Bristol Rovers SACK Joey Barton after fatphobic comments toward rival manager and slow start to season
Andy Mangan will act as the interim manager.
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Joey Barton (Source: EFL)
Lately, Joey Barton, a former player for Newcastle United and Manchester City, has stirred controversy for all the wrong reasons. He managed the League One team Bristol Rovers for three years, but his poor start to the season and offensive comments led to his immediate sacking by the club on Thursday. Andy Mangan will act as the interim manager until the club selects a permanent replacement.
Barton has called Stevenage manager Steve Evans a ‘fat man’ and a ‘weeble’. These comments have not gone down well with the League One officials and the club management who saw Barton as a liability for his uncontrollable personality which affects the image of the historic club.
Barton on Evans:
Obviously, the fat man's going bananas at the referee which is normal for the end of a game. Every referee at this level knows they're going to get the weeble wobbling across the pitch and berating them.
Rovers sit 16th in the league. They had just won one of their last five matches. In turn, this raised questions over Barton’s ability to lead the club in the right direction. Irrespective of getting them promoted and signing a 3-year contract extension last July, the club did not budge to take immediate action.
Joey Barton reveals his thoughts on his sacking from Bristol Rovers
After Joey Barton‘s sudden departure as Bristol Rovers’ manager, his former assistant, Andy Mangan, discussed the situation. Mangan, who had previously worked with Barton at Fleetwood Town, stepped in as the caretaker boss. He revealed that Barton wasn’t pleased with the decision, as he had significant aspirations for the club.
Mangan now faces the challenge of preparing the team for an upcoming match against Northampton and refocusing the players after the surprising news of Barton’s departure. Despite Northampton being positioned lower in the league standings, with just a two-point difference, this match holds great significance. Mangan stressed the need to move forward and not dwell on the past.
He emphasized the importance of providing the players with a clear plan and instructions to face Northampton effectively. This match against Northampton is the first meeting between the two teams since Bristol Rovers’ promotion from League Two, which occurred at Northampton’s expense on the final day of the 2021/22 campaign.
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Rajveer Gupta
(137 Articles Published)