Barton in from the cold?

Has Joey Barton managed to patch up his differences at NUFC? Well judging by one of his latest tweets it would certainly seem to indicate that.

I think we are all pretty much up to speed with what has been going on with Joey Barton and the board, and I'm sure we're all familiar with the twists and turns that this sorry saga has taken so I won't bore you all by going over it again. There really is no need. Not again!

Suffice to say the last chapter ended with Alan Pardew saying that he was looking to get things sorted whilst also admitting that Joey would be unlikely to feature unless he was "on board" with what the club are trying to do.

Well in his latest tweet Barton gave a strong hint that would be involved at the weekend against Arsenal by saying this:

"Looking forward to Arsenal on Sat. I’ll be playing."

Obviously such a statement can be construed as giving an insight into team affairs, which is something that has been a hot topic of debate recently. Jose Enrique was wrapped across the knuckles for letting a bit of team news slip before the Tottenham game last season remember? In order to clear up any confusion (and to no doubt avoid another fine) he went on to clarify his statement by saying:

"That comment was not literally to be taken on board. Know (sic) one knows the team yet."

Whether or not Barton plays or not on Saturday is kind of irrelevant at this moment in time, but the fact that he is in with a chance is the interesting bit. To me that indicates that something has moved behind the scenes which has allowed Barton back into the first-team setup after he was banished to train with the youth team.

To me that has to be a plus point. Whether or not it alters the length of Barton's stay on Tyneside remains to be seen, but the fact that people are willing to get on will at least mean that everyone can move on from one of the biggest talking points of our summer. Hopefully.

What do you think?