Hughton tells troubled Barton to maintain form

Newcastle boss Chris Hughton has told Joey Barton to continue letting his football do the talking after an impressive start to the season.

Striker Andy Carroll may have grabbed the headlines after Sunday’s 6-0 rout of Aston Villa, but it was 27-year-old midfielder Barton who started the ball rolling with a wonderful 12th-minute strike, and his individual display was a key factor in the win.

The current campaign is the fourth since the controversial former Manchester City man made his £5.8m (€7m) switch to St James’ Park, although injuries and his notorious spell behind bars have meant he has rarely had the chance to show the ability on a sustained basis which at one point won him an England call-up.

However, having missed out on much of the Magpies’ promotion drive last season and the camaraderie which fuelled it, Barton appears to be desperate to make up for lost time.

Hughton, whose side head for npower League Two Accrington Stanley in the Carling Cup second round tomorrow evening, said:

“Joey is a good player, we have always known that.

“It’s just we have missed his services on the football pitch, which has unfortunately not allowed him to play as many games as he would have liked.

“But a fit Joey Barton, we have always known, is a good player.

“What Joey has to do is go through a period of playing well and doing what he is doing at the moment, letting his football do the talking.

“That’s always the best way with any player, and Joey is certainly giving us good value.”

Whether or not Barton gets a chance to build upon his early-season form tomorrow night remains to be seen, with Hughton ready to make wholesale changes with one eye on Saturday’s league trip to Wolves.

Top-flight survival is the only priority this season and for that reason the likes of Tim Krul, Tamas Kadar, Ryan Donaldson, Kazenga LuaLua, Nile Ranger, Haris Vuckic, James Tavernier and Shane Ferguson could all be involved.

Hughton said: “It’s about trying to get the balance right, trying to give the competition the respect it deserves and even more importantly, Accrington Stanley the respect they deserve.

“But our main priority has got to be looking after our own interests.

“You want to win football matches – we found out last season how winning football matches can lift confidence and build team spirit.

“We want to keep the momentum going, and that means winning as many games as we can, getting as many good results as we can and certainly, we want to come away from Accrington with a win.”

Carroll’s contribution against Villa means he too could be kept in reserve after re-acquainting himself with the Premier League in spectacular style.

The 21-year-old has seen himself touted as a potential England international since his heroics at the weekend, but Hughton revealed he is remaining level-headed.

He said: “He is very, very aware that at this moment, he is quite big news.

“He is on the back of a hat-trick, he is a potential England number nine, as we keep reading – but he is also aware that in the position he plays, a good week one week can become a bad week the next week.

“But he will keep his feet firmly on the ground. The most important thing for him is that he continues to perform for Newcastle United, and he has started the season very well for us.”