Megson Eyes Barton Deal
By Tyne-Talk
June 16 2008
Bolton Wanderers have expressed an interested in extending the career of Joey Barton by considering an invite for the player to join them on loan for the coming season. Bolton manager Gary Megson has been keen on the troublesome midfielder for a while but could jeopardise his position with the Wanderers fans should he carry out the deal.
Barton is said to have rejected a 50% pay-cut in wages which could have seen him maintain his place at Newcastle, instead opting to chance his luck with the club despite the alternative being shown the door.
Agent Willie McKay said of the situation:
"Joey won't be taking a pay-cut. I hope he soon gets his football career back on track with Newcastle."
Surprisingly Bolton are not alone in their interest for the 25 year old but Newcastle appear to be holding out for the results of Barton's pending court hearing over the alleged training ground assault on former team-mate Ousmane Dabo before making a decision on the player.
So I dont know.
From Mail Online


[www.guardian.co.uk]
couldnt something similar happen if nufc act against barton, by cutting his wages or sacking him? he would be seen as being found guilty by the club, and that isnt the clubs decision to make at this time
newcastle would be crazy to speak out or act in any way, which is why i struggle to accept that any pay cut has yet been discussed. i hope they have planned for either result, but dont expect to know their plans untuil we all know the result
They have enough with a legitimate conviction and prison sentence to terminate the contract on those grounds as opposed to awaiting the verdict of the next one if thats the route they go down.
Realistically if the club want to keep him in order to sell him, but still terminate his contract as suggested previously, it cannot happen until he it out surely.
and mutu had been found guilty already, hadnt he, when he was sacked?
dodgy ground either way when the courts are involoved, as while footballs governers like to act like the masters of the universe, they are still bound by the law of the land.
presumably, barton is going to plead his innocence when his next court case comes around, so for him to accept any sanction placed on him by newcastle would seem unlikley. he cant - bearing in mind the public nature of all of this - expect a court to believe he is some reformed character and victim of media victimisation or whatever if he has so very recently accepted an UNPRECEDENTED pay cut for reasons related to another court case in which he was found guilty of criminal violence. and no player with a contract can have his terms adjusted without the players agreement.
forget what would seem to be justice, thats irrelevant, particularly when the circumstances relate to the highest profile industry in the country and the RICHEST UNION IN EUROPE (the PFA)!
none of it makes sense man!
the most important document is the contract barton signed last year. did it include special provision for action against barton if he was found guilty in the dabo case? was he bound by a special behaviour bond? these things are not yet known, when they are we will know how strong newcastle's hand is.
i'll repeat for anyone new to this site. i want barton outta here. period.
Any company can terminate the employment of someone who is imprisoned.
The fact that this sod wont meet Ashley half way and take a pay cut is down right insulting.
He always had an uphill struggle to win the respect of the fans but now he has well and truly blown it.
We should never have signed him in the first place.
Thanks very much Sam Allerdyce


but
i'm not sure nufc want to sack him, and i'm particularly wary of any assertion that they actually could sack him if they wanted to. he isnt some low-paid office drone who got sent to prison for scrapping on a night off, he is both rich and famous, and unfortunately the legal system in this country is not completely the same for people like him. he wouldnt be a legal aid case, you can be sure of that. believe me, the pfa would come at any attempted sacking with the very best lawyers and all guns blazing, and at the very least it would extend the whole embarrassing situation well into next season.
i honestly dont think it would be as straight forward as you suggest if we tried to sack him (and sacking barton is what i said i would like to see, on these pages, the day he was found guilty)
i think the current stance at nufc is correct, gather all facts before we act.
who can know at this point whether the dabo trial will strengthen or weaken our hand?
and whilst it would be nice to wash our hands of him with a sacking, it wouldnt really punish him, would it? he'd sign similar terms elsewhere soon enough.
very difficult at this stage to know what to hope for
