LEE WALLACE has seen the headlines and heard the stories. He has also watched the performances and listened to the messages. Now, he wants to learn about Joey Barton from the man himself.
Barton may not have jetted out to South Carolina with his new team-mates this morning but the midfielder has already made an impact at Rangers, his jibes towards Brendan Rodgers, the new Celtic manager, and Scott Brown adding another level of intrigue to the build-up to the new campaign.
The 33-year-old has courted controversy throughout his career and his list of misdemeanours are well noted, yet it is his talent that did the talking last season.
After helping Burnley win the Championship title, he spurned the offer of another shot at the Premier League in favour of a move north of the border this summer. Barton will undoubtedly be a key figure on the park for Rangers and a commanding voice in the squad that Wallace captains.
He knows Barton the player and the pundit but it is Barton the man and the Ranger that will matter most to Wallace.
“It goes without saying that there is history there and things that have maybe been blown out of proportion,” he said. “But the bottom line for me is that you have to look at his footballing quality and that is what I look at.
“I know that any man that steps through this door will take to how we operate inside these walls with how we conduct ourselves and the environment that has been set here by the manager, Davie and the players. We would never allow that to slip.
“Having spoken to Clint who knows him well and Matt who knows him well, a lot of the stuff outside of football can maybe go over the top. But the main one for me is that I look at his football quality, where he has been, where he has played and who he has played with. He was Championship Player of the Year in a team that were promoted to the Premier League.
“It shows his ambition as well. It would have been natural to think that the best offer or best move for him would be to go and play in the Premier League. He has been there and done that and he feels he wants to come and be part of something new, something fresh, something exciting for his next career move. He is highly intellectual, a really clever man and it is easy to start looking at the negative side.
“For me, I can’t wait to get going with him. He won’t join us for a few weeks, he will take his rest from last season. I can’t wait to sit and talk to him, get a coffee with him, sit and listen and ask him questions and go out there and work hard with him and hopefully be successful with him.”
Barton may be the most high-profile addition at Ibrox so far but he is not the only experienced option Warburton has recruited as he has added strength and depth to his squad. There have been signings at both ends of the scale as Matt Crooks, Josh Windass and Jordan Rossiter have been followed into the club by Clint Hill, Niko Kranjcar and Matt Gilks.
The early business has undoubtedly improved Warburton’s squad, yet more reinforcements are required in the coming weeks. For Wallace, the signs are encouraging as he looks to help integrate the latest recruits into the Light Blues squad.
“It’s impressive. It’s a really good blend – a balance that we probably needed to help take us to the next level,” he said. “There’s youth and experience in there now. When you think of experience you tend to think of age naturally of course.
“But what these that are experienced have got is the experience of top level leagues and cultures. They have worked with different managers and world class players. That all comes in here and acts as a great learning process for myself and for all the younger lads who are already at the club. As I say, it’s a good blend and balance. We’re excited to get going with them to see how they step into a big club, one with the demands of Rangers.
“You hear them all speaking at their individual press conferences and it looks like they know what they are coming into which is great. You never really need to sell Rangers Football Club. The manager has obviously done his work on them. He’s shown them about the place and they quickly got a feel for what it means to represent Rangers and the demands and responsibilities they’ll have at this football club. We’ll work hard and move forward together and make sure we are ready so come that first game we’re the best we can be as a group.”
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