I tried for ages to get that headline right, which is strange considering it’s actually pretty simple.
The main thing I wanted to avoid was any form of sensationalism which I’ve hopefully done.
The question is pretty simple, and their are a number of reasons why I’m asking it, with the main reason being that it’s what I’m actually starting to think.
Joey has been excellent for us this season despite being played in what is an unfamiliar role to him. He is finally starting to repay the faith, transfer fee and wages that have been invested in him since his arrival from Manchester City, which is a good thing, but with the emergence of his importance to the team it has raised some potential issues.
I actually think that Joey Barton will be off in the summer, and I believe that his contract discussions are starting to point towards what I am thinking. Here we have a player who was all for setting an example and sticking with Newcastle to the point of taking a pay cut apparently and he had even agreed a deal in principle. That never materialised, which seems strange. Why the sudden change? Have the goalposts been shifted?
The rumour is that there is a disagreement over the length of the term of Barton’s new contract, which leads me to my next point, and that point is that I already think we are trialing Joey Barton’s replacement as we speak.
As has been said many times by many people, we do seem to have a lot of players that can play in Joey Barton’s natural position. Alan Smith, Dan Gosling, Kevin Nolan, Cheik Tiote, Danny Guthrie and Stephen Ireland all operate in that central midfield position, which means that we are oversubscribed in that particular position.
If we end up signing Stephen Ireland permanently, and Pardew seems to like him so it’s possible, then we will have a situation where we have two similar players on big money to fight for the same place in the team. Will the club keep both? Or will the club ditch the one with only twelve months left on his contract?
You see what I’m getting at?
Basically, what I think is happening is that the club are looking at trying to move Barton on and are looking at replacing him with a younger model. Maybe I’m being paranoid, and maybe my little mind is working overtime, but Ireland would certainly seem to meet the clubs profile of being young and with a point to prove as opposed to Barton who will be 29 in September.
Flog Barton, and recruit Ireland and the club would end up with a player that they could get more years out of at the top of his game. I view Ireland’s loan period at the minute as a kind of working interview, which seems to be one of the ways that we recruit players these days.
If you think I’m crazy then shout up, but I think we already have Barton’s replacement lined up!
About toonsy
A lifelong Newcastle fan and current webmaster of this very 'blog who has the sole aim of creating a place by Newcastle United fans, for Newcastle United fans.
dog its not gas you have too wind it up at the back ,aboot 3 hours winding should do it 🙂
batty(Quote)
Man is Arsene Wenger a sore loser…disciplinary action being brought against him after yesterdays defeat to Barcelona. It seems to happen after every Arsenal game !….. never saw the game, did he have grounds for complaint ?
Munich Mag(Quote)
munich yes it was never a sending off ,but arsenal didnt have 1 shot on or off target so sore loser like you say 😉
batty(Quote)
ice..If you had known it was wind up tv instead of a gas one you probably wouldn’t have bought it…?
Munich Mag(Quote)
Crouch is getting a hard time off the ref. Milan keep backing into him and he is getting penalised for it. Bale has just come on…65 minutes….howay Milan….
Moreno(Quote)
Wenger reckons Van Piersie shouldn’t have been sent off and that cost them the game…reckons its a big scam…
Munich Mag(Quote)
Tough being Crouch as the bloke doesn’t even need to jump to get free kicks against him…specially when you have defenders who are a bit smart about it…
Munich Mag(Quote)
MM your reet mate,have to re-connect cooker noo,where the hell ime going to find a 4ft key ah divnt kna 🙁
icedog(Quote)
Aye tough being crouch. Get paid a fortune and get to nail Abby Clancy every night. Plus, you can play away from home then still nail Abby Clancy every night. Me heart bleeds for him.
Moreno(Quote)
old man like seedoff running this m/f.
how much will PATO cost?
icedog(Quote)
Seedorf has won the champions league with 3 different clubs 😯
Bet there isn’t many who could claim that accolade.
Moreno(Quote)
Moreno Crouch only gets away with it cos he’s agood looking babe-magnet ! 😆 😆
Munich Mag(Quote)
Actually, thinking about it, I reckon he is the ONLY player who can claim that
Moreno(Quote)
MM
And a smooth dancer!
Moreno(Quote)
Always rated Seedorf, brilliant player imo…old fart now though, but still a class act. They like there old ‘uns at Milan, didn’t Paulo Maldinin play until he was 51 or something…!
Munich Mag(Quote)
Crouch robot dance has the women swooning Moreno…..they reckon he’s only 4′-11″ when he’s lying down though…thats the trick…
Munich Mag(Quote)
MM dont fib he was only 50 😀
icedog(Quote)
sorry ice…got me facts wrong…he was old though !
Munich Mag(Quote)
dog where have u been last nite and today ❓
batty(Quote)
Schalke through to champs league quarters…thats wor lass happy…!
