Premier League Betting: Barton's fabulous opportunity to turn adversity into triumph

Premier League / Mike Norman / 11 November 2008 / Leave a Comment

Joey Barton can expect goading and intimidation from other players but he must rise above the boo boys and prove that he is a reformed character, says Mike Norman.

I guess I'm going against the grain when I admit to being delighted at Joey Barton's return to first team football. In fact, when he stepped up to take that penalty against West Brom a few weeks back I was nervous as hell with the thought that he could actually miss, and how it would affect him personally. Thankfully, he scored.

I'm a Middlesbrough fan remember - so for me to be cheering on a Newcastle player and hoping he will put his team in front (when deep down I want them to lose every time) must mean my feelings have gone beyond football.

I very rarely show my emotions, and it's probably fair to say that the only time I do show them is through sport. I suppose I'm an old romantic in that sense, and just like the girlfriend who gets excited when Patrick Swayze lifts Baby in the air at the end of Dirty Dancing, I get excited at real life people turning their life around, overcoming adversity and turning it into triumph.

Joey Barton has a fabulous opportunity to do just that, and beyond. He has a chance to make a success of his football career and give something back by educating kids and making them aware of the pitfalls of being a professional footballer.

I'm not condoning for one second what Barton has done in the past, but it's important to remember that he has done his time and served his sentence - regardless of whether we think he got off lightly or not.

There is also no concrete evidence that what Barton has done is purely linked to having too much money. Up and down the country, the huge majority of criminals, alcoholics, drug abusers etc are people with no money, people who have no ambition and nothing to look forward to. Barton could easily have been born the way he is, it's his nature, or perhaps it was his upbringing or the people he spent his free time with - who knows? Only Joey Barton can tell us what really went through his head.

What's important now is that Joey gets completely back on track - and stays on it. He must realise how fortunate he is, fortunate that he is a gifted footballer who is worth millions, and that in the normal jobs that you and I do he would have been sacked and not given a second thought.

Nothing will give me greater pleasure than seeing Joey Barton (whether he wears a Newcastle shirt or not) stay out of trouble - both during his playing career and after it. It's going to be a huge test of his character, his mental state, and his own honesty. He says he is no longer drinking and he has promised he has changed, yet the recent Gabriel Agbonlahor incident gave great cause for concern.

Ok, it was blown out of proportion but that's what Barton has to expect from now on. The worrying aspect was that he was there, retaliating to Agbonlahor's intimidation instead of just walking away. He will suffer far worse goading from now on because you can bet your life managers are telling their players to get at him. Joey has to prove, and realise how lucky he is to have the chance to prove, that he is above all that now and that he's a reformed character, on and off the pitch.

Barton has been instrumental in Newcastle's recent upturn in results, but he and his teammates still find themselves in the relegation zone. They are [6.8] to be relegated and [18.5] to finish rock bottom, yet it's not too crazy to quote their price of [12.0] to finish in the top six considering how tight the Premiership currently is. Maybe it's a bit crazy to suggest they will win the FA Cup however - you can get matched at [46.0] if you think they will.

A friend said to me recently that how Joey Barton's life pans out will much depend on who will become Newcastle's next permanent manager. I disagree. It's up to Joey what he wants to achieve and how he goes about it, nobody else. He will do well to remember George Best (and many others) paid the ultimate price through alcohol and that Paul Gascoigne's life continues a downward spiral because he has never fully committed himself to changing his lifestyle.

For the record, Alan Shearer is the favourite at [3.65] to become the next permanent manager, ahead of Joe Kinnear ([5.6]) and the messiah Kevin Keegan ([7.0])