In a typically-outspoken interview, Barton claims the players were not offered the usual bonuses afforded to Premier League players and they were treated instead like “subordinates at Sports Direct”. Anyone who follows the football odds won’t have been surprised to see Barton airing his views again.

“Newcastle, as a playing squad, were the only club in Premier League history not to sign a bonus sheet. It was unprecedented,” he said.

“We refused as a playing staff as they tried to railroad the players into signing a bonus sheet.

“In their opinion we were paid workforce. They thought we were Sports Direct and we should do what the subordinates at Sports Direct do, forgetting they were dealing with 20-odd egos, probably 10 self-sufficient men in a position to make a number of different judgements.

“Myself and the bigger name players at the time advised the playing staff because we were head of the playing committee not to sign the bonus sheet and that filtered back to boardroom level.

“It’s no coincidence that I was given away.”

Barton’s views are likely to be treated with disdain in the north-east as he continues to have a pop at the club which helped resurrect his career but he his steadfast in his view that he was let down with various promises going unfulfilled. The Premier League betting also suggests he has a big job on his hands in keeping his current side in the top flight.

Speaking to QPR podcast Open All R’s, he added: “They promised a number of different things and delivered on very few of them.

“At Newcastle I couldn’t take to the pitch and lie to the fans and be a part of it.

“You are doing it for yourself, the fans and the football club but if you fundamentally despise everything that the owners stand for it is very difficult.”

Barton, who in May 2008 was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment for common assault and affray following an incident in Liverpool city centre, added: “I am a man of principles.”

Although these incident were reported by the press, Barton thinks that their footballing counterparts would have come off much worse if they demonstrated such behaviour.

He said: “The minute a footballer steps out of line, I think the media in this country – because of the sums of money they earn and also because of the stigma attached – are really quick to jump on it”.

“There is a lot of envy about what footballers earn, the astronomical figures,’ he added. ‘That’s not our fault.”

Given this, Barton believes that had the football team behaved in the same manner and then been defeated by a team they were expected to beat, there would have been “Public executions” when they got home. Those who follow the Betfair betting will know that unrealistic expectations are often place on the national side and this doesn’t help the public’s perception of them.

Barton also claimed that belief “football is a gentleman’s game played by thugs, and rugby is a thug’s game played by gentlemen” had been proven to be wrong by events at the World Cup.

The QPR man has made no secret of his desire to return to the national set up and has claimed on more than one occasion that if the side were picked on form alone he would have already added to his solitary cap.

However, anyone looking at the will know he seems unlikely to be selected for the side.

“Peter Hill-Wood said they never had any serious interest in me”, Barton continued. “I just don’t understand.” The QPR captain intimated that Arsenal had a communications ‘bottle-neck’ somewhere between Wenger’s mouth and the boardroom, which was keeping Hill-Wood in the dark, regarding affairs at the Gunners

Arsenal struggled with selection issues, following the sale of Samir Nasri to Manchester City, and Cesc Fabregas, to Barcelona. Although the pre-season betting suggested they would cope without their two stars, thing have fallen apart somewhat dramatically.

The issue seems to be a matter of personal pride for Barton, rather than an attempt to rekindle his brief relationship with Arsenal. Anyone following the online betting will know how poorly the North London side have done this season and Barton clearly thinks he could have made a difference.

Speaking in September, Barton noted that he had been in talks with the Gunners until their ill-fated match against Newcastle, on the first day of the 2011/12 season. The altercation between Barton and Gervinho, which took place during the fixture, was ostensibly, the ‘straw that broke the camel’s back’, encouraging Wenger to cease his pursuit of the often-controversial midfielder.

Closer to the present, on Sunday, Barton intimated that he would handle the “Gervinho incident” differently, if he ever got the chance again, perhaps in a bid to secure the transfer to Arsenal. However, the 29-year-old says that he is content to remain at QPR, especially given their position in the league – above Wenger’s Arsenal.

Hammers boss, Sam Allardyce is keen to add the midfielder to his squad, with Barton and current West Ham player, Kevin Nolan having played so well together for Newcastle.

Barton publically criticised the Magpies’ board when they allowed Nolan to leave the club, but now may well be heading in the same direction.

Following Nolan’s switch, Barton tweeted: “Great player, leader, captain, person, trainer and mostly a friend for life.”

However, the former Manchester City man has hinted that he may well be prepared to stay at Newcastle, despite being made available.

But Barton, who is believed to be on a contract worth 80,000-per-week, could well be persuaded to change his mind for the opportunity to be reunited with Nolan.

