Joey Barton

Give that man a laptop, tablet or even a phone with a gambling app, and it seems he just can’t resist using it to place a bet. Unfortunately for Joey, footballers aren’t allowed to do that, especially when they bet on their own team!

It doesn’t matter that he actually lost more than £3000. The Telegraph have managed to get details of the bets that Barton placed and revealed them in an article which tells you that despite his total lack of success, he was clearly in breach of the rules on many occasions.

The bookies won’t have minded, as the records show he wouldn’t know a winning bet if it came up and filled in the coupon for him. But the authorities clearly did. Betting on your own team leaves you open to spot fixing allegations which would mean an even worse punishment that he got when he bet on other teams.

A man who has often caused controversy will often get extra attention from the authorities, and he shouldn’t be surprised at that. It’s a shame because if Joey had managed to grow up earlier in his career you feel he would have been able to make much more of his talents. As it is now his playing days are at an end and he will have to hope that a move into management can help him become more responsible and start to behave in the way that he has not managed up until now.