Joey Barton departs Fleetwood
Owner Andy Pilley has described his decision as a tough one but he’s made it and relieved manager Joey Barton of his duties with immediate effect.
Speaking on social media about the decision, Pilley said: “I’d like to put on record my thanks to Joey Barton for the job he’s done during his time at Fleetwood. I’m sure he’ll go on to have a hugely successful career.
“Today’s decision was a tough one for me to make, but I felt now was the right time for the club to go in a different direction.”
That was somewhat better than the brief statement that came out of the club which read: “Fleetwood Town can confirm manager Joey Barton has left the club with immediate effect. We would like to thank Joey for his work during his time at Highbury Stadium and wish him success in the future.”
Joey took the Fleetwood job at the end of his football ban at the beginning of June 2018. They ended his first season in charge in 11th place in the table but were the form team last season when the season came to an abrupt end. They were unbeaten in twelve games and had lost just once in eighteen games in League One. It got them into the play-offs where they were beaten by Wycombe.
They are currently tenth in the table but just three points from the play-off positions. They were last beaten by Blackpool in the tram derby at the beginning of December.
Speculation has surrounded the decision to allow striker Ched Evans to move on; Preston look favourites to sign him, but whatever the circumstances, this seems like a very strange decision although it is Joey. An omelette cooked by one of his former managers should do the trick.
In two spells at Burnley, he made 52 league appearances and helped us to secure promotion back to the Premier League before making a contribution in the following season when we survived a top flight season for the first time since 1975.
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