Barton another victim of the hate mob

It's become almost sacrosanct for the media to have a scapegoat, a figure that they can use to symbolise everything there is that's wrong with football and to offer absolutely no support to when they reach rock bottom.

Joey Barton, the Newcastle midfielder, is this scapegoat and, having reached rock bottom, is still persecuted for his previous misdemeanours.

For those unfamiliar with Barton and his list of cautions, for want of a better phrase, he has, shall we say, a list as long as Mr Tickle's arm of ticking's off.

Now the majority of his actions cannot and should not be condoned as, even Barton would admit, there have been some horrendous incidents but the news coverage he has received does make it seem as though he is the first and last footballer to have his conduct brought into question.


From stubbing out a cigar in a team-mates eye at a Christmas party in 2004 to the infamous training ground bust-up in May 2007 which resulted in Ousmane Dabo, his Manchester City team-mate, requiring hospital treatment following an assault by Barton (for which he was fined £100,000 by his club and sentenced to a four-month suspended prison sentence plus community service by Greater Manchester Police) it would be an understatement to say that his lack of discipline has attracted few admirers both in the general public and among his fellow professionals.

When Barton was at Manchester City he was making headlines for his combative performances in the centre of midfield that earned him a well overdue first cap for England in February 2007, but his inclusion in the squad wasn't that well received. It coincided with Barton's comments regarding some senior England players who he felt were cashing in on England's poor performance at the 2006 World Cup by releasing autobiographies following the end of the tournament. This was a criticism directed at Steven Gerrard, the Liverpool captain, and Frank Lampard, the Chelsea midfielder, and while Gerrard praised Barton's honesty, Lampard publicly disapproved of his opinion.

Barton, despite contrasting opinion, is not the first and will certainly not be the last professional footballer to bring the game into disrepute. It is a pity, as it is with any footballer who has undeniable talent, when their behaviour receives more media attention than their actual performances. But where do you draw the line of unprofessional behaviour? Is being labelled the archetypal "bad-boy" of football the be-all and end-all of tarnishing the game's reputation?


Let's not forget, for instance, that Alan Shearer, the former England international and Newcastle United striker, once kicked Leicester City midfielder Neil Lennon in the face during a league match which was unsurprisingly overlooked at the time. And who can forget John Hartson kicking team-mate Eyal Berkovic in the face during a training session at West Ham United's training ground.

There are also the players who have had to battle addictions during their career without, of course, any help from the media. Among these players, of which Barton is included having confessed to a drink problem, are Paul Merson, Tony Adams, Duncan Ferguson and Paul Gascgoine, to name but a few. These were all players with undoubted talent, particularly Gascgoine, who could have been helped had they been adored as much by the media as they were their own fans.

The detrimental effect that the negative media attention aimed at Barton could have on both the individual and society is a hypothetical cause for concern. Although Barton needs to help himself out to a certain extent, the media should consider their persecution of him for the sake of society. Sometimes it is forgotten or overlooked that behind all the celebrity and incomprehensible amounts of money that the modern day footballer earns is, simply, a human being that is as prone to mistakes as anyone else. What Barton needs is an arm around him and some proper guidance, not the headlines of hatred that seem to await him everytime he sets foot on a football pitch. And right now he needs Newcastle just as much as they need him.