sport

PSYCHOLOGIST: BARTON NEEDS FRESH START

Barton - banned by the FA.

A leading sports psychologist has warned Joey Barton he needs to make a fresh start if he is to save his career.

Barton was handed a 12-match ban, six of which are suspended, for his assault on former team-mate Ousmane Dabo last May.

The attack left Dabo needing hospital treatment to several cuts and bruises to his face.

The France midfielder's injuries were so severe that he said he felt the attack had left him "looking like the Elephant Man".

Leading sports psychologist Martin Perry, who has written books on the behaviour and performance of athletes, believes Barton has just one more chance to salvage his career.

"Now is a time to draw a line under it and get on with his career," Perry said.

"It's the perfect time because it's the last chance he's going to get.

"You've got to draw the line somewhere and say to yourself: ok, I have to behave as a professional sportsman, and actually dedicate yourself to make the most of your time because he is going to throw it all away if he is not careful.

"It's probably dawned on him what he has to do and how to do it and now is the time to do it, so it's really down to him now.

"I think you can only go through so much of this before you have to say eventually that enough is enough because it's really not applicable to the life of a professional sportsman."

Behavioural problems have blighted Barton, whose career seemed destined for heady heights when he signed his first professional contract six years ago.

But a series of incidents both on and off the pitch have tarnished Barton's reputation.

In 2004 Barton provoked the anger of fans and then manager Stuart Pearce when he stubbed a cigar out in the eyelid of Manchester City team-mate player Jason Tandy.

The following year he was fined eight weeks' wages following an altercation with a 15-year-old Everton fan at City's team hotel in Bangkok.

He moved to Newcastle following the attack on Dabo last summer but that was not the end of his troubles.

He was given a four-month suspended prison sentence for the assault on Dabo and was imprisoned for a different assault he committed on a teenager in Liverpool last December.

Martin warned Barton not to expect to resolve his problems quickly.

"It won't take five minutes. I would say it would take at least six months. The work he's done with Sporting Chance has been for a long period of time now and they look to be doing a good job," said Perry.

"It's a long slow fix, however, it's a journey that takes a long time. He's been through a lot and hopefully he'll come out of it a better stronger person."