The Joey Barton contract saga is what I’m talking about. Most fans that I’ve spoken to/heard from have been left disappointed about the lack of a new contract for Barton and with things currently at as much of an impasse as you’re ever likely to get it leaves me wondering if there is going to be any way to get it sorted.
It’s a clash between two stubborn and headstrong parties that won’t budge, which is usually a recipe for disaster. One one side we have Mike Ashley and the club who like to play hardball with just about anything whilst on the other we have Barton who won’t take any s**t from anyone. Add the two together and you have what could be construed as a ticking time bomb on your hands.
Looking at it from where I’m sitting it seems to me that there will be no end in sight for the stalemate. I’d like nothing more than for compromise to be reached and I’m sure most of us are the same, but then we get back to the stubbornness of the two parties. Who’ll budge first? Neither is my guess.
So with no resolution in sight, especially with Barton admitting that the chances of contract negotiations reopening are “slim to none”, where do we go from here?
Well I guess the best we can hope for is for Barton to get his head down and continue to play football like he did last season. Much was made of Barton’s new found temperament and professionalism, but next season is the ultimate time for him to show it. Not for our benefit, but for his.
He can sit there on Twitter and have his little digs at the club all he likes. There is no benefit to it and the only people who will listen to it is the fans. Not a bad thing of course, but that kind of thing is water off a ducks back to the hierarchy. They’ve been called much worse by many of us at some point.
The worst thing to happen would be Barton becoming becoming a destabilising influence on the team. He’s an emotional guy, but those emotions will need keeping in check if he is to continue keeping people on his side. He’s done a **** fine job of changing peoples perception of him so it would be a shame to undo all that hard work by making a point to people like Mike Ashley and Derek Llambias who probably won’t even listen anyway.
Give up the rants on Twitter, put the personal stuff aside, and be a team player. If he can do that then he’ll have more people behind him, and if he can continue his performances on the pitch he’ll end up making the management stance look even more silly. That, to me, is the best thing that can happen with the Joey Barton situation.
I guess the best thing that can happen is for Joey to do his talking on the pitch!
good thread toonsy!! yes there is a way to solve joeys future at newcastle i just think if he did more walk than the talk then he would have a better chance of been a toon player next season! dont get me wrong i love the guy but obviously the newcastle board musnt be happy with his gob 😆
Army69(Quote)
The only way forward imo is for Pards to convince the 2 tossers that letting Joey go is one step to far, as I honestly believe that he does command a lot of respect from our other players, and every team need a player of his type.
I wonder how that ‘slim to none’ quote came about.
Reet must go do a bit 😆
Big Dave(Quote)
Firstly Joey needs to keep his mouth shut up & refrain from criticising his employers in public as it’s extremely unprofessional, perhaps hold out an olive branch but if Ashley/Llambias aren’t prepared to compromise it ain’t going to happen & he’ll be away…
witters(Quote)
Before I go I am reliably informed that the defamatory remarks that Joey made that resulted in the contract being withdrew was that he said ‘ they knew nothing about football’ I dont really think that remark was bad, but I think you will find that the real reason is that Lambsarse doesn’t like Joey.
Big Dave(Quote)
In my opinion we can’t rule out Joey staying, he has the same agent as Rooney and Taylor and similar things happened – both players stayed and signed new contracts. Still though i’m not going to be foolish and say he will stay because it doesn’t look like happening at the moment.
AndrewNUFC(Quote)
if pardew wants to keep barton,then he has to stand up to ashley..but i doubt he will..
hitman(Quote)
if he stays – he’s spiting his own face – he’s not going to get a game – i feel like thats the orders from on top. TBH – i just dont care – he doesnt inspire me as a player – off the pitch he’s a loaded gun. he’ll also be the proverbial bad apple influence on the new players. We have to move on as a club – he wont be missed imho – sorry Joey 😐
tattyheed(Quote)
Joey is putting himself right. He’s made mistakes, as we all have, but how long has he been on the straight and narrow?
