Training with Fleetwood

24 Jul 2012

There’s been a lot of interest regarding me training with Fleetwood, it wasn’t something that I was so bothered to talk about and I’m surprised by the level of interest, naive of me maybe.

The simple fact is that on top of my much deserved punishment by the FA and then of course QPR, I’ve also been omitted from the senior QPR squad that are now out in Asia, which is of course even more gutting than the original punishment. I respect that Mark Hughes makes his own decisions of course, and fair play to him for doing what he believes is right.

QPR want me to train with the young guys and the reserves in the meantime. The possibility of a loan move has been mentioned, where there’s been interest from several European clubs and a lot of Championship clubs too, as you may expect.

So, why would I train with Fleetwood?

I have become a little disenchanted with the game in the last 6 months after what I have put myself through and I desperately want to fall back in love with the game. I feel that training in the lower leagues will give me a reality check and maybe help me become a better person, a little more humility will serve me well. The lower leagues is where the hunger for the game is at its greatest, at least where players are concerned.

I want to re-ignite that passion for the game, something that I ordinarily have an abundance of. No monetary bullshit. No media bollocks (though apparently there still is!). No prima donnas. Just pure, old school, mortgage/livelihoods on the line, balls-out football.

It’ll help me appreciate all that the Premier league offers me now and in the future.

What else can I do? Work hard, fall back in love with the game and keep my fingers crossed that I can once again earn my place in a QPR shirt.

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Spitchki 5 pts

Welcome to Marseille Joey !

Here passionate football is waiting for you.

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alempoli91 7 pts

iron fist and velvet heart.... JB real man!!

guffyboy74 5 pts

I like it Joey. The back to basics approach is the way forward for you to rekindle your love for the game. I am not a QPR fan ( am a gunner) but I am a Barton fan and like watching you play at Newcastle and city, you wear your hart on your sleeve and you play for the jersey and you don't take anything for granted and each play each game is like a cup final and give it your all.

keep working hard and look forward to catching you in a premier league game in the near future and also keeping up to date and and joining in discussions on your new site great work

markash 5 pts

looks like you have alot of Leeds fans, well another one ere! lol

MikeLeeds 17 pts

Leeds United the club for you

DrNakano 7 pts

I'm an LFC supporter and would have loved to see you turn out for the Reds.

GreigBrown 6 pts

I am a Toffee and i would have liked to see u in a Blue shirt. Think the game is missing players like you who give it there all and do proper tackles. Also i am liking ur new website m8...good stuff. COYB - ETID

Wisedom 5 pts

Watch Ladies Football see REAL work-rate and passion and alot of skill too. Plus you dont see them rolling on the floor acting like two year olds who've drop their icecream! Why go to Fleetwood just join QPR Ladies! I dont mean your a big girl, far from it, just addreesing your comment about seeking to regain and put back the passion in your game.

Smudge1974 5 pts

You'd be more than welcome to sign for Leeds Utd once you fall back in love with the game, great player still with lots to offer!

DiogoSoaresLoureiro 6 pts

Really cool stuff :DGood luck in Fleetwood mate!

D18bth 5 pts

How's it all going at fleetwood? Would be good to see you in tangerine colours! Every team needs a player with plenty passion / aggression!!!!

Matthew09 5 pts

Good luck at Fleetwood, and hope your QPR return goes well.

- From a Leeds United Supporter.

Shame you never went to Leeds, guess that wouldnt happen what with Warnock and all his staff being there, you'd give our midfield some backbone at least.

phill1690 5 pts

Hi joey, im a Glasgow rangers fan i couldnt realy give a monkeys about premiership,dont get me wrong i like it but i have my team in scotland. You have always been one player i liked absolute battler on the pitch, never give up...Fair few bad tackles and sendings off..but when your passionate about the game these things are bound to happen. Good luck for the coming season tho! And maybe think about coming to Glasgow in a few years times once were back in the SPL, the fans would love a player like you !

benmilesjack 5 pts

although at times you can be a bit of a nob, there aren't many who can't be and fairplay to you for reflecting upon yourself and admitting more you need more humilty, I respect you for that

DonWood 5 pts

Hi Joey Well spoken I wish you well in training at Fleetwood if you fancy a change head on down to Margate we could do with you..

LG_ 5 pts

Hi Joey, I hope all goes well for you at Fleetwood, I'm sure the players and everyone involved will learn alot from you. I have learnt alot from you and I only know you as Joey Barton the footballer. I think you are quite inspirational and your the kind of person I look up to as you're strong willed and you say it as it is, unlike most footballers nowadays who are pure premadonna' s and love themselves. I have to say I enjoy your little rants you have on Twitter, especially the Alan Shearer one and your banter with Piers Morgan. Long may it continue. P.S - Your site is great by the way, keep it up. Alot of people can learn from you.

