On the panel of Match of the Day 2 last night to depict Newcastle’s 2-0 victory over Liverpool was former-Magpie Joey Barton.
The Burnley midfielder spent four years on Tyneside, making 84 appearances and scoring eight times in the process.
While goals weren’t exactly a major part of Barton’s game, his passion and love for Newcastle made him an instant hit with the fans. Still, to this day, there is still a portion of the Geordie faithful that would love a player with the attitude that Joey Barton had whilst on Tyneside – a player who was proud to wear the black and white jersey and did everything he possibly could week in, week out.
His relationship with the club’s hierarchy soured before he eventually departed in 2011, but Barton still holds a soft spot for the Magpies.
In his analysis of yesterday’s game, Barton heaped praise on one Newcastle star in particular – Dutch international Georginio Wijnaldum.
“He was their star player and he has been a lot this season,” he said.
He showed class, got his team-mates on the ball and got into the box
“He got a bit of luck [for the first goal, which deflected in off Martin Skrtel] and that’s what you need. He finished his second goal like a seasoned pro.”