He’s a straight shooter and a smart guy who calls it like he sees it. He also happens to be one of the best players in the country. Unfortunately, the fat fugh who owns the club and the others can’t see the forest yadda yadda yadda.
He should get a new contract. If he continues on the path he’s on, he’ll not only have some more great seasons in him, he’ll be one of the coolest, most interesting figures in the game for years and years to come–a black sheep, no doubt, but he’s a real personality where so many players and people in the game are just cardboard people in suits and kits. That kind of idiosyncratic personality is the kind of thing that builds the club too.
If we stick by him, support his new-found sanity, give him some space to voice his opinions and honor his honesty, intelligence and ability, he has the potential to be a kind of franchise player.
Unfortunately, the fat ***** wants sweat-shop drones at bargain basement prices and no personalities. Typical corporate ownership *****: His indiscretions should go unnoticed and unremarked upon. His workers? Fugh them.
Fans Should Own The Club(Quote)
I can see him staying, having a blinder first part of the season, and someone buying him in January for 5 or 6m. I think a lot of clubs still see him as damaged goods, and too temperamental to bid big coins – and I can’t see fatty selling him for under his worth.
Rodzilla(Quote)
Whilst were on about “his” workers its worth remembering that those workers extend beyond the football players. I see the regular workers on regular wages who were due a windfall but denied because the players simply couldn’t be arsed to do the most simple thing – concentrate – have been forgotten….
toonsy(Quote)
Joey on Twitter just comes across as full of himself.
As if he’s entitled to a big fat paycheck beyond his golden years just because he’s put in a good season. Frankly he should be playing for free if he’s going to dig in his heels this final season considering all that the club has done for him.
Don’t forget that we had every right to sack him and cancel his contract when he went to jail. Instead, we stuck by him, paid him silly wages to take us down to the Championship.
People may talk about Owen and his **** attitude, but don’t forget Barton’s stupid tackles and over the top behaviour in that season that got him suspended all the time. He’s every bit culpable for us getting relegated as the rest of them.
Frankly, if Barton can’t appreciate what the club has done for him, he can follow Nolan to West Ham or whatever club will take him.
Thad(Quote)
franchise player my ****…facts he is a total scum bag..bigger then ashley..comes across dead well…he has a good season and people like u think he is 1 of the best players in the league u must be joking…we paid his wages when he was in jail and kept him on..if these pllayers have a good season and see were the club are going…and dont sign contracts then let them go…ashley is standing up 2 these overpaid players just after more money..good on u ashley even if he has done a lot of **** for the club
asim(Quote)
Bobby Shinton – I’m sure the two people mentioned in the last thread wouldn’t mind you revealing your identity. They’re both top people after all 🙂
toonsy(Quote)
actually, i meant that too, Toonsy.
I’ll never argue that players aren’t over paid–they absolutely are. I happen to love the game, but as a matter of social sanity, it doesn’t have much going for it.
Scumbag? I suppose he was. But many of us have had drunken punchups and done horrible things too.
Fans Should Own The Club(Quote)
Maybe I have this wrong, but didn’t Barton express his willingness to take a pay cut?
Fans Should Own The Club(Quote)
these the kind of workers who should be getting paid more and footballers getting less:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/01/world/europe/01britain.html?_r=1&hp
Fans Should Own The Club(Quote)
FSOTC – Incidentally, I’m an hour late in Bristol because of striking teachers moaning about their pension. Fair do’s, but they’ve lost a lot of support by grinding Bristol to a halt for sure 😆
toonsy(Quote)
Are you unionized Toonsy?
Fans Should Own The Club(Quote)
If he really “wants to stay” why doesn’t he accept the contract that has been offered?
We all know that the powers that be are NOT going to offer silly money contracts for average players (aka Shepherd) any more!
Other players are happy with the new contracts and obviously so are the new players in the past couple of seasons.
Why does Barton have to shoot his mouth off in public?
