"try listening to him on 5live now and tell me he is scum"
Which was my point about him earlier on, there's no doubt he can speak well and comes across as talking sense a lot of the time. Unfortunately his actions consistently contradict his promises. As I said earlier he's become a joke in football circles because when you hear someone give the same bullshit reformed character speech time and time again which end with him painting himself as a victim of the media who are dragging up past issues and not letting him get on with his new reformed life you can't take them seriously.
If it happens once, you think good on him. as most did.
Twice you go, right ffs but cop on now.
The 3rd time it's a bit of a joke but many people were pleasently suprised by his frank opinions post the 2006 world cup and 2008 qualifiers when he complained about the attitude of many modern footballers. SO everyone went, great this is it, Barton has grown up hopefully he'll put all that shit behind him.
Then he does it again.
He's gotten away with it for a few years precisely because he is a good talker when interviewed. However everyone now can plainly see that he's a toxic influence on almost every club he goes to, hence nobody wanting to touch him with a barge pole despite being on a free transfer.
So I think I'll take his past actions. Once again... putting out a cigar on a youth team players eye, repeatedly punching a man on the ground, punching a 16 year old, getting in a fight with a 15 year old fan on a pre-season tour, punching Gamst Pederson and hospitalising Dabo with an attack from behind later pretending to regret this and being a reformed character before describing Dabo as a pussy years later showing he doesn't really regret it... over a 5-live interview.
"he's admitted "going down easy" yesterday, but "you can't put your hands up" (I suppose that means admit it)."
No he's talking about Gervinho raising his hands. SO he's saying "I did dive, but he put his hands up and that is a red card offence." and he's right in that respect. Gervinho did deserve to get sent off.
"
(Still, going back to The Hand of God etc, football tolerates cheats, doesn't it?)"
Most sports seem to. Especially contact sports.