Source: Northern_Echo
Barton won’t be rushed back in
CHRIS Hughton will resist the temptation to rush Joey Barton back into first-team action, but the Newcastle boss expects the controversial midfielder to play an influential role in the final throes of the season.[LNB] Barton has been sidelined since mid-November after breaking his foot during a 3-1 home win over Plymouth.[LNB] His recovery was hampered by an inability to train on frozen outdoor pitches during the majority of January, but he returned to full training at the start of last week and has spent the last ten days building up his fitness levels.[LNB] He had hoped to be available for tomorrow's Championship home game with Barnsley, but Hughton last night confirmed he was not being considered.[LNB] Instead, he is likely to be involved in the reserve game at Hartlepool United on Tuesday, March 16.[LNB] Joey's missed so much of the season, and watched so much football, that he's desperate to get back in, said Hughton.[LNB] But sometimes you can get carried away because you see him in training and think he looks sharp.[LNB] When somebody has been out as long as he has, there's a protocol and you have to do it right. Throwing him in can sometimes backfire, even though it's occasionally worth taking the risk.[LNB] If we were in position where we were short of numbers and had to take a risk, that would affect our thinking.[LNB] But we are not in that position, so we are allowed a little more time.[LNB] Nevertheless, Hughton is not prepared to write off the rest of the season in order to guarantee Barton's availability for the start of pre-season training in the summer.[LNB] With just two months of the current campaign to go, there must be a temptation to restrict Barton to the training ground, such has been the extent of his injury problems in recent years.[LNB] But despite Nicky Butt's return to fitness bolstering his midfield options, Hughton is confident Barton will make a significant contribution to Newcastle's promotion push in the closing weeks of the season.[LNB] Our priority is to get him fit whenever we can, and I'd prefer to have him for as many games as possible, whether that's the last five or the last ten, said the manager.[LNB] At the moment, we're not desperate to get him back in because of what we've got.[LNB] But that might change.[LNB] There's always something in this game that smacks you in the teeth when you think you have everyone available.[LNB] Joey's been out for most of the season, but the bottom line is he's a good footballer.[LNB] While Barton will not be considered, Butt, Peter Lovenkrands and Jose Enrique are all available for selection tomorrow.[LNB] Enrique's return from a hamstring injury could hardly be more timely given Patrick van Aanholt's return to Chelsea following the end of his loan spell, and Hughton has paid tribute to the Spaniard's performances prior to his seven-game absence.[LNB] It's his second season and he's getting used to the pace of the game, he said. I think he's had a fantastic season and he'd played almost every game until his recent injury.[LNB] He has improved as a player and forged a very good relationship with Jonas (Gutierrez).[LNB] You can see it on the pitch. There is a lot of energy down that flank.[LNB] Alan Smith will go into tomorrow's game with nine bookings to his name, meaning he is just one yellow card away from an automatic twogame suspension.[LNB] The cut-off point for bookings does not arrive until the second Sunday in April, but Hughton will not be asking his skipper to rein in the more combative side of his game. In fact, he will instructing him to make sure it is business as usual against the Tykes.[LNB] We've had a word with Alan, but we've just told him to carry on what he's been doing for us this season, he said. He's a player of great enthusiasm and determination, and when you've got that type of player, you don't want to take a big part of their game away.[LNB] He's a very competitive player and that's what we continue to want from him.[LNB] Sometimes, that will get him into trouble with the authorities and it might him picking up yellow cards, but that's the way he plays. If you try to take those aspects of the game away, you'll be looking at a lesser player.[LNB] Newcastle's game at Plymouth Argyle has been switched to Monday, April 19 (7.45pm) for coverage on Sky Television.[LNB] Newcastle officials protested to both the Football League and Sky about the difficulties of supporters being able to attend on the new date, but their pleas fell on deaf ears.[LNB]
