Barton reveals fears about future in football

The Newcastle United midfielder, Joey Barton, has spoken out about his fears over his future in football. The footballer, who is 26 years of age, is preparing to return to Newcastle’s first team after being banned for six games.

The ban was handed to Barton after he was found guilty of assaulting Ousmane Dabo whilst he was still a Manchester City player in 2007. However, this ban has been the least of the midfielders problems this year, as he has also spent a total of 74 days in prison after being found guilty of assault and affray.

This season has been a disappointing one for Newcastle United so far and Barton’s plight has simply increased their misery. However, they will be hoping to record a precious Premier League victory over Sunderland this weekend and Barton has revealed his desperation to start playing regular first team football again.

The midfielder has played for the club just once this season, as a substitute, but made an appearance for the Newcastle reserves earlier this week. He is now hopeful that manager, Joe Kinnear, will name him in the line-up for Saturday’s match at the Stadium of Light.

Barton realises that the world of football is getting fed up with his bad behaviour and recognises that this is his last chance. He believes he has learned from his previous mistakes and is “thankful” to have been given a final chance to prove himself at the highest level.

The midfielder has spoken about the “hell” of going to prison and his disappointment at the reception he received upon arrival back at St. James’ Park. A large section of the crowd decided to boo the player when he returned to first team action following his extended stay in prison.

To be fair to the fans, Barton’s performances for Newcastle United have never been up to the standard seen during his time at Manchester City.

However, he is now keen to repay the faith shown towards him by the club as a whole and he is beginning to feel "good about the future”. Barton is all too aware that he cannot take back the mistakes he has already made but is keen to make amends and repay his debts to various people in the world of football.

After being plagued by drinking problems, the player has not drunk alcohol for almost a year and is currently receiving support from the Sporting Chance clinic. This clinic was set up by ex-Arsenal star, Tony Adams, to provide recovery programmes for sportsmen and women suffering from addictions.

Several famous Premier League players have previously received help from the Sporting Chance clinic, including West Ham’s Matthew Etherington, ex-England star, Paul Gascoigne, and former Chelsea striker, Adrian Mutu.

Several of these players, including Matthew Etherington, who is currently an essential part of Gianfranco Zola’s West Ham United first team, have made successful comebacks from addiction problems.

Barton believes that he can do the same and has even spoken of his desire to become a “shining beacon for kids” who are currently in trouble.

Whether Joey Barton can ever overcome his demons to such an extent that he becomes a role model for younger generations remains to be seen but he will be hoping to start the long road to recovery this weekend with a good performance against Sunderland.