Still serving out the ban he received for improper gambling, Joey Barton has been striving to keep himself in clear view.
Dismissing Jurgen Klopp as 'a giant German cheerleader', blaming Rafa Benitez for his consternation with Newcastle's incomprehensibly low spending, and defending the 'easy to pick on' Mesut Ozil - the former Burnley player is not short of opinions.
News of Frank De Boer's sacking by Crystal Palace after only four games was announced earlier today. To Barton's confusion, this chain of events is set to see the return of Roy Hodgson to English football. Speaking to Jeff Stelling on Talksport radio, Barton laid forth his concerns:
He's just got no charisma, no personality at all has he? You know, if you see him at the back end of that England campaign, I mean, he just looked like he needed to be taken in the back garden and have someone pull the trigger.
Although Barton concedes that he's sure Hodgson is a 'great fella', he is not confident that the charmless polyglot will fulfill the survival mandate that Palace look set to hand him.
With many in agreement - more or less - with Barton's assessment of the shambolic manner in which Palace have handled the whole affair, he clearly relished the feedback his comments generated.
Rumours coming out of Selhurst Park that Christian Benteke has been practising corners all morning. #Hodgson
— Joey Barton (@Joey7Barton) September 11, 2017
Hodgson, who's expected appointment has yet to be confirmed by Crystal Palace, famously brought Fulham to the Europa League final in 2010 and has managed teams in a staggering eight different countries. Contrarily, De Boer has now been relieved of his position at both Inter Milan and Crystal Palace after a combined 162 days.
.@Joey7Barton explains why he believes Roy Hodgson is not the right man for #CPFC in true Joey Barton-style... ? pic.twitter.com/WKDHIc45ep
— Alan Brazil (@SportsBreakfast) September 11, 2017
