Joey Barton has a 12 match ban - good.

[Codandchops]

Whatever team you might or might not support, his behaviour in the QPR/Man City match was appalling and made me so glad that DS doesn't understand football or watch as I would have hated him to witness Joey Barton's massive temper tantrum. The unprovoked kick to another player was just the final piece - what an arsehole - he deserves the ban and I hope his team sack him.

Agreed.

£90,000 a week. Such a bad role model.

I admit to finding Joey Barton a total mystery. When he's interviewed (and he was on Newsnight recently) he comes across as an intelligent and erudite chap - far more intelligent and erudite than the David Beckhams / Steven Gerrards or most other high profile players of the game.

But then there is the other side to him. He cannot seem to stay out of trouble whether on the pitch or off it. The punch-up with, what seemed like, half the Man City squad is a good case in point.

I think the teams and the premiership together have to take collective action with players like Barton. This is the umpteenth high profile incident where he's been involved and I think that, for the good of the game, serious sanctions - such as a lifetime ban - should be considered.

I'd hate to see players pick up lifetime bans, but more than that, I hate to see deliberate violence between players.

He's just a thug in shorts and any decent organisation would show him a P45. But, as the world of football has a habit of turning a blind eye to all kinds of appalling behaviour as long as the people involved are scoring goals or winning cups, that's never going to happen. The 'beautiful game' is a sick joke.

good

Not long enough in my opinion.
He's a convicted thug. He should not have been allowed back into the game after doing his jail time.

He is horrid.
But I can't help but secretly love him. I know, it's really bad.I suppose its because he livens up Match of the Day (football widow) and Twitter.
Maybe it stems from my secret adoration of Eric Cantona when I was a kid and saw his flying kick to a fan in the crowd....?
Not saying I'd want my DS (or DP for that matter) to be ANYTHING like him, of course. It was perfectly right to punish him, but to be honest, he seems the type who will never learn and always feel victimised. I await some choice twitter quotes in the coming days.

"he comes across as an intelligent and erudite chap"

do you think so? he comes across as far less intelligent to me because of how intelligent he actually thinks he is with his "cut and paste" opinions and philosophy.

Hmm... I think this is one time that actions speak louder than words.

Would you feel better that the person who kicked the shit out of you 'came across as intelligent and erudite'... Nope.. thought not.

He is nothing like Cantona. Nothing.

I also expect some choice Twitter quotes from him or his cronies - cannot believe that after his behaviour that day any other footballer can be defending him. Yet that's what I saw on the news today.......

I support QPR and cannot understand why he was even taken on! I hate him and want him gone ASAP! Horrible.

yes, apparently as long as you are quite good at football you can be a racist (J Terry) or a violent thug like J Barton and it'll all be ok......not like the real world.