One season of good performance since June 2007 does not constitute consistency and /or reliability so therefore, no reward for that is an automatic “given” IMO
Graham(Quote)
I am not defending Ashley but I do question his awareness re placing Llambias at the helm. No offense to you bean counters out there but to me he is in the wrong roll. Llambias by his very fiscal nature and lack of personality is a man that lacks the charisma to handle such outspoken players as Joey in the interests of the bigger picture. There is an old saying “friends and business do not mix”
The very combination compromises fair considerations at best and at worst becomes a negative influence on the
very club itself.
Our best player and we cannot give him a contract. Joey has talked the talked and walked the walk and gives his all for the Toon and that will bloody do me!
ToonRoo(Quote)
I forget what was on offer in the contract renewal they had.
By the way, hasn’t that been withdrawn?
Did he say he’d accept lower wages and a longer deal? Maybe I’m wrong, but I thought that was what he was asking for.
Fans Should Own The Club(Quote)
FSTOC…..that’s what I’d read and believed to be the case but then the last time I’d read quotes from Joey on the matter, was that he’d been shocked when he found out the “new” offer didn’t offer any sort of payrise at all, no mention of a paycut from him, so who knows what the real story is 😕
richietoon(Quote)
Just read a quote from Pardew in the Chron where he says he is “looking” to bring in another striker, and he may or may not wear the no9 shirt, no wonder my **** boils with this lot, what is that supposed to mean?
Robert(Quote)
And then he says that Barton could stay for another year and then get another years contract at the end of it as thats the way its going to be the way forward, 1 year contracts.
So why have they tied a load of players down on 5yr deals?
Robert(Quote)
Robert….that’s why I try not to read the papers, it just get’s you annoyed 😉
richietoon(Quote)
Well I see our leader Pardew is delighted with what he has got five new signings! He only needs a couple more a striker and left sided player. Reality now does set in, that money is staying in fat man`s back pocket. I don`t particularly like Barton but as far as his feelings towards Ashley are concerned he is spot on. Bobby where`s that train I`ve been waiting at Darlington Station for it.
Freddie Shepherd(Quote)
……age mate, fatboy won’t give long contracts to players who will be over 30.
richietoon(Quote)
we need at least 3 players!!! defender and two strikers!!! i better not see shola ameobi playn again next season !! i think pardue is just covering his **** by sayn 1 or 2 just incase nothing goes to plan!!! if just 1 or 2 players will be coming that means the two sholud be worth 17.5 million each eh – WHERS THE 35 MILLION PARDUE AND ASHLEY???
Army69(Quote)
army divent expect too much as it wont happen ,the 35 mil fatty has it stuffed doon his troosers as he knows it will be safe there ,as no 1 would dare too gan doon there 😉
batty(Quote)
Army
Everyone knows we wont spend the 35 million, I think we’ll spend about 15.
AndrewNUFC(Quote)
😆 hes a lying b*****d !!! al be truthful and admit i thought he wuda splashed this summer 😕 we need a new owner ASAP
Army69(Quote)
Many fans wouldn’t agree, but if – let’s say – we could add Neil Taylor, then hypothetically do nowt else…no more IN, no more OUT…I’d certainly take that. Even if we couldn’t get N. Taylor, maybe Kadar could be primed to cover LB if we’re able to keep Jose? I like Ferguson, but a little too slight right now? It looks like he should only be able to play during half-term holidays.
Okay, for starters that would mean we’d have last season’s strikers but plus Ba. I don’t think our strikers are so bad though, especially with much better service from a better mf. And we’d have cover for Jose and 5 new mf’s, having lost only Nolan.
Of course that won’t happen, but I’m just saying.
The worst thing is if we don’t add enough and we lose a few players close to the end of the window. I’d prefer it if we took Best and Ranger off the market ‘n all!
Barton could be useful too (if he keeps quiet!). We have to think of what happens when we lose a couple of players to the African Nations Cup, so everyone is important.
