Source: Telegraph
Joey Barton thanks Newcastle fans and is confident of club return to Premier League
Barton has been out of the first-team picture for the last six month due to injury while Chris Hughton's Championship leaders have moved close to returning to top-flight football and he is hoping help Newcastle over the finishing line in the promotion race. [LNB]The former Manchester City player who left Eastlands in a £5.8-million transfer deal in 2007 is now hoping to make his comeback when his club head to Doncaster on Tuesday with today's trip to Bristol City coming just too early for his return. [LNB]"I just want to play football - I just want to be part of this football club," Barton said. "It's good times (for Newcastle) but I know it's going to be a long, hard road this season and next season and the season beyond. [LNB]"A lot of the stuff that goes with me is off the pitch. I just want to concentrate on the pitch. I want to be judged on the pitch. It's well-documented that my life has had ups and downs but there are a lot of players going through it now and I can sort of relate to it. [LNB]"It actually brings back a lot of bad memories for me and confirms my belief in what I'm doing to address certain things in my life." [LNB]He continued: "I love Newcastle United. The people around the city and the fans have been incredible with me. I really appreciate it. I don't deserve it with some of the things I've been up to since I signed for Newcastle. I don't deserve that backing but, for whatever reason, I've got it and I'm determined to repay them. [LNB]"I have a lot to prove to a lot of people who have stuck by me at this football club and in this region. That responsibility is not wasted on me. [LNB]"People think I take that support for granted, but I don't. I know that people have criticised me and rightly so and I know some people have stood by me. But I'm determined. I want to be part of this football club." [LNB]Barton is paid some £65,000 per week by Newcastle owner Mike Ashley and he is keen to justify his salary. [LNB]"Not playing for six months is the worst. Fans say he's sitting on his backside, picking up his money, but I tell you - it's a lot harder when you're injured than when you're fit," Barton said. [LNB]"Being out there at Hartlepool (for Newcastle reserves), for me was fantastic. That's the light at the end of the tunnel for me. [LNB]"Being part of something great happening to Newcastle United was always my motivation, as well as the desire to prove myself." [LNB]Barton, 27, believes he could invigorate Newcastle's quest for promotion. [LNB]"We've got some tough games coming up, but we won't take our foot off the pedal," he said. "That's the feeling I get from the camp, and hopefully I can add something to that. They've lacked me all season - maybe I can come in and freshen it up a little bit. [LNB]"Maybe I won't be needed, who knows, that's down to Chris Hughton, but I will put my hand up for selection. [LNB]"I want to play every game between now and the end of the season because I want to take a bit of the workload off getting this club back where it belongs [LNB]Barton, who once played for England before his career was mired in controversy which included a six-month prison sentence for assault, is also thinking of stepping up his professional rehabilitation. [LNB]"I was in the top echelon but it feels a long time ago now," said Barton. "I want to be back there, but you can't run before you can walk. [LNB]"I can't say after playing 60- 70 minutes for the reserves, I'm going to be back in the top echelon of midfielders, but yeah, in an ideal world, it would be nice. [LNB]"My first priority is to get myself in this team. I'm more than confident in my own ability, if I stay fit, to do that. [LNB]"I know it won't be easy because we've got some good players in there. But I want to help get us back into the Premier League and once that happens, I'll cross the other bridges when I come to them." [LNB]Barton left City for Newcastle in search of European football and the irony of their contrasting fortunes is not lost on him. [LNB]"I joined Newcastle because I thought it was the next step into the top six of the Premier League," Barton added. "I left Manchester City because I didn't think they were spending enough money. I think the kit man is on about £150,000 a year now. [LNB]"I've never been the best judge, as my CV will tell you. But a lot has changed in me in the last couple of years, obviously off the field stuff shapes you but now I just want to get out there, doing what I love and what I do best - which is playing football. Hopefully, that will go some way to repaying my transfer fee." [LNB]
