Barton blows trumpet – Zenden blows hot air
Posted on January 15th, 2011 | 23 Comments |
In an interview with Sky Sports, Joey Barton said:
“I think I am a better player now than when I signed.
“I don’t think it is for me to say but at the end of the day I don’t think there is anyone playing better than me in this country. That’s an honest answer, not a big-header answer.
“There are probably six or seven midfielders get in a squad for an England game and I don’t think there are two English players playing better than me at the minute.”
He then goes on to bemoan his lack of opportunities at the international level:
“But it’s not all about football.
“Fabio Capello came in and said he wanted to pick form players, but I don’t think he has done that. Some of the players than have been picked have not been form players. If the selection policy is form players then there are not 21 better, or in-form players than me in the country.“
Meanwhile, ahead of tomorrow’s derby match, someone called Bolo Zenden had this to say:
“It gives you an opportunity to redeem yourself, not to talk about revenge, but to redeem yourself and say, ‘Listen, the first one, we didn’t really participate and we didn’t cope with the occasion’.
“Maybe this time around, it is different for most of the boys as well because we are playing at home and we will have the fans behind us.
“Maybe for some, that will make a big difference and they might feel a bit more at ease, I don’t know.
“It’s a big game and either away or at home, it’s always enjoyable to play in. There’s absolutely no fear factor.
“At the end of the day, it’s another game. The way I look at it, the most important fixture is the next one.
“In this case, it’s the Newcastle derby, but in the situation in which we are in the league, why should we fear it?
“We are not there for nothing, we did get the results, and they are not far behind us either, so it’s a case of keeping the distance.
“You have to cope with it in the best way. If you play a derby or a classico, you have to play with your heart because you know what it means for the fans.
“But more so, you have to play with your head because if you lose your head, you are more likely to lose the game as well.
“It’s about doing the right things.”
Yawn. Zzzzzzzz. Wake me up when he’s finished.
And this is the exact reason he won’t get to be a regular with England…he speaks his mind.