Liverpool is still basking in the glow of the weekend, when fans were able to partake in proper title celebrations for the first time in 35 years. For some reason, Joey Barton has taken it upon himself to police that joy.
The disgraced former player and manager, who was found guilty in March of assaulting his wife by pushing her to the floor and kicking her in the head, has never been shy about venting controversial opinions.
But his quest for relevance has seen him come out with a number of controversial and inflammatory takes, the latest of which concerns the extent of the celebrations after Liverpool won the Premier League. Despite the fact that Arne Slot has completed the work of Jurgen Klopp, finally giving Anfield its long-awaited chance to party, Barton has decided that supporters have gone too far.
It’s hard to think of anyone less qualified to be the judge of when people have gone too far. But it’s no surprise that an outpouring of happiness has upset such a fundamentally angry man.
“It’s a funny thing isn’t it, that they almost feel like they’ve won something,” sneered Barton on the ironically-named Common Sense Podcast. “You haven’t really, have you?
“You haven’t physically won anything yourself. The way some of you are going on is like you’ve actually won something like that, like it’s actually done something for your life.
“A football fan, you invest in the team and results and all that, I get that. But then, you actually haven’t achieved anything, it’s not like you can put on your CV [resume] “was a Liverpool fan when we won the league in 24/25″”.
(Image: Lewis Storey/Getty Images)
Barton has clearly missed the point entirely. Shockingly, the celebrations among Liverpool fans are unrelated to any hopes that their resumes might now be boosted.
As another of the podcasters points out, perhaps Barton’s latest outburst can be explained by his Everton loyalties. But even allowing for that, it’s still just a mind-numbingly stupid thing to say.
For one thing, countless people within the game have acknowledged the ability of fans to help turn the tide, particularly at Anfield. But even if the supporters played no part whatsoever, they have every right to be happy when their team wins.
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That’s the entire basis of sport. If nobody cared who won, nobody would watch.
By extension, nobody would know Joey Barton, and he wouldn’t now have his career as a professional chancer. Despite that, you’d still have to conclude that football needs fans to survive.
Fortunately, nobody is going to let Barton’s opinion on their celebrations dampen the mood. There will be an incredible atmosphere at Liverpool’s remaining four games of the Premier League season, culminating in a parade that will see the city turned into a sea of red.
Barton will just have to shut his curtains and keep quiet. If he did that more often, there’d be another cause for celebration.
