Compassionate Keegan allows Barton another chance

Filed in archive Premier League 2008-09 on July 28, 2008

Newcastle boss Kevin Keegan says that when Joey Barton is released from prison he will be given every chance to put things right at the club.

"People have opinions, and you must respect those, but mine is to give him another chance and back him," Keegan told the BBC.

"There are a lot of things he needs to put right - but I think he can do it."

Barton, currently in prison for assaulting a teenager in Liverpool, was also recently convicted of assaulting former Manchester City team-mate Ousmane Dabo on the training ground but escaped a further jail term when he was given a suspended sentence.

"Joey will be back with us towards the end of this month. It's well documented he's had his problems, but I knew of them when I took over. He's served his sentence, he's been punished for what he did wrong. The world is littered with people that have been given a second chance and taken it with both hands. I told him as long as from now on he did things right and started to rebuild the confidence of people around him, I would stick by him. The Joey Barton that we had in the last couple of months of the season was a much-changed character. I'm hoping that he'll come back and we'll get him fit. It's up to Joey to put things right now - he's got to win over a lot of people."

This will be Barton's last chance and he will hopefully take advantage of the fact that Kevin Keegan is a compassionate man and come back to show everyone that he can control the destructive side of his character and can be a fine player.