Warren joined us in the Summer of 1995 after impressing as a midfielder with some bite at Wimbledon. Typically, King Kev decided to use him as an attacking fullback or wingback if he could convince Watto, Albert and Peacock to play nicely as a back 3. He did alright to start with but found the expectancy really hard to cope with. Having come from a club where hard graft gave you the chance to turn over bigger clubs (basically everyone else) and nobody held it against you if it didn’t come off, getting poisonous and vitriolic abuse screamed at him when we weren’t winning didn’t suit him. He also had to deal with Keegan’s petulant temper tantrums whereby if someone failed to live up to his expectations (roughly translates as: made KK look like he had misjudged something) then he could look forward to being completely ignored at best or publicly cold shouldered or abused at worst. [Before I get a stream of Keeganites round to burn my house down, cast your minds back to the public falls from Grace of Malcolm Allen, Lee Clark, Ginola, Beresford, Fox and Cole].

With the exit of the Messiah his lot hardly improved under Kenny who didn’t seem to let anyone know what the hell he wanted them to do and he suffered an incident which would have finished any other footballer at the club; getting a standing ovation from thousands of the “best fans in the World” because he was injured, not as a sign of solidarity but out of sheer malice.

Oddly enough Gullit only took about 6 weeks to notice that Watson’s game had deteriorated to such an extent that he was surviving on past glory alone. Charvet came in as a useful replacement and Griffin started featuring in place of Pearce and Pistone. However, with every bugger injured, Barton was reintroduced down the left and dazzled everybody by playing 3 successive games during which he did nothing to provoke the boo-boys beyond the obligatory groans when his name was announced. This soon led onto the Man of the Match display when we were 10 men against Crystal Palace and the ref in the Cup. He put in more effort during those 90 mins than any three other players on the park and was only subbed at the behest of his teammates because he was trying to stretch away a “touch of cramp” which quite literally had the backs of his calves twitching like he was being given an electric shock.

With typical modesty (grin) Gullit says that he simply taught Barton how to play football in that he explained exactly what he wanted him to do rather than ‘hit and hope’ which had been what he learned at Wimbledon. Barton for his part simply said that he was delighted to have fought his way back into the side and hopefully proved some people wrong for writing him off.

Enter Robson and Barton continued to hold down the right fullback’s spot (with virtually no competition it must be said) and continued showing a new confidence. Now when some panicky keeper suddenly presented him with the ball in a 3 on 1 situation he had the presence of mind to sidestep his way through and take his time to pick out the right man. Until Sunday on his return from injury when he was having a terrible time against Liverpool and last night when he had a woeful performance against Birmingham. What’s happened?!?!?

I’ll tell you: f*@king Sunderland is what’s happened. Barton is now trying too hard to try to give us that work, endeavour and battling quality we so patently lacked against the hackems. It’s typical of the man that he takes it on himself. Always he manfully shoulders burdens that aren’t his responsibility and makes himself vulnerable. He could have been like 8 of the others last night and simply stuck to his little zone and done bugger all beyond the minimum. He could have hid like Lee and Speed or just stuck with one player and claimed that he was already doing his bit. The lad simply overreaches himself and makes mistakes trying to overcompensate.

I don’t give a toss what anyone else thinks of him, to me he is a hero and the epitomy of everything you should admire. He isn’t blessed with Dyer’s ability, but nor would he take those skills for granted and piss it all up against a wall. Go and watch him on the training ground sometime where he goes from being a struggler to a leader. He’s fitter than all the rest of them put together and sets the pace on the running and gets listened to with respect. When you’ve seen that, notice how nobody dared chew him out last night despite so many howlers, and then you might understand why not. The others might fool the casual observer into thinking that they give a shit what happens, but that little blonde grafter puts them all to shame when it comes to effort and bottle and they know it.

-- Anonymous, November 30, 2000

Answers

Thanks Softie

You have awoken me from doom and gloom and all that goes with it.

The shirt is in my bag again for the weekend and I shall adorn it proudly when I stroll around Waitrose on Saturday morning in Hertfordshire - making sure I'm back at the radio for kick off.

I was more than a tad pissed off

-- Anonymous, November 30, 2000

That all might be very true, Mr B (MkII). But I bet his lad hasn't got bright red 80ll0*.

Well said, bonnie lad.

-- Anonymous, November 30, 2000

Feck me Softie, that brought a tear to my eye!

And being as big a Warren fan as yourself, I have to say, I agree with you 100%.

-- Anonymous, November 30, 2000

I'm a warren Barton's OK convert Softie, and was ashamed to hear the "fans?" chanting OFF,OFF. OFF to Bartino after he wen down with an injury on the pitch a couple of years ago. I thought he did quite well yesterday in getting forward on the left. And as I said elsewhere I would have him in the team ahead of Domi every week

I still need a bit of convincing on wether or not both Lee and Speed should both be starting in every NUFC game though.

