Joey Barton leaves role as Fleetwood Town manager

Joey Barton has left his role as Fleetwood’s manager, the League One club have announced.

The former Manchester City, Newcastle and QPR midfielder Barton, 38, had been in charge at Highbury Stadium since April 2018.

A brief statement on the club’s official website said: “Fleetwood Town can confirm manager Joey Barton has left the club with immediate effect. We would like to thank Joey for his work during his time at Highbury Stadium and wish him success in the future.”

Fleetwood have drawn their past three matches and sit 10th in League One after 20 matches played. Last month Barton ordered the Welsh striker Ched Evans to leave the club over “discipline and behaviour” issues.

In April 2019 Barton was involved in an incident which left the former Barnsley manager Daniel Stendel with a damaged tooth and was due to stand trial last summer having pleaded not guilty to a charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. That trial was put back to June 2021 because of Covid-19.

source: theguardian.com