Munich Mag(Quote)
Anymore “cartoonsy” and you’ll be gone off here as well Booby 😉
toonsy(Quote)
toonsy 😆 😆 😆 😆
batty(Quote)
BATTY running aboot trying to get a flight to malta for laddie,had to gan sat to sign for house,but wanted to be back for work sunday neet,got one out at toon ,back in to liverpool,cost me 250notes,could had 2wk+hotel for that but nee good,cannot get time off work
icedog(Quote)
£250 quid i think iam paying you too much 🙂
batty(Quote)
dog how many bairns ya got just ya lad ❓
batty(Quote)
BATTY kna thats 2 years salary off you m8 being saveing,got 100 sub off your lass
icedog(Quote)
dog 100 thats more than she gis me 😆
batty(Quote)
Batty – that’s only the 100 quid I paid her earlier 😉
toonsy(Quote)
KNA got a girl too but shes married (to a ****-hole) 30stone,he never worked for 7yr,she works 2 jobs to feed the fat git grrrrrrrr
icedog(Quote)
toonsy aye thats the 1 ,she charges more than double your missus dus 🙂
batty(Quote)
dog aye thats me biggest worry aboot me daughter divent want her too marrie a waster like toonsy 😉
batty(Quote)
Batty – I treat women like Queen’s mate. Only the best for my bitches 😉
toonsy(Quote)
toonsy aye and your henry the eigth 🙂
batty(Quote)
wheres money bags dave the neet,forgot its wed money counting day
icedog(Quote)
well it dusent look like the gerry adams will be on tonight ,busy doing tatts
batty(Quote)
Hello lads whats the craic
Big Dave(Quote)
alreet gerry 😉
batty(Quote)
BATTY,aye m8 does repairs on wed from during the week,they say they are lined up doon the street 😀
icedog(Quote)
I see Toonsy has been kissing some *** 🙁
Big Dave(Quote)
Ice where have you been you have been neglecting me and Batts 🙁 we thought you had disowned us 😆
Big Dave(Quote)
dog 😆
batty(Quote)
dave that was bobbyshitsue using toonsy nick
batty(Quote)
Aye Batty your a right ignorant c@nt you fuked off on me lastnight without goodbye or nowt
Big Dave(Quote)
DAVE see@98 mate
icedog(Quote)
yes i did on fb ndave ya paddy fcker 🙂
batty(Quote)
Batty not @39 mate with his avatar, its been Toonsy kissing *** again 😀
Big Dave(Quote)
Ice they know how to get the arm in 😕 so if Lee is getting that what me and Batts getting you cant give one without the others 😆
Big Dave(Quote)
oh yeah dave 😉
batty(Quote)
@122 😆 😆 😆 😆 😆 😆 😆 😆
batty(Quote)
DAVE give BATTY a 100 for you,i got a sub of his mrs for you,toonsy said he give her the 100 😉
icedog(Quote)
aye dog and toonsy got the 100 oout of his share from the donations pot on org 😆
batty(Quote)
BATTY shhhh,say nowt 😀
icedog(Quote)
Batty @126 fuk he kept that quiet 😆
😆 😆 😆 😆 😆
Big Dave(Quote)
Oh thats why he was kissing *** 😆
Big Dave(Quote)
night lads catch yas tomoz 😉
batty(Quote)
DAVE i gave mine to the make batty a millonaire fund,still owe him £2 got 3 off him for working 5hrs,but he charged 5 for a cuppa
icedog(Quote)
Batty 😆
toonsy(Quote)
BATTY nt sweety
icedog(Quote)
Barton won’t leave. Jose won’t leave.
Unless we start dragging the chain as far as ambition is concerned, or, in Jose’s case, if Barca or Real make enquiries.
How come the talk about Tiote leaving has gone?
Funny how the talk always seems to reflect what the newspapers say.
Brisvegas(Quote)
Ice he said he would look after you too the snake in the grass 😆
Nite Batty
Big Dave(Quote)
DAVE you see game m8,spurs were lucky,old man seedof ran the m/f
icedog(Quote)
Ice only only caught bits off it as I was working, funny enough I always liked Seedorf. I remember there was talk of us getting him ages ago 😀
Milans combined age must be high 😆
Big Dave(Quote)
ime off laters lads
icedog(Quote)
He’ll stay.
NewkieBrown(Quote)
Ice take it easy im away mesel mate 😉
Big Dave(Quote)
Lata Dave-0!
OHurley(Quote)
Any of you guys watch ‘Being Human’?
Hugh de Payen(Quote)
Bris – Tiote will be off if a tasty bid comes in. Pardew has already said it himself so it pointless going over old ground until something changes on that front.
Hugh – Unfortunately not. The computer system at work is barely keeping up with me typing so anything additional is way out the question 😆
toonsy(Quote)
It’s an underrated programme, on BBC3 Sunday nights. genuine ‘horror’ and ‘dark’ sometimes, but also puts in a lot of humour.
Worth it if you get a chance.
Hugh de Payen(Quote)
But Toonsy, it’s all old ground. All this ‘will he won’t he’ is recycled news, whether it’s Barton, Jose, Tiote or Jonas.
It’s not even news; it’s rumour, fear, paranoia, hearsay. And it all reinforces the myths peddled by the tabloids – you know, the ones we say we don’t believe.
Expecting to see something like: are we waiting for a new messiah? next.
Brisvegas(Quote)
Bris, when all said an done Toon fans like to talk football. I write some garbage some days but it’s not about that IMHO. It’s about the comments and us all getting together to argue the turn, but then we know on a Saturday we’re all behind them.
I think that’s okay. It’s what ‘fans’ are about.
Hugh de Payen(Quote)
Bris – Nowt wrong with a bit ofspeculation though. In fact it keeps the world ticking over. I mean its surely better than just plucking something from thin air and at least there is some reasoning behind it of sorts.
toonsy(Quote)
I think it’s ok too, Hugh. That’s why I hang around these blogs. I enjoy the articles and the reader banter – even from the drama queens.
I don’t expect writers to be Booker Prize standard. I understand that nobody is a professional writer. I guess I can’t stop myself from commenting about writing and research (or the lack of it) because that’s what I do for a living, and people are always going on about how the tabloids are always telling lies about our club. Just pointing out that we are complicite in perpetuating it.
Brisvegas(Quote)
Speculation is good Toonsy. Just be aware of what it feeds.
Brisvegas(Quote)
Everyone always loves having a whinge at the tabloids as well, it’s common ground we can all share 🙂
Moreno(Quote)