Barton already owns a house in the Suffolk town of Newmarket, which is not far from the West Ham training ground.

It would be no surprise if Barton was to move on before the end of the transfer window, with Stoke City, Aston Villa and Manchester United all having been linked with moves.

As for West Ham; they have invested heavily this season, in a bid to return to the Premier League at the first attempt.

Having done well to hold on to some of their top stars, including Scott Parker, Carlton Cole and Robert Green, the Hammers have added to their squad.

Nolan has been joined at Upton Park by the likes of Matt Taylor and John Carew who both have vast Premier League experience.

Should Barton complete a move to West Ham, a move for Scott Parker could be back on, although as yet, no club has met the Hammers’ £8 million valuation of the England international.

Barton’s various outbursts on the social networking site Twitter put him in the line of fire at Newcastle, with Mike Ashley the Newcastle chairman keen to offload the prolific playmaker. It was supposed that Stoke and Arsenal were keen to sign the England national, although his £58,000 a week wages made both Arsenal and Stoke take a step back on their pursuits of the talented midfielder. Anyone looking at the Carling Cup betting will be wondering what is going on.

Mike Ashley – the Newcastle chairman has been criticized on several occasions due to his lack of ambition for the club, and releasing Barton would further the general opinion. Barton has made several gestures suggesting his disappointment with the Newcastle board, and the previous along with his various dressing room bust ups could weigh heavily on Newcastle’s decision to release their star player. The Betfair FA Cup betting certainly suggests they are a worst side without him though.

Barton’s actions on and off the pitch have split the opinions of the general public and the different media outlets alike. Although in the past he has had several interventions with the police on countless occasions, he still maintains heavy involvement with the Tamsin Gulvin Fund, which is a charity that helps to support people that have addiction problems with no financial support.

Despite his problems at Newcastle at the moment, manager Pardew still has good things to say about Joey:

“Joey is a great player and you want great players in your team,”

A lot of the problems has been caused by the use of Twitter. Pardew revealed that he spoke to Sir Alex Ferguson and is now following the same principles as Manchester United do with Twitter.

Joey has become a very important player at Newcastle and after the Sale of team mate and friend Kevin Nolan, Joey became unhappy about the direction the club were going in. The idea is to try and retain the best players and not sell them off. First Nolan, and now Joey Barton looks likely to leave the club.

Joey has subsequently been fined two weeks wages for voicing his comments on twitter.

The worst part is that Joey is being allowed to leave on a free transfer. He has one year left on his contract and the club could fetch at least £5 million for a player of his quality. His agent Willie Mackay has come out and said that he has the easiest job of any agent in the transfer window. When giving away a player you only need to negotiate the wage, so it makes the process a lot simpler.

Joey is likely to give any team a boost with his creativity and still, just like Darren Bent did when he joined Aston Villa.

“Nice to be linked with some big clubs but I honestly don’t want to leave Newcastle. Thanks but no thanks,” he wrote on the social networking site.

“I will most likely leave Newcastle at end of season, when my contract expires and I am no longer employed. It’s out of my hands.” He added.

Barton employed the same method to spark speculation into life earlier in the summers as Toon boss Alan Pardew let his friend and team-mate Kevin Nolan leave the club after refusing to offer the former Bolton man a five year deal.

Barton took this as a lack of ambition from the club, and insinuated that that decision would herald the departure of a host of key players.

“Great player, leader, captain, person, trainer and mostly a friend for life. Devastated to see him SOLD! #mejoseandjonasnext” he wrote in May.

The talismanic midfielder insisted earlier this summer that he was the finest English midfielder currently on offer to Fabio Capello, although the Euro 2012 odds

While the Euro 2012 betting may go against him, it would appear his bravado has worked in his favour as a host of Premier League clubs reportedly chase his signature.

Despite his at times aggravated relationship with the club, Pardew insists there is no problems from either party and that Barton will be an integral part of the Newcastle side for the forthcoming season.

“I think Joey will be here [next season]. He’s said all along he wants to stay and I want him to stay so there’s no conflict,” Pardew is quoted by the Sun as saying.

“His contract may get resolved but probably not until it runs out. But if he has another season like the last one then he’ll be in the front seat, which is where he wants to be.”

Joey expressed his regret that his misaligned past is now affecting his current life. He apologised to Newcastle fans as well as a growing fan base in the US. He will now travel to Holland with the reserve team who are due to play Hollandia, FC Utrecht and Almere City.

For more football news see here. Let’s hope we see Joey back with the first team asap.