Updated throughout the day with quick takes from staff.
Joey Barton is a: A) fool, B) thug, C) idiot, D) all of the above? If you didn't answer D, you can leave now. The Newcastle man thought it good to grab a fallen Gervinho and set off some pushing and slapping. Somehow, Barton was allowed to stay on the pitch, while Gervinho was sent off.
Exactly what Barton is doing isn't clear. Gervinho may have been clipped a bit, but that's embellishment. He has no business going down there and if Barton wants to be upset about that, sure, why not? But there is no excuse for going and grabbing Gervinho and pulling him up. That's the stuff of the stupid so I guess it is appropriate that Barton did it.
Gervinho wasn't particularly smart himself in slapping Barton. Barton should have been punished equally to Gervinho, which he wasn't, but this is only a discussion because Gervinho decided to slap. Without that he is still on the pitch and there is no problem whatsoever for Arsenal. Instead they had to hang on and settle for a point because they were down a man.
Maybe the worst part about Barton is that he is actually a fantastic player when he's...well, playing. If he could keep his head together and act halfway sensibly he'd be playing for a top team, but it was clear long ago that he isn't capable of that.
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by Arron Duckling on Aug 13, 2011 5:42 PM EDT reply actions
In his defense
Barton was stomped on earlier in the game by an Arsenal player who was already on a yellow. It was not seen by any of the referees, and he screamed at a couple of them about it, to no avail. That definitely helped set him off in his amusing blow-up at Gervinho’s simulation.
by sickcoyote on Aug 13, 2011 11:34 PM EDT reply actions
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