Former Newcastle United star and current Fleetwood Town manager Joey Barton has taken to Twitter to clarify comments he made over the imminently vacant job at St James’ Park.
The Magpies have launched a search to replace outgoing boss Rafael Benitez after it was confirmed the Spaniard would be leaving at the end of his contract, which runs out before the start of next week.
Barton was interviewed on talkSPORT and asked about the possibility of him taking charge, with the Chronicle suggesting he would be keen on moving from the Fylde Coast to the north east.
However, the former midfielder clarified his comments on his personal Twitter account, saying: “Not entirely sure that’s true… That’s what I actually said!
“That’s the world of ‘click bait’ Media we live in now unfortunately.”
Not entirely sure that’s true…
That’s what I actually said!
🤣🤷🏼♂️👍🏻 https://t.co/YpQeDrIhz6 pic.twitter.com/kk0IBoEflu
— 👑 Joey Barton 👑 (@Joey7Barton) June 26, 2019
That’s the world of ‘click bait’ Media we live in now unfortunately. 🤷🏼♂️ https://t.co/z6IxiJKOhb
— 👑 Joey Barton 👑 (@Joey7Barton) June 26, 2019
Opinion
A breath of relief just rang out over Tyneside – or it should have done. As much of a cult hero Barton is at St James’ Park, he does not have the sort of pedigree or proven record in the dugout to warrant taking charge of the Magpies. He has done a solid, if unspectacular, job at Fleetwood in his first managerial job and it is perhaps best for him if he stays at the League One club to continue cutting his teeth – not to mention he would not even be given the courtesy of a phone call considering the way he criticised the hierarchy at St James’ Park as a player. Newcastle meanwhile should be looking for someone who has demonstrated their ability to manage at the very highest level or at least has the credentials to be a success without being too big a risk. Replacing Benitez is a massive task for the club and with the takeover speculation circling, who knows how long it is going to be before they can appoint a permanent man for the job. There could well be a couple of managers who distance themselves courtesy of the ongoing uncertainty on Tyneside.
