Sports / Soccer
Joey Barton eager to extend contract with Newcastle
24 Jan 2011 at 21:50hrs | Views
Joey Barton has admitted that he hopes to see out the rest of his career with Newcastle due to the club finally "going in the right direction."
The Magpies are currently in eighth place in the Premier League having come up as winners of the Championship last season, with the club seeming to have rid themselves of the unsettled nature that has blighted their progress.
Barton also seems to have followed a similar path, having taken several years to settle on Tyneside, his excellent form in midfield has been a significant factor in the team's rise up the table.
Despite having never quite rid himself of the controversies that have dogged what was a promising early career, Barton's creativity has been invaluable this season and has even prompted calls for a recall to the England squad.
The 28-year-old has now paid tribute to the club, stating that he is excited about what the future holds at St James' Park and wants to extend his current deal.
"I've started discussions with the club, and everything seems to be going in the right direction. So hopefully we'll get that sorted as soon as possible, and I can just concentrate on doing my utmost for Newcastle United," he told The Chronicle.
"I want to stay here."
Strengthen
Barton is also keen to see new manager Alan Pardew strengthen, stating that due to the injury list at the club, additions need to be made to help the club compete.
"It was disappointing to get knocked out of the FA Cup, but realistically I'm not sure we have the squad to compete on all fronts," he added.
"The pace that the Spurs game was played at was the hardest I've played at for a long time. The body is under a lot of strain.
"Man Utd and Chelsea use the squad rotation system so players can get a breather. We aren't able to do that at the minute until we improve the squad.
"Realistically our goal was to consolidate Premier League status. We're on target to do that if we can win our next two games.
"We've lost Smudge, Tiote is suspended and the big man (Andy Carroll) is out along with Dan Gosling, who has had a setback.
"We need bodies - we've got 12 or 13 players fit at the moment who have experience.
"If we get injuries in key areas we'll be in trouble, as would any squad."
The Magpies are currently in eighth place in the Premier League having come up as winners of the Championship last season, with the club seeming to have rid themselves of the unsettled nature that has blighted their progress.
Barton also seems to have followed a similar path, having taken several years to settle on Tyneside, his excellent form in midfield has been a significant factor in the team's rise up the table.
Despite having never quite rid himself of the controversies that have dogged what was a promising early career, Barton's creativity has been invaluable this season and has even prompted calls for a recall to the England squad.
The 28-year-old has now paid tribute to the club, stating that he is excited about what the future holds at St James' Park and wants to extend his current deal.
"I've started discussions with the club, and everything seems to be going in the right direction. So hopefully we'll get that sorted as soon as possible, and I can just concentrate on doing my utmost for Newcastle United," he told The Chronicle.
"I want to stay here."
Strengthen
Barton is also keen to see new manager Alan Pardew strengthen, stating that due to the injury list at the club, additions need to be made to help the club compete.
"It was disappointing to get knocked out of the FA Cup, but realistically I'm not sure we have the squad to compete on all fronts," he added.
"The pace that the Spurs game was played at was the hardest I've played at for a long time. The body is under a lot of strain.
"Man Utd and Chelsea use the squad rotation system so players can get a breather. We aren't able to do that at the minute until we improve the squad.
"Realistically our goal was to consolidate Premier League status. We're on target to do that if we can win our next two games.
"We've lost Smudge, Tiote is suspended and the big man (Andy Carroll) is out along with Dan Gosling, who has had a setback.
"We need bodies - we've got 12 or 13 players fit at the moment who have experience.
"If we get injuries in key areas we'll be in trouble, as would any squad."
Source - Byo24News
