. plus andy up front we should be expecting to beat blackpool. they are a now a very good championship team, plain and simple.
allan666
Sep 4, 2010 at 2:59 PM
Comment #10captain beefheart what part of sunderland you from . get a life and go and pester your fellow nonces
leedodd
Sep 4, 2010 at 4:00 PM
Comment #11Don’t Worry Lads Were Gonn’a Batter Blackpool Just Like We Did Last Season .
On There Day This 2010/2011 squad Can beat Anyone. Just Look at The Villa Game !!!! They Play as a Team Now – Not as Indeviduals Like 2 Seasons ago.
baro
Sep 4, 2010 at 5:02 PM
Comment #12Joey Barton is one of our best players now and most improved. Now, I really see why he wants that England call up. I think he really deserves it. He is going away from the dangerous stuff and is now a good boy. I love him. Hope he keeps carrying his form.
balubas1
Sep 4, 2010 at 5:50 PM
Comment #13When it comes down to ability and physical attributes Barton has had it all along.
His problem has been his mentality.
Players and people in general for that matter, that has the strongest mentality are those that have gone through tough times, but have bounced back. “What don’t kill you, will only make you stronger”. That may be the case of Barton now.
We really benefit from having him in our team now that we also get ben arfa in. We need to keep some experience and routine in the central midfield.
44881
Sep 5, 2010 at 9:07 AM
Comment #14Joey has got its potential, energetic box-to-box player, pass well with long shot ability, n he can tackle though hes not such type of defensive midfielder.Definitely hes one of the most important player if he keeps on playing like that
TOONTOONTOON
Sep 5, 2010 at 11:14 PM
Comment #15The kicking barton got at wolves was really shameful and i hope barton breaks that wolves big mouth tosser leg.He knew very well barton could not react cause most of the idiots here would have slaged him from pillar to post again.No good haveing a rotweiler and biting them yourselfs is it.