The Paddy Power News ambassador was left shocked by Barton’s rant – and he has written an exclusive letter for Express Online urging Barton to reconsider his actions.
Dear Joey,
I’ve been looking at the comments you made about Dave Unsworth, and I think they’re a disgrace.
I don’t know if you have a personal issue with Unsworth, but what I do know is that there’s absolutely no reason to come out and castigate him on his physical appearance and weight.
To you, it’s as though football isn’t about what you know about the game – it’s about how many people you can get to follow you on Twitter.
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I didn’t have social media in my playing days but I do understand the times. What I don’t understand, though, is why someone would say something nasty just to make headlines or get more followers, like you have done here.
To comment on someone’s weight – which is totally irrelevant to their ability to be a football manager – is just stupid. And anyone who’s sensible knows that.
You could’ve come out and said ‘I don’t think Unsworth is the right man for the job because of X, Y & Z’ and given a considered argument. But to actually personally attack his appearance, and insult him, is beyond a joke.
Those things have no bearings on his credentials as a manager. Some people might think it’s funny, but as someone who has been in the game a long time, it’s an assassination of his character – and it’s a complete disgrace.
What you said is an absolute liberty. It was unprofessional. It wasn’t funny. I was disgusted. I thought TalkSport wanted people to give proper football opinions.
Paul
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So what has Joey Barton actually said?
Everton lost 2-0 at Leicester on Sunday, prompting Barton to slam the Toffees’ caretaker boss as a “glorified PE teacher”.
Barton, a boyhood Everton fan, said: “He’s a glorified PE teacher. He’s an academy coach who shouldn’t be managing a men’s team.
“I watched him waddling on to the coach. How can you get players to exert themselves physically when you’re out of shape?
“I used to watch him as an Evertonian and he was the most immobile left-back I’ve ever seen. He’s not a manager and doesn’t look like one.
“Unsworth makes Alan Brazil look like an athlete. I used to call him Chipper Unsworth because he used to chip it and lose it every time.
“I’m a firm believer that teams reflect their manager and Everton did today. They were sloppy.
“Everton need to sort their managerial situation out because it can’t be Unsworth.”