10 Things Joey Barton Wants You To Forget

3. The Pedersen Gut Punch

In 2010, Blackburn winger Morten Gamst Pedersen felt the force of Barton. While one of Pedersen's teammates was down hurt on the ground, Joey raced onto the scene for no apparent reason. In doing so, he brushed the shoulder of Pedersen, who was standing nearby. This time, Barton was not drunk. He was not provoked. He was not threatened. But still he lashed out. He approached Pedersen and simply dug his fist into the Blackburn star's chest. There's no press spin or pre-judicial reporting. The video is there for all to see. The remarkable part comes after the punch, when Pedersen (who remains calm) informs the referee. Barton demonstrated, with the palm of his hand, a light pat on the winger's chest. A joking matter. Thinking back to his Bangkok 'thoughts', maybe Joey's version of an 'open-handed slap' is different to everyone else's...