Scott Brown has revealed how he sent Joey Barton’s career into freefall.
All summer long the former Burnley ace was boasting about what he was going to do to the Celtic skipper with the gullible’s lapping up the sound-bites and racing out to buy season-tickets.
Brown and Brendan Rodgers were the main targets for the ‘wit and banter’ of the former Strangeways inmate as he prepared to take the SPFL by storm leading Mark Warburton’s warriors to glory.
On September 10 Barton finally came up against Brown and couldn’t even look the Celtic midfielder in the eye as both sets of players shook hands.
Ninety minutes later the career of the French speaking ace was in tatters as he chased shadows with his side beaten 5-1.
“He tried to wind the whole game up and for it to be about him but top-quality players have come into these games in the past and struggled,” Brown recalled of Barton’s final match for Warbo.
“It’s always going to be hard for anyone if they are not going to do the work. He put his team-mates under a lot of pressure while we kept focused, kept on the straight and narrow and just worried about our game, no one else’s.
“I just did my talking on the park rather than in the media.
“Yes, Rangers have improved without him – they have started to get a few results and a steady team and that’s better for them. However, we’re improving and getting stronger and fitter as well.”
Days after being given the runaround by Brown Barton appears to have been involved in an angry post-mortem into the defeat at Celtic Park.
After being sent home he was given a three week club suspension- on full pay- which has since been extended without any reason being made public.
As well as his own club suspension Barton faces an SFA charge of betting on football matches.