Liam

ConnorCarrington 7 pts

Joey B Alright Joey, Im a nufc season ticket holder and i would just like to say thanks for everything you did for our club, you stuck with us when we went down to the championship and then when we got back in the premiership you carried the squad through our 1st season back in the big time, the 'fans' who now decided to dislike you think you left for money and forget what you did for our team, i would like to wish you a great career with QPR and good health to your family and yourself & who knows maybe one day we might get you back in that black and white jersey. All the best Joey Connor ( im 16 year old, ive been a season ticket holder for 5 years havent missed a game)

thom0850 5 pts

ConnorCarrington Joey B connor, i'm also a nufc fan and i think you're forgetting what he put our club through in the seasons before we were relegated. he owes us more than we owe him, even if he did have one and a half good seasons to the end.

thom0850 Joey B He gave us loyalty, no amount of money can buy that, Joey is always going to be victimised because of his past, people need to forget about what he does off the pitch and concentrate on what he does on it.

LewiGill 5 pts

Firstly, you're an idol, I completely see your logic behind the transaction you have made, and will support you the whole way. For me, I have often preferred the lower leagues, they seem to have more about them, more desire if you will. Also, on your videos, on this website, you previously said that you would help out QPR Off the pitch, in which i believe you are doing, by becoming a better player, possibly improving as a whole, you're not only helping yourself, but QPR which you said you would do from the start.

AndrewHunter 6 pts

Joey whats your thoughts on Andy Carroll's situation?. Do you think it would be a good idea for the big man to return to St James or not?

JoeSlossPUP 5 pts

As a very keen fan of your joey I think you have done the right thing here, football is not about how much money you make or what car you have it's about passion. I also think you point about how you need to fall back in love with the game is very true, sometimes watching matches you can see players that either cant be bothered or have just lost love in football. As me being a Portsmouth fan since they were relegated from the matches I have seen I can see that some people weren't in love with the game or playing with passion but with the use of money. Anyway best of luck to you joey think you have chosen a wise choice as your are a brilliant footballer, good luck and keep the website going!

ssaamm 5 pts

Hope you enjoy Fleetwood and get something out of it. Your one of the few players who've left Newcastle who I still take an interest in.. Alot of your 'rebel' and 'thug' images are the media pushing them through to get more interesting stories, although that still doesn't really excuse the Man City bust up. Still hope next season is a good one for you wherever you end up :)

chaz197 5 pts

What is this points system?

kajstring24 5 pts

I think what you've said is really valid and quite eye opening. I do respect that even if I don't buy the 'reformed character' act that you're trying to maintain. I also have a problem with Mark Hughes' decision to just omit you from the squad. In my line of work I would have been sacked if I had done what you did, and that's without bringing the Tweeting into the equation. You've got so lucky and I think that's why you meet so much hostility. Yes, the omission from the QPR squad is warranted, hopefully the experience at Fleetwood will help knock you down a few pegs, but I remain unconvinced. Time will tell I suppose, but if you want to really convince people you've changed you need to stop goading people, drop the arrogance and learn to show appreciation for how lucky you are in a more mature way.

GeordieBob75 5 pts

From a Newcastle supporter,

Haven´t stopped following your ups and downs, though i have my fingers crossed and hope it to be all ups. You stuck with us when we went down and I was gutted to see you go. The stuff you just wrote is so true. The game in itself is pure when you strip away the money and the media. Hope you find yourself in Fleetwood and make a return to the PL.

Best of luck,

Robert

bradabez 5 pts

Good luck Joey, good to see you arn't off on holiday during your ban like some of the other footballers would be

Oh and will you play for my 7-a-side astro team on Mondays? haha

AaronKernoghan 5 pts

All these haters getting on Joey's back for what he done Vs City last day of the season which he has publicly said was wrong i don't see why you need to keep getting at him? But my point is as much as what Joey Barton done that day was wrong wrongly or rightly it showed he had the commitment and desire for QPR to stay up that season (Something no one can say he hasn't got). Some of the worlds best have done worse E.g. Zidane headbutt, Rooney elbow on James Mccartney last season. We just have to remember sometimes that Barton isnt the only player ever to cause wrong and at least when he does he accepts the fact and speaks publicly about the incidents unlike other footballers. All the best in the future Joey and i hope all goes well next season with QPR.

bartonisamug 6 pts

"No prima donnas??" - Have a laugh - dont make me send Gervinho over there to put you on your arse again! LOL...

Joey Barton...balls out football? What a mug! Stick to what you are good at and go beat up another 11 year old chav...

Rob85_ 6 pts

Quite frankly alot of people commenting on here are just looking for a reply, trolling like the sad people they are. If only they could channel this energy into something useful. They confuse anger on a football pitch in a pumped up physical encounter with what they perceive could be anger they generate by punching plastic buttons on there keyboard.