Adam(Quote)
I’ve said it before & I’ll say it again….that £35m has been accounted for in signing Cabaye, Ba & Marvellous when you consider fees, wages & a signing on fee. Pardew made it quite clear how ghat money would be spent…
Bobby is there a spare seat on your train?
witters(Quote)
andrew i think at the end of the day if we spend 15 million on another 3 players that play out of there skin for the club thats the main thing like
Army69(Quote)
the thing i dont get , wheres does all the money go ??? 😆 ashley is so tight just like his belt to keep his belly under
Army69(Quote)
Give Ashley a slap, Llambias the sack and Joey a new contract 😀
Newkie(Quote)
a slap?? he needs a good kicking 😆
Army69(Quote)
How can thy say the cash has gone on wages when the fat c@nt could sell up at any time he wants there for he wouldnt be paying the wages its bollocks 😕 hes mugging us off as per usual liar after liar after liar the fat c@nt 👿
batty(Quote)
Post 26…well, I understand that anger but personally I don’t care if we get players for nought or a big fee! If we can get bargains and keep a lot of the 35M, then that’s probably sensible and all good. The only thing that irritates me is penny pinching over things like the Neil Taylor saga. Might as well cough up another 1 or 2 million and get it done!!
Adam(Quote)
36 37 spot on
batty(Quote)
FS – Obviously the money’s staying in Ashley’s pocket, you didn’t expect him to spend it did you?
Our business is almost done I would say.
Stuart79(Quote)
It think there’s a difference between not having your expectations met & being lied to..I’m not sure in this instance how we’ve been lied too when we’ve been told it will go on fees & wages.
Fair enough if he sells the club then it might get pocketed but the club didn’t get sold last time nor do I think it will get sold in the near future.
And I suspect Stuart might be right & that’s all our business done…but I’m hoping not
witters(Quote)
Army…where does the money go? Wait until the accounts come out & Toonsy does his analysis
witters(Quote)
sacking owl heed would be the happiest moment of 2011, maybe with the ashley slap Joey could happy slap him and stick it on twitter 😛
MarkToon(Quote)
speaking of twitter that blurt Colin whatever his name is reckons Jose to **** and Zoggy coming back to newcastle
MarkToon(Quote)
The sad truth is that most of the Carroll money has gone on wages and sigbing on fees. Come the end of the season when the rest of the TV, merchandise and sponsorship cash rolls in we’ll have a **** load in the bank but will have finished mid table.
I ask the question, what was the point in selling Carroll?
Unfortunately for us, Ashley is intent on spending as little as possible until he sells and for what he’ll want it will be a long time off.
How they have the cheek to even expect people to pay for season tickets with the pathetic attempt in the transfer market is a complete joke!
Stuart79(Quote)
spot on stu @46
hitman(Quote)
LukeEdwardsTele Luke Edwards
Means #nufc have just about enough left from Carroll fee to buy a striker and cover his wages for next 5 years plus Neil Taylor for £1-2m!!!
8 minutes ago
LukeEdwardsTele Luke Edwards
We’ll never actually know breakdown of #nufc spending but Nolan, Campbell off wage bill so made room for Ba and, say Cabaye. Merveaux extra
16 minutes ago
hitman(Quote)
stu spot on as always mate.
MarkToon(Quote)
I dunno if owl heed needs sacking to be honest Mark , I think he does part of his job very well and others not so well. Part of his role was ( and still is i guess ) to increase revenue which as far as I know he has done that.
Problem seems to be he is a d!ckhead who has no idea on how to run the football side of things. Maybe bring in someone like david dein ( im not saying david dein himself ) who has experince in the running of a football club and letting Owl heed like after selling the burgers and the beers on match day
Johno Toon(Quote)
too say it going on wages is pathetic ,the players might be sold in 12 month ,its just another way of having us off 👿
batty(Quote)
johno he has an idea how too make a prophit though and i think thats all he cares aboot
batty(Quote)
batty,same old same old..when will people learn 😉
hitman(Quote)
hitman they never will learn ,its a fookin joke
batty(Quote)
But is that not what we want to business side of things to do batty? Make a profit to help run the football side of things?
Johno Toon(Quote)
Easy comprimise on the Joey thing- 3 year deal. Both sides need to comprimise- they need each other.
Keep an open mind Joey! And Pardew, get it done.
