Joey Barton. Past the point of no return or can his public image be rescued?
(NewDesignWorld Press Release Center) -- Joey Barton’s dismissal from Newcastle United last week came as no great shock to those who have followed his volatile behaviour over the last few years. But what now for the gifted, albeit troubled, player? His unpredictable, and at time unlawful, conduct off the pitch has always been at least somewhat balanced by his unquestionable talent on the pitch. And, to some extent, his status as a Premiership footballer, and the discipline that goes with that, will have helped to temper his behaviour.
So now he has been indefinitely suspended from his club by boss Alan Shearer, it remains to be seen whether he will continue his downwards spiral – making himself totally unlikeable in the eyes of the public and unemployable in the eyes of prospective clubs – or whether he uses his time away from the game to reflect on his recent conduct, change his behaviour and rebuild his reputation. As anyone with a public profile will know, it only takes a minute to ruin but the road to recovery is most often a long one.
However, with some clever reputation management it can be achieved.
For Barton, timing is going to be particularly important. He only left Newcastle (under a very dark cloud) last week, at a time when the club is fighting to avoid relegation. If he were to start speaking to the media now, and Newcastle lose that relegation battle, Barton’s name will become synonymous with the club’s failure, he will be singled out as a trouble-maker and become an even less attractive proposition for a (del: potential) future club.
Barton is also a special case because he has some serious anger-management issues that he needs to address. It would therefore be wise for him to use this initial period to get out of the media spotlight, return to his therapists at the Sporting Chance Clinic where he has received treatment in the past, and work through those issues. He would then be able to use this at a later date as proof that he has seen the error of his ways, and is determined to control his behaviour and channel his energy for positive purposes.
This will also allow time for the season to end and for Newcastle’s fate to be decided without any Barton distractions. The transfer window will also then be open and Barton will be able to communicate his availability and stability to potential clubs.
Barton would then be wise to engage in the services of a representative or publicity agent who has experience in sports PR and reputation management. It will be important for Barton to start getting journalists ‘onside’ and this will be achieved far quicker by a publicist who already has excellent links with the influential sports journalists at the national newspapers.
By giving interviews to a select number of trusted journalists about his time spent in therapy, his determination to stay on the straight and narrow and his desire to continue playing top-flight football and reach his full potential, Barton will begin to put the troubles of this season behind him. He will shift the focus back on to his ability on the pitch, rather than the controversy that has dogged his career off the pitch, and make himself far more attractive to other Premiership clubs.
Barton could also use his spare time over the summer to start building up his account in the ‘bank of reputation’. By putting his time to good use and using his celebrity to support charitable causes, Barton would gain credit in the eyes of the media, the public and the footballing community. He is already the patron of the Tamsin Gulvin Fund, a charity set up to support people who have addiction problems, so this would be the ideal cause for him to lend his time to.
The road to reputation recovery may be a long one, but if Barton can address the issues in his personal life and start communicating the correct messages to the media, then it need not be too late for him to get back on the straight and narrow.
Discuss Bury
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