Gazette opinion: Never a dull day at Fleetwood Town as Joey Barton departs

There is never a dull day at Fleetwood Town, and that may have been the undoing of Joey Barton.
Joey Barton at Highbury.Joey Barton at Highbury.
Joey Barton at Highbury.

Fleetwood announced that the 38-year-old had left the club by immediate effect in a statement that consisted of two sentences, to the point and simple.

That hasn't exactly been the way that things have gone in Joey Barton's two-and-a-half year reign at Highbury but it might be a sign of things to come.

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Firstly, it's important to say that Barton did a good job in his time at Fleetwood, he took a side that finished 14th up three places in his first season in management before securing a play-off spot in his second full season.

Had Covid not curtailed the end of the season, Town could well have found themselves in an automatic promotion place the way their form was and the sides that they were beating - almost all of those around them.

But alongside the footballing side of things, there will always be plenty going on off the pitch.

There is not one reason that Barton lost his job, rather a few contributing factors that ultimately led chairman Andy Pilley to make a 'tough' decision.

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The head coach and owner have always had a good relationship and that contributed to the 38-year-old starting off at League One level with the Cod Army.

On his Twitter, Pilley wrote: "I'd like to put on record my thanks to Joey Barton for job he's done during his time at @ftfc.

"I’m sure he will go on to have a hugely successful career. Today's decision was a tough one for me to make, but I felt now was the right time for the club to go in a different direction."

A different direction might well mean that there will be a few more quiet weeks than we've been used to in recent years.

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That is part of the character of Barton, he's not one to mince his words and at the same time, as a new boss, he would make mistakes as he found his feet.

He was always very open with the media and often didn't hold back in his appraisals. That shouldn't have been a surprise to anyone as that is a part of the person and it also helped inspire and keep discipline among the camp.

The Fleetwood players did buy into what Barton wanted to do and the results spoke for themselves.

Nevertheless, there has been quite an upheaval since he arrived, multiple fans' favourites being shown the door.

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On that matter, Barton recently said “I know the ramifications of getting big decisions wrong and I’ve not shied away from them over my tenure here.

“Multiple times there have been fan favourites (who have left), be it Ash Hunter, Cian Bolger, Bobby Grant... I’ve been critiqued for it and that is the nature of the job."

Ched Evans is the most recent to feel his wrath, having been effectively transfer listed by the former Fleetwood boss in a post match interview.

There is also the incident that took place at Barnsley which brought plenty of media attention.

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Though things have never been dull at Fleetwood, he has been backed in his time in the job and has built a very good squad at League One level.

Town are currently 10th in the league and have been patchy this season, seemingly struggling to find the fluidity that has become expected.

Pilley always invests in the playing staff and could well feel that more should be coming from this group, with promotion always the target from the top.

Barton had six months remaining on his contract at Fleetwood and so the outlay to relieve him of his duties would not have been astronomical, whilst a new boss could come in, steady the ship and get a chance to bring one or two of his own players in.

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This is a very important time for Fleetwood Town, they still have a great opportunity for promotion and how they handle the next few days and weeks will be instrumental to that.

There are plenty of decent managers out there to pick from and they can also tailor that to the way the club want to approach things both short and long term.

The season is by no means over in terms of the league position, there is still half the season to play and only three points separating them from the top six, but they will want to get their affairs in order swiftly.

The sooner things can be put to bed and moved on from the better, Town can then focus on their promotion push.

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As it stands though, they're still figuring out the best way to move forward in the short term as someone must take charge of the first team squad and get them ready for the Papa Johns Trophy game against Hull City - with a trip to Wembley still a possibility.

The Cod Army will be an exciting prospect too, their squad is well equipped, their facilities are excellent and the incoming boss will likely be well backed as Barton was.

This will be an evolving situation, there are many decisions to be made and they are lucky that they have a grace period before their next game to try and get themselves straight.