Shearer to punish Barton

03 May 2009 15:45
Alan Shearer will hit bad-boy Joey Barton with a club fine after the midfielder's season was ended by his red card at Anfield. Barton, making his first start since January for the relegation-haunted club, was given a straight red card for a two-footed lunge at Xabi Alonso that saw the Spaniard carried off with a leg injury. Barton will now be suspended for three matches, and clearly miss the final three games of Newcastle's increasingly desperate fight to beat the drop after the 3-0 mauling by Liverpool. Afterwards temporary boss Shearer admitted that Barton deserved to be sent-off and that "we will do what we have to do" with regards a club fine, which will be the maximum two weeks wages. Shearer said of Barton: "He deserved to be sent off, he has let himself and the club down. "He was not unlucky, the referee was spot-on. There was no need for him to do that in such a position."

Source: Eurosport