Joey, I genuinly hope your time a Fleetwood serves you well. I can imagine its very easy to get carried away being a premiership footballer. Even on my meagre salary going to Thailand showed me how lucky I was and I came back to London a much more humble person, I believe everyone should have a reality check every now and then.

Best of luck for the season I hope you can come back to QPR and concentrate on getting us as high up the league as possible. I hope that the newspapers in the future will contain articles on how we beat Fulham and Chelsea convincingly and not focus on individuals. Although I unfortunately realise there stupid desire to paint everyone with a 'good guy' or 'bad guy' brush, and the public naivety to not realise good guys do bad things and bad guys do good things, it's a grey world.

BKinstry 6 pts

Joey write a book, whether people like you or not I'm sure everybody would be interested. I know I am, I really hope your temper snaps can be fixed coz under that I think your somewhat smart and I wish you luck

BonjourMonAmiNE 11 pts

BKinstry I recall JB saying when he left NUFC that he would one day write a book and include details of what was going on behind the scenes with all the ownership. A Joey Barton book would be VERY interesting.

thesamball 7 pts

Obviously as a footballer at the top level your financially set for life, so with that in mind I was wondering if perhaps you could maybe see yourself playing in the lower leagues for the later stages of your career? As you seem to be enjoying your time at fleetwood. Also with regards to your behaviour on the final day of the season, in my opinion I think you're getting too much stick for it, you just snapped, we all do it and all it was was your passion coming through, I also think that it's characters like yourself that make the premier league the best in the world. I also admire how you've accepted the consequences without complaint. Finally I just wanted to say I don't support any of the clubs you've ever played at (I'm an arsenal fan) but your still one of my favourite footballers, I also think your made out to be a far worse person than you actually are and it annoys me how people judge you when they don't even know you. Also I follow you on twitter (my usernames @thesamball ) and a tweet or follow back from you would be incredible. Thank you for reading what I have to say :)

Joey B 91 pts

@thesamball Thanks for the comment Sam

JohnMcBrideIRE 7 pts

The bottom line is Joey, is that you are trying new things & for that you should be both encouraged & applauded for doing so. Good Luck to you fella, you’ll get there.

@JohnMcBrideIRE Ta

OldBlueLady 7 pts

No-one in L2 will be a winner here except Fleetwood, for Crawley last season read Fleetwood this - a promoted conference side with big ambitions, not caring who they trample on in their quest for a higher league status. Personally I think this is an outrageous attempt to circumnavigate a much deserved ban that should only be served with the club holding his registration - punish the player, punish the club. All this b*****ks about becoming disenchanted and wanting to go back to lower leagues to help him appreciate things more is simply that....b*****ks. It's an eloquent appeasement to the fans of QPR and Fleetwood and totally a middle finger up at the FA/Premier League who meted out the punishment. This loophole needs closing NOW, it is a grossly unfair scenario to all the genuinely hardworking sides in L2. [edited by admin]

OldBlueLady Oh and you'd know this of course? I imagine you're probably close friends with Joey Barton and Mark Hughes, and they tell you this sort of stuff?

BonjourMonAmiNE know what? What sort of "stuff"? Being as I'm criticising both Barton and Hughes I'm hardly likely to be on those kind of terms! I'm furious at the thought that QPR/Barton think they can get around the ban by him playing in L2, as I said, he should serve the ban at the club he is registered to and that is QPR.

qprsquirrel 5 pts

OldBlueLady BonjourMonAmiNE If there is a loophole why not use it? Common sense really, 12 games was harsh anyway.

OldBlueLady I was being sarcastic, but the point I was making is that you cannot possibly know whether all that Joey has written above is 'b*****ks' as you say it is. Also, you don't know for certain that QPR's sole intention is to get Joey playing again as soon as possible. Even if that is the case, in what was is that Joey's fault?

@OldBlueLady @BonjourMonAmiNE If I leave. QPR on loan, it will be because I will of been left out of the 25 man squad. Which in turn means I cannot play for the club until Jan 1st 2013. That means IF and it's a big IF, I do leave to go on loan somewhere, the likelihood is I'll stay there till at least the 1st of Jan. Hopefully that keeps you slightly more informed than said newspapers. JB

Chris_Alderton 5 pts

Joey B The move shows that you're not just at QPR to pick up your wages and not bother with football, I respect that.

- Chris

@Chris_Alderton It's wouldn't be able to do that. I've worked to hard to get where I am in life, to sit on my arse and pick up a pay check.

FanthamOfTheOpera 5 pts

OldBlueLady Erm, you do realise he is only training with Fleetwood, and hasn't signed for them....?

FanthamOfTheOpera There has been rumours of him playing as well though......

@OldBlueLady @FanthamOfTheOpera Rumours are dangerous. They can end up making people look foolish...

Joey Barton

Joey On The Journey

Training with Fleetwood

So, why would I train with Fleetwood?

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