-- Anonymous, November 30, 2000

It genuinely amazes me how critical people can be of someone whos been out for a few months with a major groin muscle tear. Ive read so much criticism of him about last night from here+the London mailing list. When will we(including myself) start to try and understand why a certain player or the team arent playing well. Im pissed off were not top 4 material but thats it. A team playing on a woeful pitch, away from home to a decent enthusiastic side, with a few key injuries and 72 hours after a major battle at StJames dosent encourage a good+ energetic performance. Id pick Barton at left back any day before id pick that lazy git called Domi. Well said Softie.

-- Anonymous, November 30, 2000

Thanks for that Softie. Barton is one of my favorites mostly because of his attitude. He had a bad game last night, but so did most of the rest of them. Until we've got enough better defenders fit to push him out of the side, I feel better with him in it just because he gives his all.

-- Anonymous, November 30, 2000

Centre did have a bad game last night, and I'm not jumping on the bandwagon of getting at him, but he did seem a liabilty.

I realise he has been out for a long time, and he is bound to be short of something as a result, but if a second game in a week was too much, why was he playing......he was slow, he was labourious and he played so many short balls and (what we used to call) hospital passes, I don't know how he didn't put one of his own team in the fracture clinic.

I'd give him another start on Saturday, but if there is no improvement by half time I get him off.

-- Anonymous, November 30, 2000

Stirring call to arms Softus - and on a PERSONAL level I agree with all your sentiments about WB. In the short term he remains one of our more valuable assets. Unfortunately, on a PROFESSIONAL/TECHNICAL level he is not, was not and never will be good enough to play at best more than a supporting role in the Newcastle squad I aspire to. I look forward - admittedly more in desperate hope than genuine anticipation - to the day when I can admire the graft of Warren Bartons in OTHER teams, ones we are regularly playing off the park.

-- Anonymous, December 01, 2000

Just been catching up on the other threads (including We'reShite etc.etc.) and while I stand by the comments I've just made I did want to say that Barton is a LONG LONG WAY from being our biggest problem. I also wouldn't want people thinking I agree with scapegoating individual players just because things aren't going right. I don't, I was merely responding to this thread which was specifically about WB.

Glad we sorted that out ...

-- Anonymous, December 01, 2000

I STILL think he was our worst player on weds night and still can't believe that YBR didn't sub him.....I love him to bits but he was a liability on weds....

-- Anonymous, December 01, 2000

Blimey Softie - remind me never to agree with anyone again who says that Barton didn`t have a great game! (;o) Feel as though I`ve just been taken out and shot at dawn!(;o)

Mind you, on the plus side, it did stir you into an eloquent and rousing Softiesque piece of prose. And just to put the record straight, I wasn`t suggesting we binned him for it! (:o)

-- Anonymous, December 01, 2000

Well said Softie. Barthino may have had a stinker on Wednesday but he is one of the Few 100% ers in the team at the moment. His attitude is exactly what it should be. The fact that he is your evil twin I'm sure has nothing to do with it

-- Anonymous, December 01, 2000

Brilliant prose Mr S. Agree with you whole heartedly. WB gives 100% and doesn't hide. I'd prefer to see him on the right, but I 'm happy to see him anywhere. Well expressed sir. Brightened my day up.

-- Anonymous, December 01, 2000

It's a return of the 'commitment over quality' debate. We have too many poor passers of the ball, I would lump Speed, Lee & Barton together as hitty missy passers. I think Barton was picked out as worst of the bunch for surrendering possession by lumping it upfield or simply missing his man. This was made worse by his teammates failure to move into space leaving him the options of launch it or lose it.

-- Anonymous, December 01, 2000

"We have too many poor passers of the ball"

You've hit the nail on the head Tony. KK's teams were built on fast forward movement by players who could pass and were able to receive/kill a ball hit to them at pace.
The present team are generally poor passers of the ball - they either over-hit, or more often underhit passes that are either intercepted or slow down the forward movement.

-- Anonymous, December 01, 2000

Bassedas was specifically brought in to try and remedy our problems passing...we've seen so little of him we tend to forget that we already may have the solution already. He's effectively playing his pre-season now.

-- Anonymous, December 01, 2000

Bassedas needs at least another couple of weeks before he is judged. Didn't he have about nine months off before he joined us? I think YBR said something like that but the again he probably meant nine weeks.

-- Anonymous, December 01, 2000

I adore Warren Barton and can't help thinking that had we had more big-hearted, committeed players like him against Sunderland 9even Nik the Greek who is always committed and passionate), we'd have done a lot better. I'd prefer to be crap and have players who wear the black and white with pride than mediocre with mercenaries.

-- Anonymous, December 01, 2000