Monday 26 September 2016 15:05, UK
Neil McCann has criticised Joey Barton's comments about Scottish football - but insists Rangers boss Mark Warburton has failed to manage the player properly.
The 34-year-old midfielder did not play in Sunday's 2-1 defeat at Aberdeen as he is serving a three-week club suspension following a fall-out with his manager and a number of senior players.
Barton played with Burnley in the Sky Bet Championship last season before joining Rangers in the summer and told talkSPORT last week: "It's a much lower level and I'm trying to help people get to a higher level."
And those comments drew criticism from former Rangers midfielder McCann, who feels Barton overstepped the mark.
"Joey Barton is out of order for disrespecting the league that he's playing in and working in," McCann told Sky Sports. "He shouldn't be disrespecting fellow professionals in this league and he shouldn't be disrespecting his team by saying about this 'lower level' he's operating in.
"He's part of that team, so that means he's culpable. Secondly, if Joey Barton is a bad influence and a disruptive influence within that changing room or on the training field and is a bad professional, then get rid of him."
However, McCann insists Barton's actions are not a surprise and his manager must take a share of the blame for failing to handle him properly.
Barton was banned following a meeting with Warburton last Monday, but the Sky Sports pundit insists he should "embrace" the player instead.
If you bring in someone like that, embrace it. I believe Joey Barton is a good footballer who can offer a lot to Rangers on the pitch still.
"What I've heard is he's not a bad professional and he's not being a bad influence," McCann added. "Yes, he's a bit mouthy, but we all know Joey's like that anyway, so deal with it.
"That leads me to Mark Warburton. If you're signing Joey Barton, you know what he's coming with. He's strongly opinionated.
"But I think Joey Barton is quite a driven guy. I watched the Old Firm game, in particular and asked 'did he chuck it?' He didn't chuck it. Even when Dembele was scoring the fifth goal, he was throwing himself at it.
"He's been brought up here with a reputation. If you are frightened of that reputation, then don't give a forum to someone like that to air their views; otherwise you're going to have some sharp comments made.
"We've all had arguments and that's fine, but what has happened in the office upstairs with Mark Warburton is quite clearly what has led to this suspension.
"It goes back to the fact you have to manage a guy like that and I don't think Mark Warburton has managed it like that.
"If you bring in someone like that, embrace it. I believe Joey Barton is a good footballer who can offer a lot to Rangers on the pitch still."
