Newcastle manager Alan Pardew insists he will not close the door on Joey Barton's career at St James' Park.
St James' Park boss hints at reconciliation with outspoken midfielder
Newcastle manager Alan Pardew insists he will not close the door on Joey Barton's career at St James' Park, despite the feud between player and club.
The midfielder has been made available for a free transfer after criticising the club on
Twitter for their failure to offer him a contract extension.
Barton wants to stay at Newcastle beyond the remaining 12 months of his current deal, but his agent, Willie McKay, revealed at the end of May there had been no new offer.
Newcastle responded to the former Manchester City player's
Twitter criticism by making him train by himself and with the reserves, while he was also fined two weeks' wages.
But Pardew has yet to give up hope of a reconciliation, as he told a press conference on Thursday shortly after the club had announced there would be no further statement on Barton.
Important
The Newcastle boss said: "I think it's a situation that I didn't envisage we would be in. Obviously Joey is a great player and you want great players in your team.
"But I think it is also very, very important at any football club and any organisation, especially one as big as ours, that you are pulling in the same direction, everybody.
"We find ourselves at this moment in time that Joey is not pulling with us. That doesn't mean to say that can't change very quickly.
"I think this whole process, for me, has been a time to stand in the background, let everybody reflect a little bit.
"Of course today is the press conference for the game (a pre-season friendly against Fioretina on Saturday), so I'm obliged to say, but I'm still really reflecting, as Joey is, how to best resolve this and I think I have never closed the door on any one individual and I won't close the door on Joey."
Pardew also hinted Barton could be allowed to return to training with the first team, as he said: "Who knows, there might be a situation where he trains with the first team sooner rather than later.
"That will be decided when I think that Joey has got his head together with us and we are going to go forward, because at the moment we are in this reflective period of what has happened this week, which has not helped the football club."
Ironically, Barton was
tweeting at the same time as Pardew was broadcast on
Sky Sports News.
He quoted world-renowned bridge builder Isambard Kingdom Brunel, saying: "Does anybody have Isambard Kingdom Brunel's number?"
Barton then said: "QOTD (quote of the day): Silence is the mother of truth - Benjamin Disraeli"
Unhappy
Before adding: "SOTD (song of the day): Why does it always rain on me - Travis"
Although not against
Twitter in general, Pardew is understandably less than happy with the role of the social networking site in the Barton saga, which would suggest he will not be pleased to hear the player has again been using the tool.
The Newcastle manager has sought the advice of Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson on the subject and would like some clarification from the Premier League.
He said: "Maybe if it wasn't for Twitter and this instant media that we have, this might have got resolved on the Monday morning with me and Joey just in my office. I think that probably would have happened.
"The problem with Twitter, I think this is a bigger problem, generally, for football, is that we really need to get hold of this.
Anger
"There is nothing coming down from above within the game to tell us how to deal with this from the Premier League
"I spoke to Sir Alex this morning, because they've had a problem with Twitter as well. We've gone on a similar line to Man United. You cannot criticise from within on your personal account, in fact you shouldn't mention the football club full stop in my opinion.
"Criticism of a player, a manager, of the club in any shape or form - it is a personal site for your feelings about your life."
Barton is thought to have been unsettled since the decision to sell Andy Carroll to Liverpool in January, while the 2007 signing from Manchester City's sense of disillusion increased after former captain Kevin Nolan was sold to West Ham this summer.
Reports suggested Barton's anger boiled over during last weekend's friendly defeat at Leeds and he clashed with Pardew in the changing room before storming out to the team bus.
Pardew said: "What happened in terms of the game last Saturday, which was reported, I'm not going to comment on because what happens in my changing room will stay in my changing room. That happened when we came back from 4-0 down against Arsenal etc. etc.
"What goes on there, stays in there and that is amongst myself, my staff and my team-mates."
