Queens Park Ranger’s capture of Newcastle midfielder Joey Barton on a free transfer at the end of last week looks to be a fantastic deal for the newly promoted club. The 28-year-old will add steel, bite and leadership to a team that can greatly benefit from his Premier League experience. But as QPRand manager Neil Warnock assemble a team to try and stay in the top division, are they risking too much by adding another big character to the dressing room?
For fans of the Premier League these big characters are great entertainment but for clubs they can be a real headache. Barton’s well documented troubles means he arrives in London with a reputation and he will not shy away from confrontation on the field. Already in the handful of games he played for Newcastle this season he has been at the centre of the action, the most notable of which involved being slapped by Arsenal’s Gervinho. You can argue over whether that was the former Newcastle midfielder’s fault but Barton can’t keep away from the headlines.
After impressing with Newcastle last season Barton should rightly slot straight into the QPR midfield. But by doing so Barton is likely to play alongside Adel Taarabt, another big character that could hinder as much as he could help his team. Barton and Taarabt as a central midfield partnership has as much potential to explode as it does to shine and QPR are taking a risk by putting faith in controversial names. Premier League football and the battle for points that will inevitably ensue with often require calm heads and unwavering focus. I have my concerns whether Barton and Taarabt can not only do that as individuals but also as a partnership.
As well as the likes of Barton and Taarabt on the field, QPR also have another well-known character on the touchline in the form of Neil Warnock. Whilst I am an admirer of Warnock’s talent as a manager and he deserves a lot of credit for guiding QPR back to the top tier of English football, he too possess the unpredictability that could so easily destabilise a football club.
But have QPR got the right mix by bringing in Barton? Both Barton and Taarabt are strong characters and they need a tough form of leadership to properly guide them. Warnock will provide that and may relish having someone of Barton’s personality in his dressing room. Whilst big personalities can be liabilities, they also find themselves as leaders. As captain last season Taarabt guided his team to promotion and was the inspiration for much of their success. Similarly Barton has the ability to command and lead a team, a useful attribute if or when QPR find themselves in a sticky situation this season.
Whether Barton’s arrival at QPR turns out to be a success this season will depend on what league his new team find themselves in come the end of the season. It is going to be a tough season for QPR and Neil Warnock has taken a risk by adding another big character like Barton to his ranks but whilst it is far too early to tell whether it will all end in disappointment, there is no doubt that it is going to be a far from boring down at Loftus Road.
Written by Jenny Kerwood for FootballFancast.com. Do you think QPR are taking too much of a risk with the likes of Barton, Taarabt and Warnock? If you want to read more of my bite size, 140 character views and thoughts follow me on Twitter @jennyk5
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