Former Fleetwood loanee Jason Holt full of praise for passionate boss Joey Barton

Holt, who signed for Scottish Premiership club Livingston last week, was briefly a team-mate of Barton at Rangers in 2016.

The Town head coach played only eight games for the Ibrox club but was soon reunited with Holt after taking his first managerial job at Highbury.

Barton took Holt on loan from the Glasgow giants for the 2018/19 season and the Scot, now 27, featured 36 times for Town.

Talking to The Sunday Post after ending his five years at Rangers, Holt spoke highly of the Cod Army boss.

He said: “He was great with me. I really enjoyed my time at Fleetwood. He has lots of ideas about football and wanted to learn every day as a new, young manager.

“In the season just past, they came close in the play-offs, which tells you how well he has done. I only have praise and good words about my time there.

“There is a perception around him. But when I worked with him every day at Rangers and then at Fleetwood, I could see his ideas and passion for the game.

“He just wants to learn every day and that comes across on the training pitch. It was really enjoyable.

“There are already high standards here at Livingston but that’s something that is the norm for me.

“Being at Rangers and then Fleetwood with Joey, that was always demanded.

“I spoke to Steven Gerrard (Rangers boss) when he first took over – he told me I wasn’t going to get the amount of football I would like, so I made the decision to go out and play at Fleetwood and then St Johnstone.”