Thanks philip.larmett for clearing up the chronology for me.

I've seen the CCTV footage and the majority of the blows are delivered while his victims back is turned. It's nasty.

I've no problem with Newcastle keeping him as a player if they feel he comes out a reformed character, though I very much doubt he will be. My shock and amazement is aimed more at the courts who can deliver a suspended sentence to a man who is currently serving time for a similar offence. Surely this shows that he has little or no remorse for his initial crime to have gone on and repeated it while awaiting trial. As for the comments about he pressure that he's under, then a man who cannot handle that pressure and responds with a violent assault to high pressure situations, shouldn't be on a football pitch and if I were a NUFC supporter, I'd be worried that his violent outbursts were going to leave my team 1 player short every time he's on the pitch.

I don't envy Kevin Kegan having to have a face to face conversation over the future of a player who's response to being told he's to be let go is likely to end in a trip to casualty.

I can understand the argument that celebrity/fame, when thrust on a young person, holds a great pressure and responsibility that can have a damaging effect on their ability to function in a responsible manner. There is no doubt that it is difficult to take when a member of public goads you with abusive language and threatening and/or violent behaviour. Yet the case of Joey Barton still leaves me confused as to why this man is allowed free after numerous attacks of brutality. This is not a man who is reacting in a blind rage, his actions to fellow professionals and members of public have shown him to be sadistic and brutal. To sit on a person and repeatedly rain constant blows upto and beyond the point of the victims conciousness clearly shows a disturbed mind. Let us not forget he has behaved in this way on a training ground when, I assume, he is not under the influence of alcohol and is completely aware of his behaviour. It appears that he is unable to control his violent temper whether it is a member of public or a fellow professional or whether he is drunk or not. Celebrity and/or drunkeness cannot be totally blamed in this case.

I have read everythng everyone has said, "we dont understand the pressure" but dont we all get pressure in life? He has served his time, Newcastle knew what he was like. I dont care as long as he plays well for my team. People reform after prison. THis is a man who gets paid an enormous amount of money to do a job that he enjoys doing and has a pretty decent lifestyle (not much pressure there). All he has to do in return is be someone our kids of today can look up to. He has failed to do this and no matter what sentance he has served or who knew what he was like he was violent towards a fellow man this is wrong and any club who takes him on send out the wrong message to our kids. We already have problems in society with the knife culture in gangs and if we continue to be soft towards this kind of behaviour it will only get worse. Newcastle do the right thing sack Joey Barton.

To reesdj_bi,

The incident on the training field happened first: May 2007, at Carrington, Manchester. It was only the last of a long series of incidents while Joey Barton was at Manchester City. Newcastle bought him last summer knowing all about his history, reputation and this incident.
Last Christmas he missed the Boxing day match with Newcastle through injury. The next morning he was involved in a street brawl in Liverpool city center. The CCTV footage has been shown on the net; I haven't seen it, other people have commented on it. That is the one he is serving time for. So, there is some kind of logic in the suspended sentence.
As for all the people calling him a thug, that may well be true. But the idea of prison is that he might have come to his senses and come out a reformed man. Time will tell. Newcastle United have two choices: wash their hands of him and throw away the money they invested or to give him the chance that society thinks he should have after he has served his time.

What a disgrace. One can only hope that Newcastle United will give him the axe, though they must have known he was an unstable, retarded thug before they signed him. So much for Tyneside.
Of course, it wouldn't matter if the sensible action of combining Newcastle, Sunderland and Middlesborough (or any other half-arsed clubs from that region) with the Scottish league was taken. Geordies and Scots do share much in common in terms of diet, temperament, intelligibility and atractiveness, and with Barton North of the border, further prison time would actually be unnecessary, if not actually too lenient by comparison.
The premiership could then be discontinued in favour of a Capitals League for teams from the first, second and third cities; ie. London, Manchester and the West Midlands (excluding Coventry). The rest can slog it out in the Championship.

I think he should be suspended for him to know that he is an ambassador to is club and his country in general

I dont think you people understand what pressure he is under, and i also bet that you have never been angels all ya life........ admit it

keep up the good work warren........

To Scotto : To be snapped up by one of the top 4 teams you have to be a good player. Not an average striker.

Barton's a continually re-offending thug and that's all he'll ever be. He should have been thrown in jail and yhe key to his cell accidenatlly lost (down a deep mine would be about right). If anyonre except a 'celebrity footballer' had done this the sentence would have been massive!
Now it's up to Newcastle and the F.A. to take a stand for values in football.
Throw him out oif the game - for good - with an International Ban through UEFA and FIFA!
DON'T TALK ABOUT CLEANING THE GAME UP - DO IT!!

@ Scotto,

What Jermain Pennant did was stupid, dangerous and unforgivable, but he paid his price, came out of jail and turned his life around (Arsenal had no interest in him which is why he found his way to Birmingham and now Liverpool). However, Joey Barton has "form" for this sort of thing, doesn't he? How he got away with a suspended sentence while serving a custodial sentence for an almost identical attack is beyond me. I don't know which incident came first, the one on the training pitch or the one on the street, but either way, if you've been arrested for either one and then go out and do EXACTLY THE SAME THING AGAIN then he's already had his second chance then, hasn't he? He's only lucky we don't have the 3 strikes rule in force like they do in America otherwise, he'd be one more puch away from a life sentence.

barton isn't even a half decent player, that's why he vents his anger on innocent people, if he was talented he would have learned to control his anger and channel his strength on the football field. he should be banged up with his murderous brother

Who gives a @#$% what Barton has done as long as he plays well for the Toon.

He should consider a transfer to MMA.

joey Barton shud @#$% over 2 Dublin, start on one of our lads, and see how long he lasts.... he wouldn't last 4 five mins, hard man he tink he is... a person like him doesn't belong in soccer, or any other sport, behind a cage is were he belongs, with the rest of his family... coulda been somting good, tried 2 complain about Gerard, rooney, and ferdinand releasing autobiography's? At least they had something good to release a life story about... nothing but a loser, who deserves to be behind bars, hope u rot.......

this animal is out of control , well at least handcuff the i.diot when training or playing an official match he's a wild caracter ,with all my respect 2 animals ( at least they ain't got human brains )

As toon supporter they knew he was going to get some sort of sentence when they bought him over the dabo fight! He is a good footballer and he gives his heart on the pitch keegan must see somthing in him or he would of been sacked by now! Pennant went to jail and nobody said nothing about him and he is on more wages then barton and he got a 2nd chance! End of the day what is newcastle supposed to do sack him then he will get snapped up by a top 4 team and nothing will be said I have no symapthy for bartons actions but what are you supposed to do football is football!

Absolute disgrace, with all the violence and thuggery in our country,a big club in British football will continue to pay the wages of an obvious scumbag thug rather than send a message to people as a whole and not just football fans that these kind of mindless criminals must be taught a lesson. Shame on you Newcastle if you turn a blind eye to this!!!!!!!!!

i can see were is brother got it from

I new someone who got 18 months for assault. He did exactly 12 months and was 'tracked' for another year after that. He was trouble but is now back on track and now lives a decent life. I guess Barton has the money for a better lawyer. Like the rest of us, Barton should be disgraced and should never ever be allowed to play football again. It would be interesting to see how he would get on actually working for a living. Pity the FA won't see it that way and he will be back on the pitch in no time on thousands of pounds a week. I hope Newcastle FC show him the door.