MDS(Quote)
Johno-
I believe he’s behind most of the poor decisions. I’d be delighted if he pissed off
MarkToon(Quote)
I totally agree with u mark he prob is behind most of them, he does come across as a d!ckhead , Im just saying maybe if we let him do what he is good at and get in somone else to sort out contracts ect etc we might get a winning team.
Johno Toon(Quote)
For all we know, the reason for his contract withdrawel could be down to one fo the new players not wanting to work with him at the club 😯 but then agains. like everypne else, I’m guessing…
We have no idea what the situation is apart from him being offered a contract which he rejected for some reason & then not being offered another, end of….
Bartons too ****-sure on Twitter & all that will get back to the board who’ll get rid of him one way or another, the chances of him staying are nil due to what he’s said & rightly so, I’m not sure I’d want someone working for me if they were slagging me off in the media…
Also, Barton is playing lip-service to the fans to get them onside, as he know all to well that Ashley won’t come out & reply to what ever he says, personally, I think he needs a good kicking but also wish he’d shut his gob & accept whatever offer was given to him as we do need a strong leader now that Nolan has gone & he’s the kind of person others would have to listen too, even if they didn’t want too 😆
Toon69(Quote)
johno of course but dont we also want too impove our leauge standings ,in stead of just being happy with staying up every season
batty(Quote)
I think the term , Rome wasnt built in a day , comes to mind batty. When we went down we were a shambles of a team and a club. Its gonna take time. People dont like that. Maybe its the times we live in that we have everything on demand. Truth is we are years away from challenging for anything. Main thing is we improve every year. We aint finished our summer dealings yet but imo so far so good
Johno Toon(Quote)
Let’s not forget we’ve saved 80k a week on Campbell and Nolans wages. Smith will also leave I don’t doubt and Barton, Ranger and Best. Oh and Routledge!
So we’ve saved a fortune on wages and yet we’re still spending Carroll’s money on a lower wage bill come the start of the season.
Also batty, your right what happens if we sell them? Do we have to pay them their entire contract up? That’s the only way we’ll use all the money.
Stuart79(Quote)
Lads as long as we can compete in the prem and stay out of trouble, As for the Carroll money I dont give a **** if he keeps it as imo as soon as the Fat ***** gets his money back he can sell up and shift him and the streaker out. Judas would be a small price to pay to get shot of them
Big Dave(Quote)
dave kerr has a mention on an org thread 😆 😆 😆 😆
batty(Quote)
big dave – if the club is making money & chunky gets his loans back via player sales & other income then do you really think he would walk away?? not in a million years m8 – he’d be more than happy to take a bit of abuse from the terraces whilst creaming even more money out of the club.
that’s when he will really know he’s turned the club around & hit the jackpot – i reckon he could be here for a very long time yet.
roy cropper(Quote)
Farewell, Joey Barton. Some will miss you, but I won’t be one of them.
One good season doesn’t give you the right to run your mouth off as if you are some long serving stalwart for Newcastle United, instead of the embarassment you were to our club for the first three years of your contract.
Time served in jail for assaulting some teenager, a six match ban because of an assault on a team mate at a previous club, disgraceful behaviour on the pitch, public fallings out with the manager and the constant drone of your own self belief that you are the best English midfielder playing in the premier league (not forgetting your “best player at the club” comments, whilst calling Alan Shearer a **** manager with **** tactics, having just been sent off for an atrocious foul) have proven too much for me in the past.
Perhaps if you could just learn to shut the f*** up, I’d be sad to see you go, but I’m not. Goodbye, you poisonous little man.
If you want a solution to the Barton problem, I’d start by finding a club that don’t care what utter w*nkers they employ, and sell the little rat to them. Just my opinion, of course.
Davies(Quote)
I don`t like Barton and he does himself no favours running off at the mouth. However, I have a feeling that we will sell him and Jose at the end of the transfer window. I hope if that is the fat man`s intention he replaces them before he sells them and does`nt drop us in the **** like the january window.
Freddie Shepherd(Quote)