in before pike... http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/14366074.stm Club had enough of him or Player holding the Toon to ransom?
THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING PLAYER OF THE SEASON RELEASED YOU COULDNT WRITE THIS SHITE FORZA LE MAGS
Boycoutt?! Forza LE mags?! How can either of these comments be taken seriously! We are screwed this season....
The whole of Sunderland felt the same way when we saw this... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3bqyVQoN0k
I'd sign him - decent squad player to have if the youth aren't doing it. Rekon that although he's already 28, he's still got a lot more potential, and he has the confidence
After all the shite he caused at city I thought he was a bad buy. When he got locked up I could see him getting offloaded when he got out as yet another waster. He's managed to do the unthinkable and reinvent himself - over the last two seasons he's impressed me, I just wish sometimes he'd keep his mouth shut. Not this time however, I think he's bang on the money. The club has a distinct lack of ambition - docking a players pay because he declared it on twitter doesn't make it any less true, and I think they've decided to make an example of Barton as I don't think he's a player that would ever shut up. If you look at the stats, we're going to miss him sorely when he goes. Last season, we lost all the games he didn't play in. No doubt someone will snap him up on the cheap and he'll do very well for them (if managed correctly).
I'm on the other side of the fence with this one... We've had 1 decent season out of him over the past 3, which he seemed to think was enough to demand a 5 year deal? 08/09 Season he spent pre-season training in HMP Strangeways and the Club stuck by him throughout. Same season (and when we needed the favour returned) he went clean through Alonso which earned him a red card, ruling him out of what was then our most important remaining games of the season leading to the publicised fall out with Shearer. 09/10 Season he was injured for the better part of our spell in the Championship. Seemed quite sluggish the occasions he did play and didn't quite boss midfield like I'd hoped. 10/11 Season was the season we seen the best of him (minus the Morten Pederson incident of course): backbone of midfield, grafter, dressing room character. However, minute he didn't get his way he opened a Twitter account and took his gripe public, essentially showing his true clolours despite all the badge kissing. I'm not backing the hierarchy in any way but players can't and quite rightly shouldn't be allowed to get away with that behaviour. In a more bizarre twist of events he then turned on certain lifelong fans calling them 'Morons' and 'Helmets' after seeing responses to his rants regarding the Club. No respect, no decorum. Were a few weeks away from a huge season and it's not fair that the focus of the Clubs pre-season training should be surrounding him and his contract issues. Timings not fantastic as always, but could we afford to let the rot set it again with the new players we've brought in? The cynic in me thinks he's deliberately engineered all this to get his move earlier, knowing he had no future at NUFC. Great player on his day - with it comes a mountain to climb trying to manage him on the straight and narrow.
Never wanted him when we singed him, especially after the "£300K" we had to give him/Willie McKay to complete the signing. But now he is quite clearly our best attacking player going off last season, so it will be a big loss. Sir Alex has shown the way with Cantona & Keane as long as a player has value on the pitch you keep them & protect them, once that wanes you bullet them ASAP. Never get forced like Sheff Wed & dump talent like they did with Di Canio as it comes back to haunt to you & benefits a rival. Not sure a club can lose its main goal threats (Nolan & AC), captain (Nolan) & most creative player (Barton) in such a short space of time & improve.
Just saying the exact same thing to John on saturday. We've sold all but 1 of our best players in a 6 month period!
