Joey Barton gives himself an ultimatum on his future, and also receives a three-game stadium ban and fine for a rant on a referee.
The 40 year old was fined £3,000 and banned from playing in stadiums for three matches by the FA because of his behaviour towards a referee.
He lost his cool with referee Joshua Smith when his team, Bristol Rovers, played Sheffield Wednesday last month in League One.
They lost 2-1 with Barton being dismissed and found guilty by FA officials of three misconduct violations.
Rovers have confirmed to Bristol Live that they will appeal the decision which is set to see Barton miss their first three games of the 2023/24 season.
The FA has not released any details about the three misconducts, but Barton’s latest indiscretion was witnessed by spectators at Memorial Stadium.
Barton received a red card in the 85th minute after he protested towards officials over the hotly debated decision to disallow the goal of forward John Marquis. Barton insisted that the decision to rule out his strike for offside was wrong.
During his post-match press conference, he hit out at ref Smith, calling him an “amateur of the game.” “That second goal is key,” Barton said. “It’s a legitimate goal and the amateurs in the professional game have struck again. You try and speak to him just to get him to admit he has made a mistake, but they are like traffic wardens, referees. You can’t speak to them.
“It’s frustrating when that throws the game, but we’ve got to be better and not be 2-0 down at half time and get ourselves in the ascendancy. I’m not going to bleat on about the referee much more, but it is frustrating when you have got one job to do as a linesman and you can’t even do that correctly.
“It’s very frustrating with the officials because they are a law unto themselves and you’ve got to be careful what you say because they’ll be trying to fine you and get more moments in front of the disciplinary commission, which I’ve had enough of in my history and I don’t want any more of.”
🎙️ “With better officiating – we’d have drew the game, if not gone on and pushed on to try and win it…”
Joey Barton talks to @alidurdenBBC after Rovers 2-1 home defeat against Sheffield Wednesday. John Marquis had a goal disallowed for offside 10 minutes from time. pic.twitter.com/zny30gprya
— BBC Sport Bristol (@bbcbristolsport) April 18, 2023
The FA said in their statement: “The manager admitted that his behaviour after being sent off was improper; and that he subsequently used abusive, insulting and improper words towards a match official in both the tunnel and the match officials’ changing room.
“An Independent Regulatory Commission imposed his sanctions following a hearing and its written reasons will be published in due course. The three match ground ban will apply to first-team competitive fixtures next season.”
Meanwhile, Joey Barton has imposed an ultimatum on himself that if he doesn’t achieve promotion with Bristol Rovers, he will consider leaving his post.
“I think I would seriously consider it,” said Barton on Having a Gas on BBC Radio Bristol with presenter Geoff Twentyman doubting his claims that he would quit football.
“From my perspective, I’ll have been at League One level another two years, it’d have been my fifth season and at some point you think am I going to be able to be what I personally want to be?
“Managing in the competitions I was never fortunate enough to be in as a player. Champions Leagues, World Cup’s, European Championship’s etc etc. I wouldn’t have to be the manager, I’d just want to go to those competitions with a team I’ve been part of and built and had a big say in and be in those stadiums and atmospheres.
“You’re watching the Champions League atmospheres the past two nights and you’re going wow. We’ve had a small sample of that with the last day of the season and once you’ve had a taste of that how can you not want success?”
“Sometimes I do say things, I’m a bit bullish, there’s part of me that thinks I will be there. I believe as a football club we will be there. I say two years, and I do think if I can’t build Bristol Rovers as a credible Championship team in two years with the support I’ve had, the fan base and the owner, then I should maybe move on.”
Barton also reveals there has been unsuccessful attempt to stage Bristol City vs Bristol Rovers friendly, with the two sides going 10 years without playing each other.
He had talks with Robins boss Nigel Pearson, but this was put to a stop on police advice, shock horror. The last time the two played each other was in 2013, Bristol City winning 2-1 in the JPT – with 19 arrests and three injured police officers.
He said, as per Bristol Live: “I spoke to Big Nige because there was mooting of us having a friendly in pre-season over at Ashton Gate.
“I think Big Nige was game for it, we certainly were but I think the police have got involved and it looks like we’re going to play Cardiff instead.”
Barton feels if the two sides ever went up against each other, it could only benefit the city on the whole, going on to praise Pearson for the young, talented squad he has put together.
He added: “We’d love that. I can’t understand because I go to the match with my mates who support Liverpool if it’s a derby and there’s no issue. I think it’s great for the city, for tourism and businesses do fantastically well when your football team is doing well.
“We have to uphold the blue half and obviously Nige has got a good exciting young team. The young kid who won the Young Player of the Year, Alex Scott, looks a fantastic player. I’ve seen the mayor tweeting about and I thought isn’t that great for the city.
“I’ve lived in the city of Glasgow where the two teams (Celtic and Rangers) can’t be doing well. One is really good and the other’s really bad, it just flip-flops.
“We’re in a position in Bristol where both teams can do really well. I hope we can get up to give a derby because I think it will be a cracker but if they go up it will throw down the gauntlet to the blue half to say if you want to have a derby you’ve got to go up again.
“I think both clubs can do it. The footfall of the city, the logistics of the city, the affluent places you can live in, the schools… I think as both clubs scale up it gets easy to attract elite-level players.”
This is what fans are saying as Joey Barton gives himself an ultimatum on his future while also receives a stadium ban and fine for a rant on a referee…
@imstillabar: couldn’t have happened to a nicer fella
@jamsey55: More time in the dock than the dug out this lad.
@cavebuilders: Glad they are appealing he might get longer
@tweetSP0RT: Joey Barton really? I’m shocked I tell you shocked! He doesn’t seem like the sort!?
@ConorMcShane12: Well, blow me over with a feather… 😲😲😲
@tjosmith: Barton has always a thug, both as a player and as a manager. An average player, only noticeable on a pitch when getting sent off. I’d refuse to step foot in Hillsborough if he was ever appointed #swfc manager.
@_dAveFletcher_: Sooner this guy is out of football the better.
@Bristolian_: Just ban him for life and do us all a favour. #UTG
@RealBristolBoy: Good to see those anger management courses are going so nicely 🤣🤣🤣
@avin_oops: Dickhead
@PirateGashead: A great ambassador for our club 🤦♂️ But at least he led us to the heady heights of *checks notes* 17th in League One 😭
@Im_sprouticus: Joey making friends again. FFS
@__danknight__: Such an unlikeable bloke ain’t he, proper bitter
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