Sheffield Wednesday should avoid Joey Barton

After the Paul Alcock affair, Paolo di Canio was Hillsborough’s bad apple. The club were quick to punish him and shortly after his suspension ended he was shipped out to West Ham for a fraction of his market value. Whilst he went on to become a Hammers legend it marked the start of a long decline at Wednesday. Maybe this time it’s our turn to benefit from an out of favour player who would undoubtedly make a big impact at this level. Dave Jones already has squad members who’ve had run-ins with the law (Gary Madine, Joe Mattock and last season, Nile Ranger) and it seems that his ultra-calm approach rubs off on the players. If Joey does end up having another ‘episode’, we simply hand him back to QPR.

I think Wednesday were on a slippery slope long before Di Canio arrived. My instinct would be to steer well clear of Barton for well documented reasons and his unsavoury character, although if anyone can manage him then Dave Jones can. I'm not sure of the value of signing a player who has a 12 match ban, particularly if he was serving it with us and that's why I can't really see it happening.

"If loaned to a Championship side, he would be eligible to play from mid-October due to the higher concentration of League games and early stages of the newly-christened Capital One Cup. QPR would be bending the rules, to say the least."

Not really, because there is next to no chance of QPR including Barton in their 25-man Premiership squad. They already had too many players for that last season and had to leave some out, and have bought a bunch more since. So Barton will be ineligible for QPR in the league up to the end of December, whenever his suspension should happen to end.

Please for Gods sake Forest, steer clear of this ticking bomb.

QPR's management will do everything they can to avoid Barton appearing in hoops again. If they can't move him, he'll sit, as there's a long list of midfielders in front of him now. Only a string of injuries would necessitate his return. He'll go somewhere on loan, then, if he's been a good boy, somewhere permanent before the transfer deadline, or next Summer.

It's believed the club has added a clause that includes a Twitter ban, to his contract. He's certainly gone quiet lately. More pertinently, that further violent conduct will be cause for termination. No one's confirming this of course, but it makes sense for both parties. QPR could send him on (very expensive) gardening leave for the remaining three years of his contract which, effectively, would end his career. If true then a loan makes sense, if he screws up he could be returned to Loftus Road, then fired.

BTW: Where does the £70,000 per week figure come from? Not saying it's wrong but I've never seen his salary confirmed anywhere.

Also, Bothroyd and Helguson are both in the club's plans as of now, Heider very much so. Only injuries that would keep him out I think.

I think firing Barton for another violent conduct red card would be a hard case to make. QPR haven't taken similar action over players being sent-off in the past, so it would look like a special case is being made for a specific individual, which doesn't sit well with employment tribunals. QPR gave him that contract, they are going to have to live with (and pay for) that decision.

It might preclude red cards, the Man City incident only included one, but there were three violent outbursts. Otherwise if it's something that's been agreed to by both Barton and the club and is part of his contract then the clause would apply — assuming it exists.

Joey Barton, a psychopath with anger-management issues, should--quite simply--be banned from professional football. (Of course I can see some foolish team in MLS picking him up.)