Sevco are facing the most powerful union baron in the world as they attempt to get rid of Joey Barton.
According to the latest accounts Gordon Taylor, chief executive of the Professional Footballers Association, was paid a total of £3,368,653 in 2015.
In 1992 when the Premier League was formed Taylor negotiated a % deal for his members from the broadcasting fees. With those sums spiralling out of control the PFA are sitting pretty with Taylor one of the most powerful men- and certainly best paid- in the business.
While Sevco were able to bump off Fran Sandaza getting rid of Barton and his two year contract won’t be so easy with the player able to call on the PFA to defend his contract.
Barton and Taylor are far from bosom buddies but with his membership upto date the midfielder can call upon the best employment law specialists around to safeguard his lucrative Ibrox windfall.
Although he has been suspended by the Ibrox club there is no mention of a fine in this morning’s club statement meaning that Barton can do as he pleases while picking up his full wages.
In 2012 QPR were desperate to offload the former Strangeways Prison inmate.
Taylor was reluctant to get involved but duty-bound to defend a player who has been an embarrassment to the game for over a decade.
In an interview with Barton’s favourite radio station, TalkSport, the PFA chief said: “I can’t really defend such behaviour [by Joey Barton]. His reputation will go in front of him and it’s extremely disappointing. I just feel he’s his own worst enemy. We’re back to square one.
“I’m not saying I won’t support him because he does need that help but it’s recurring and he’s getting to the later stages of his career and it does get very exasperating and frustrating.
“We [as players] have a duty to the game that has given us our living and from that point of view you just have to count to 10 or maybe in his case 50 [if you get angry].
“It is a situation where he needs help but there will be many people who say, ‘how many chances do you give to such a player?’ particularly when he’s becoming more mature as an adult.”
Like QPR discovered in 2012 there are few things more binding than a footballers contract. Unless they can pull up a rabbit from somewhere Barton will continue to drain the resources of Dave King’s club until January at least with the prospect of another club needing the gobby midfielder virtually non existent.